THE QUEEN
RYAN: And introducing: HRH Caroline!
CAROLINE: (gasps) I’m not “The Queen.” It’s Helen Mirren!
RYAN: I know. We just saw “The Queen.”
CAROLINE: We’ve been meaning to see this movie forever.
RYAN: We have. And that need-to-see-it was only exacerbated by the fact Helen Mirren has received a Golden Globe nom for best actress.
CAROLINE: And the buzz is looking good for her for an Oscar nod as well.
RYAN: And it’s a well done film.
CAROLINE: It is. I wouldn’t say it’s the best film ever. It’s historical and there’s some really fun archival footage of Princess Diana.
RYAN: That was the initial draw for me… such for fan of Lady Di. She was, after all, the People’s Princess.
CAROLINE: …as coined by Tony Blair in the film.
RYAN: It was so great seeing her in that footage. She was a truly special woman and you realize how much you miss her: seeing her here.
CAROLINE: And I have to say though, I may have enjoyed even more… the performance by Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Blair. I’d like to see him get nominated for something.
RYAN: He’s no relation to the Sheens of Hollywood.
CAROLINE: Also, I did cry a few times.
RYAN: You did?
CAROLINE: Mmm hmm.
RYAN: If this film is historically accurate, I was utterly appalled by how the queen reacted to Diana’s death.
CAROLINE: They were not big fans of hers, Ry. Stay with the times.
RYAN: And especially how inappropriately they handled Princes William and Harry.
CAROLINE: I know. And that’s when I got sad – in the scenes dealing with the kids.
RYAN: The woman who played her royal Queen Mum and James Cromwell were very funny and good as the comic relief.
CAROLINE: They were good. But you know, a friend of mine described this movie to me as feeling a lot like an HBO film and I agree. This is certainly not a must-see in the theater.
RYAN: Abbasoultey not. It’s a rental or something to watch on cable.
CAROLINE: It’s like a high quality BBC film. I wouldn’t recommend this for teens. It’s for a bit older crowd.
RYAN: It’s a little calm and slow-moving. The only person who ever expresses any passion in the film is Tony Blair. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: It’s definitely worth it for the performances. Helen Mirren looks remarkably like the queen. She’s got some really bizarre hair and bad clothes. It’s a good time. If you’re into seeing all the nominated films, then you should see this one. I don’t know why it’s getting any Best Picture buzz though.
RYAN: It shouldn’t be… when there were movies like “Nanny McPhee” this year.
CAROLINE: (laughs)
RYAN: All I can say is “You lived your life like a candle in the wind.”
CAROLINE: “Goodbye England’s Rose…”
RYAN: “Never fading with the sunset when the rain set in.”
CAROLINE: “And your footsteps will always fall here… Along England’s greenest hills”
BOTH: (singing) “Your candle’s burned out long before… Your legend ever will…”
redtown January 1, 2007
Things are not always as they superficially appear.In reality, the Queen’s reactions to Diana’s death surely covered a range of ambivalent feelings, and was not just a cold insistence on protocol, as suggested by the film. Prince Charles tells his mother, “The Diana we knew was very different than the Diana idolized by the public”, but this truth is never developed in the film. I’ll mention it here. While the “people’s princess” remains the icon of superficial popular culture, the Royals knew a very different, darker character behind the facades of glamour and pseudo-compassion. Both Diana and her brother, Charles Spencer, suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder caused by their mother’s abandoning them as young children. A google search reveals that Diana is considered a case study in BPD by mental health professionals. For Charles Spencer, BPD meant insatiable sexual promiscuity (his wife was divorcing him at the time of Diana’s death). For Diana, BPD meant intense insecurity and insatiable need for attention and affection which even the best husband could never fulfill. Clinically, it’s clear that the Royal family did not cause her “problems”. Rather, Diana brought her multiple issues into the marriage, and the Royal family was hapless to deal with them. Her illness, untreated, sowed the seeds of her fast and unstable lifestyle, and sadly, her tragic fate. PS: One bright spot in all this is that William and Harry are turning out to be sane, balanced young men. It’s very telling that they’ve consistently declined uncle Charles Spencer’s invitations to spend holidays with him.
Ryaline (Ryan & Caroline) January 1, 2007
Redtown!Are you working undercover for the Royals?!?!Seriously… Thanks for the mini-lesson. You’re gorgeous for reading our blog!Love,Ryaline