Queen Film

So ubiquitous in recent years have films concerning Elizabeth Windsor (and her ancestors) become that they seem to have developed a sub-genre of their own. And with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee popping up left, right and centre, it's a good time to address this quaint nationalistic British past time.

The Queen (Frears, 2006)

Helen Mirren performed this interpretation of the Queen following the death of the Princess of Wales. The film focuses on the struggle between public and private relations which monarchy faced after the tragic death of the popular public figure. I like how this film is very British - understated, quiet whilst dealing with big public issues. It was highly successful, collecting a number of awards, including an Oscar, and Michael Sheen's impersonation of Tony Blair was considered inspired.






The King's Speech

The unassuming Prince Bertie, Elizabeth's father, became King unexpectedly when his brother ran away with that yank. Colin Firth was a deserving winner in many respects for his performance of the King's stutter, along with frustrations and pressures of being King. I think everyone who watched this will agree, it's such a charming film, you really find yourself rooting for the monarch in his pivotal World War II speech at the climax of the narrative. I also like how he gest pissed and starts swearing, it's so contrapuntal for someone of his rank.







Elizabeth (Hirst, 1998) & Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Kapur, 2007)

The name alone of this iconic English monarch connotes the current Queen. Cate Blanchett flourishes in this story of the not-so-Virgin Queen, which covers originally the conflict between a religiously torn country, and Elizabeth I's insecure rise to power, and in The Golden Age the Spanish Armada. Of the two of them I prefer the former, which is much darker, more operatic and more suiting to its medieval time period, where the clash between Protestantism and Catholicism was brutal to the extreme. And, if you're still not convinced, don't forget to check this out for Joseph Fiennes' emo love interest, yummy.





The Young Victoria (Vallee, 2009)

With family descendency less tentative than the Tudors, the Queen's great great great great (recurring) Grandmother twice removed (or something along those lines) was the inspiration for a sweet monarchal film a few years back. Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend are positively adorable as Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The look of the film itself is lavish and picturesque, Blunt has an enviable wardrobe, I wish we could still dress like that.









Royal Film celebrates the quintessentially British. It always seems to collaborate a fabulous British ensemble cast, is thriving with beautful aesthetics, from sweeping British countryside to elaborate  royal manors, and seems to encapsulate the anxieties of the time. And this is not simply a self-indulgent phenomena - globally people can't get enough of us, particularly in Republican America, where monarchy is nostalgic and exotic. To those who say we shouldn't have a Queen, I would argue that idea is short-sighted; our monarchy is part of our national identity, it brings international recognition and celebration in such films as I have mentioned, as well as tourism and a pop of optimism in times such as these.