1. Best Performance by Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama – (Hellen Mirren)

2. Best Motion Picture – Drama

3. Best Director – Motion Picture – (Stephen Frears)

4. Best Screenplay – Motion Picture – (Peter Morgan)

A good example of a pedestrian movie elevated by a powerful lead performance would probably be last year’s “Transamerica”. The above nominations seem to indicate that according to the majority opinion this is not the case with “The Queen”.

Nope. Come now, it’s not fair to say that if a movie was ONLY nominated for Best Movie and didn’t win it, that this supports an allegation that the movie is pedestrian.

That’s kinda like telling a kid that he’s useless cos he ONLY came second in an national or international competition. It’s nasty and illogical.

Subjective?. Perhaps you mean objective? Guys, the purpose of a film crtitic is to be subjective!

Why, would you like him to paint something??

I take it you prefer pictures dearheart!!!!

I was taken aback I suppose, by the fact that this ‘little’ movie (my description, not his) opened his eyes, which in my opinion revealed very little factual information that hadn’t already been in the media in some form or another since ’97!

Like Christo, I found myself wondering, but at (and not about – there was a very real difference for me) the role of royalty in the UK, and the protocol that surrounds it, as a result of the film.

Royalty watchers will easily tell us to what extent ‘duty’ is paramount in the Queen’s life and possibly, the extent to which she fulfills a role of a leader in that regard.

The film certainly highlights the role and values (even weaknesses) of a family, driven not only by their own impetus and status, but also clearly by that imposed by the nation they represent, during a very difficult national and personal tragedy.

Drama lovers expecting to see majestic pomp and ceremony will be disappointed. If however the film makes the viewer think about the points mentioned above, I believe it succeeds very well.
Sadly, a portrayal of the various royal personalities in a film such as this is too often seen as being ‘absolute’ by those who rely only on film media for instruction or information. Too many will actually end up believing every interpretation the director imparts.. and that would be the pity.

Charles comes across as being a simpering, weak but also an almost sympathetic man – and acceptance of that interpretation is moot enough!

A docudrama? A subjective, glimpsed interpretation of events? The viewer might decide, but if the viewer feels the movie opens their eyes to ‘reality’, then I suspect the viewer knew very little indeed about the monarchy after all!

Christo on Critic. The Critic – Christo Oberholzer, is great and his take on the movie “The Queen” is quite objective and I think quite apt. Its a bit harsh to suggest that he be replaced with somenone a bit more “subjective”.