The Queen This is one sharp little movie. The Queen was directed by Stephen Frears, who has previously directed Dirty Pretty Things and High Fidelity. Both of those movies are worth tracking down if you have not has the pleasure to see them. This is not a movie that I would want to see over and over, but the dialogue is very well written, the acting is superb, the screenplay is clear and absorbing, and the sets are believable (though not the actual locations). I find it interesting that they would pick this subject matter for a movie.
“Say JR, I have a great idea for a movie, you are gonna love it”
“Sure Ed, I got a minute, pitch me your idea”
“I see the Queen, Diana just died, the queen finds out, are you with me”
“Yeah I am wich ya Ed, keep going”
“Ok, the Public JR, the Public, wants a big funeral, the queen doesn’t, guess what happens next”
“I don’t know Ed, what happens”
“They argue about it, How do you like the idea JR, Isn’t it GREAT”
“Let me throw a question at ya Ed, are there any car crashes in the movie”
“Well they talk about car crashes”
“Any spies, Ed, are there any spies, love affairs or atomic bombs”
“Not yet JR”
“What about monsters, Ed, got any monsters”
“We could talk about it JR”
“What about cute dancing penguins, any cute dancing penguins Ed”
“I don’t think the Queen had any penguins but I could double check on that JR”
“Any chance of getting Jennifer Aniston for the part of the Queen Ed”
“I could call her agent JR and see”
“Ed, I think Kidman is too pretty to play the queen”
“Right JR, you are RIGHT”
“Let’s do it. LETS MAKE A MOVIE”
I have the same fantasy about Disney’s The Hunchback of Norte Dame:
“JR, I see a hunchback, alone JR, alone, it is a tender moment, he begins to sing”
The music was written by Alexandre Desplat, who had previously written the music to Firewall and Syriana. It adds the right touch of drama and whimsy to the movie. The movie is a character study, and an excellent one at that. I thought James Cromwell may have been miscast as Elizabeth’s husband, but more from the point of view that we see him in so many roles. His acting in this movie is quite good. Also the movie gives us an interesting perspective on how the press reports the news, and how the press influences the news. If you don’t mind taking a chance with a smaller quieter movie, this is an excellent choice.
You can write James Harper at movielover77061@yahoo.com |
