The Queen 

As part of the PRESIDENTS & POTENTATES series:

2006, 103 minutes

Time and time again, the British Monarchy has found itself struggling to reconcile its traditional role with the changing patterns of the culture at large. Throughout the second half of the 20th Century, the House of Windsor presented itself as the embodiment of English reserve that got the country through the worst parts of the Blitz and then Post-War austerity. By 1997, after a decade of scandals, the Royal Family was seen by many in the United Kingdom as an anachronism­­—a perception that was exacerbated that August when the estranged Princess Diana was killed in a car wreck.

In this film by Stephen Frears, Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II, who, after forty-five years on the throne has so mastered her no-nonsense persona that she has no ability or intention of addressing the massive outpouring of grief over the demise of the “People’s Princess.” Newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by Michael Sheen), is appalled by the Queen’s refusal to grant Diana a state funeral—struggling to sort through the layers of stifling protocol in the hope of “saving the Monarchy from itself.” What follows is a conjectural glimpse into the soul of a woman at a turning point, with her years of dedication and service proving both a glorious asset and a monumental burden.

Please Note--This film is RATED PG-13, with profanity, images of a fatal car wreck, a headless stag, and a rather hapless heir-apparent.