The Queen
Miramax Home Entertainment
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A revealing, witty portrait of the British royal family in crisis immediately following the death of Princess Diana. The setting for this fictional account of real events is no less than the private chambers of the Royal Family and the British government in the wake of the sudden death of Princess Diana in August of 1997. In the immediate aftermath of the Princess's passing, the tightly contained, tradition-bound world of the Queen of England clashes with the slick modernity of the country's brand new, image-conscious Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The result is an intimate, yet thematically epic, battle between private and public, responsibility and emotion, custom and action - as a grieving nation waits to see what its leaders will do.

Stephen Frears' The Queen opens with Queen Elizabeth II chatting as she gets her portrait painted. This sets up all that follows as Frears takes just 100 minutes trying to capture the essence of one woman's reign and stubbornness for tradition. Like any portrait, The Queen isn't meant to be an all-encompassing take on her. This is in contrast to the paparazzi that plays a key part in the film and in her real-life.

Without any real plot or action, I was amazed at how glued I was to this film. It's slow and plodding throughout, yet the format Frears brings to the table is gripping in its balance. Balancing the good with the bad, Frears (and the well-documented performance of Helen Mirren) makes the monarchy human -- warts and all.

Video: How's it look?
The English monarchy is surrounded by all sorts of fine things. This DVD lives up to the reputation. The film is presented in a sharp widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with excellent colours and no discernable scuffs.

Audio: How's it sound?
There's nothing to complain about with the 5.1 Dolby Surround audio track. A Spanish track is also available.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• "The Making of The Queen" runs about 20 minutes and looks at the making of the film (surprise, surprise). It includes frank discussions with all of the movie's main players.
• Director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan provide one commentary track that is both interesting and dry at the same time.
• British Historian and Royal Expert Robert Lacey provides a second commentary track that will appeal particularly to history buffs. It gives context and added depth to the many traditionalist ideas maintained by the Queen over the course of the film.
• Previews for Deja Vu, The Roger Corman Collection, Kyle XY: Season One, Ratatouille, Becoming Jane, Soap Net channel and Miramax Studios.
• Spanish subtitles.

Closing Thoughts
The Queen is simply an amazing piece of filmmaking. It bends all sorts of rules, takes on risky material and takes a potentially controversial side. However, Frears and company pull it off, capturing the essence of the modern monarch. Although sparse in quantity in the way of extra material, the DVD makes up for it in thought and quality.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com