Silly Little Country

'The Queen'

Air Canada did the kindness to me of using an Embraer 175 equipped with Personal TV for my flight to Denver, with the result that I could choose to watch 'The Queen' on my flight. Who would have thought that a movie about a constitution, an unwritten one to boot, could be so compelling? I am still struggling to decide whether I have seen a better movie.
It is right up there with 'The Third Man' and 'The Searchers'. And it is utterly different from any film I have ever seen.
A stunningly compassionate and beautiful portrayal of a surprising and difficult piece of British history. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, with a profound sympathy for all the characters (even Alastair Campbell!), it presents a convincing portrait of a weird week in the world.
It takes very special writing to have conflict and treat all the characters decently. And some very special performances. Of course everyone is raving rightly about Helen Mirren's work, but for me the actors portraying the Blairs stole the movie.
I wonder how I will react to the second watching; it won't be long before I do that one.
I have no idea how accurate the story in this film is. But it is convincing and what it says matters. Most of the civilized governments in today's world derive in some way from the British constitution, and it is the star of this film in the end.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 2:04 PM