You might remember a while ago I said that if the Queen Mother, God rest her, had been nominated for BBC Sports Personality of The Year she would have won it. Having watched the film The Queen just now I am convinced I'm right: it was the most utter drivel and yet didn’t Helen Mirren win an Oscar for it?
If I were to make that film I wouldn't have called it the Queen I would have called it something like, Surrounding the Death of Diana: The Woman Who Will Not Die. Harsh possibly but then again more nearer to reality than simply the Queen.
The essence of this film is that Tony Blair is newly elected as prime minister and then Diana dies in a car crash in Paris. Most of the action in the film surrounds that event. Prince Philip is made to be a boor and a clot. Charles wears an expression of astonishment for the whole film. The Queen Mother, God rest her, manages to swill a bit of gin at one stage. We never see the boys. Cherie Blair is an arch republican.
Tony Blair is treated badly by the Queen: she treats him with disdain. I have no idea whether that is really their relationship but that is how it appears anyway.
One crucial point is that the entire Royal family and the entire government spend their entire time watching the television and reading the tabloid press. Bet you didn't know that!
The Queen is portrayed as a very independent woman: drives everywhere by herself, launches off at a minute’s notice and is most definitely in charge of the entire family. I would guess that Philip has more influence within the family than this film gave him credit for.
I think the dialogue was rubbish, I think the overall idea of the film was rubbish and I think some of the characterisations were rubbish. Charles for example, Tony Blair for example and even the Queen for example.
So this is the business plan: just put royalty in it and you are on a winner.
DW
