Islamabad Director: Stephen Frears Script: Peter Morgan Cast: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell. Lok Virsa film club Mandwa has selected British-France-Italian co-production 'The Queen' for screening on Saturday (November 21) at 6 p.m. The British Royal family is at the centre of this drama with the death of Princess Dianna on August 31, 1997. It is a conflict between newly elected labour Prime Minister Tony Blair who represents the public sentiments, emotions and Queen Elizabeth-II who represents royal family and traditions which go back into centuries. The centre of the dramatic tussle is Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prince Charles on one end (according to Prince Charles "Dianna is the mother of a future king of Britain) vs. the Queen at the other end: is it going to be a royal death or a private death as Prince Charles and Princess Dianna have been divorced a year back. The queen is adamant on considering this as a private affair. And with the passage of time, there comes a moment when Queen begins to think of abdicating but then she is reminded by her mother that she committed to devote her life and services to family and Britain. For a strong character in film or television, a dramatic change is necessary. Here the change comes when Queen addresses the nation on television and described her former daughter-in-law as both exceptional and gifted. 'The Queen' then essentially revolves around the relationship between the head of Head of State (the Queen) and head of the government (the Prime Minister). And all this comes with sadness, plenty of wit and exceptionally well-played comic moments. The audiences, who have some sense of what happened in August 1997 and the history behind this tragedy, would highly appreciate 'The Queen'. Otherwise, it may or may not get the proper response. It should be noted that August 1997 is not just remembered for tragic demise of Princess Dianna. It was a period in the history of Britain which represented a change (Read: Upheaval) of British political life. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (along with her Thatcherism) was out and young Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair was in. Was Britain ready for an uncertain change? And if that was not enough, Britain is hit with a shock which is about to jolt the monarchy. Helen Mirren turns into Queen Elizabeth-II on account of her enormous unconventional acting talent and with little help from the make-up and prop department (Read: a good wig and a pair of eye glasses). Mirren watched plenty of Queen's TV footage and photographs. She also took voice coaching. She won a deserving Academy Award Oscar for Best Actress. She also won popular public and critical acclaim and was invited to meet the Queen. However, she could not make it to Buckingham Palace due to her film schedule in the United States. The film was also nominated for Oscar for Best Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score and Costume Design. Apart from Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen also shines in the role of Prime Minister. Films about people who are still alive (and at times even in power-Biopics) are rather difficult, wide open to debate and controversies. Keeping that in mind, 'The Queen' is superb with what a viewer describes "tragi-comedy of manners". One of the best lines from the film goes like this. 'The Queen' now believes that monarchy has to change and modernize to keep pace with the future. The Prime Minister suggests to the Queen that he can help her bring that change. 'The Queen' replies "Don't get ahead of you. Remember, I'm supposed to be the one advising you." 'The Queen' runs for two hours. The author can be reached at aijazzgul@gmail.com
