The Queen film review

Review

Cast & crew

The Queen

(2006)

New Labour modernism is pitted against old-fashioned Royal Family protocol in this poignantly amusing mix of fact and fiction set in the aftermath of Princess Diana's fatal car crash in 1997. How newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) finally convinced the Crown (in the shape of Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth II) to acknowledge the British public's overwhelming collective grief and avoid a constitutional crisis makes for a fascinating and affecting memoir that's superbly scripted by Peter Morgan. Destined to become the apocryphal truth — despite mainly being pure fabrication — the movie, which beat a strong field to the best film Bafta, benefits from director Stephen Frears's clever manipulation of iconic newsreel footage and flawless re-creation, with powerful and surprisingly moving results. The acting is exemplary, with Sheen's Blair spot on, Sylvia Syms a joy as the Queen Mother and James Cromwell hilariously pompous as Prince Philip. But it's Mirren's brilliant, Oscar-winning turn as the beleaguered head of state facing the demands of a changing monarchy that resonates most. AJ

Contains brief swearing.

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Running time

98min

Country of origin

UK / Fr / It

Genre

Historical Drama

Alternate title

La Regina

Original language

English

Screenplay

Peter Morgan (1)

Theatrical distributor

Pathé

UK cinema certificate

12A

UK cinema release date

September 2006




awards information


	Award	Category	Name	Nominee/Winner

	Academy 2006	Actress in a Leading Role	Helen Mirren	Winner
	Academy 2006	Best Film	Andy Harries	Winner
	Academy 2006	Best Film	Christine Langan	Winner
	Academy 2006	Best Film	Tracey Seaward	Winner
	Academy 2006	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Helen Mirren	Winner
	Academy 2006	Best Picture	Andy Harries	Nominee
	Academy 2006	Best Picture	Christine Langan	Nominee
	Academy 2006	Best Picture	Tracey Seaward	Nominee
	Academy 2006	Directing	Stephen Frears	Nominee
	Academy 2006	Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)	Peter Morgan (1)	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Michael Sheen	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	Best Screenplay (Original)	Peter Morgan (1)	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year	Andy Harries	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year	Christine Langan	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year	Tracey Seaward	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2006	The David Lean Award for the Best Achievement in Direction	Stephen Frears	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Director Motion Picture	Stephen Frears	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Motion Picture Drama	Andy Harries	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Motion Picture Drama	Christine Langan	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Motion Picture Drama	Tracey Seaward	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama	Helen Mirren	Winner
	Golden Globe 2006	Best Screenplay Motion Picture	Peter Morgan (1)	Winner