"The Queen"
Went to see it yesterday - it's a small movie only shown in the arthouse theaters around my area - you may or may not have heard of it. Helen Mirren delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Queen Elizabeth, playing her with dignity, determination, icyness, old-fashioned stick-up-the-butt aristocratic snoot, and melting confusion when faced with the changing modern world. The movie is both hard on and sympathetic to Elizabeth, Charles and Diana, each in turn. There's no smarm or sentimentality - it's about a family with a complicated heritage trying to deal with it and the reaction of the public to Diana's sudden death. They coped with their own grief or lack thereof, taking care of the young princes, and preserving the monarchy all at once. Tony Blair comes off very well, exhibiting both sympathy for and frustration with Elizabeth. According to this version of events, he was instrumental in saving the royals from a public relations disaster. The funniest part was watching Blair's pro-republic anti-monarchy wife enacting a reluctant curtsy.
A great way to spend a late afternoon, followed by dinner out, which is exactly what we did yesterday.
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