The Queen

I had heard quite a lot about The Queen and it had quite a reputation behind it, so I decided that it would be a good idea to watch it. It’s a film which considers the British Royal Family’s dealing with the public after the death of Princess Diana. Now I was too young to remember exactly what happened with the death of Diana and so this film was very useful to me as a bit of an explanation.

Upon the breaking news of the death of Princess Diana, the Royal Family did not expect the response that was seen by the public. The Queen and her family wanted to deal with the news in a very private manner and did not consider it to be a royal death. However, the public opinion, largely channelled by Prime Minister Tony Blair, was that a more widespread expression of grief should be seen. The film also provides a bit of an insight into the workings of the labour government under Blair, but this takes a backseat relative to the focus on the Royals. In the year that The Departed won the Academy Award for Best Picture, The Queen definitely deserves its nomination and might have been a close contender.

Helen Mirren stars as The Queen and is absolutely wonderful to watch. She fully deserves the award for Best Actress and for me is the perfect actress to play Elizabeth II. Not only does she fully look the part in this film, which is of course a credit to the makeup department, but she sounds perfect as well. She has obviously dedicated herself fully to this role, and the result is an absolutely flawless and fantastic portrayal of The Queen. Generally I think she presents the monarchy in a positive light in this film, and although a certain degree of stubbornness is seen in the character, the audience is allowed to understand her reasons behind her actions. Also, she is portrayed as a genuinely caring mother and grandmother, which is really nice considering how private the Royal family is.

Michael Sheen portrays the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in this film and is as enjoyable to watch as ever. He had played Blair before The Queen and does so again after, but does very well at replicating the mannerisms of the man. His ‘all-smiles’ approach to this role perfectly captures the character, and he comes across as a very believable Blair. He does very well at conveying the difficulty that a modern Prime Minister can have with the Royal Family. There are a number of times when Blair’s modern ideals do not ring true with the Queen’s old fashioned way of doing things, and when this happens I found myself feeling a bit wary at where the scene was going. This level of awkwardness is perfectly captured by Sheen. Michael Sheen is fast on his way to becoming one of my favourite actors, just for how likable he is on-screen (and off-screen I’m sure).

The supporting cast is also very enjoyable to watch, particularly the other members of the Royal Family. Whereas Helen Mirren attempts to portray the Royals positively, the other actors highlight exactly how old fashioned and traditional the monarchy really is. For me, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh (played by James Cromwell), is the polar opposite of the Queen in this sense. Where she is prepared to consider and understand the public’s love and appreciation of Diana eventually, Phillip seems to have no understanding of why they should break tradition for Diana. This obstinance is brilliantly conveyed by Cromwell who deserves credit for his performance. Equally enjoyable is the old fashioned views held by the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms). I particularly enjoyed the scene where she was outraged by the decision to use her funeral plans as the template for Diana’s. Although she doesn't have a particularly big part in the film, she definitely adds to the presentation of the royals.

Alex Jennings plays Prince Charles very well, but if I had one criticism of him it is that his accent isn't completely perfect. I think that it is actually relatively inconsistent at various points, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was introduced as the Prince of Wales, some might struggle to understand who he is. Although, that said, Charles’ accent is particularly difficult to imitate and I’m sure Jennings gave this role his best shot. Finally, I found Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair to be particularly annoying in this film. It might just be because I find Cherie Blair particularly annoying and McCrory does a good job of conveying this, but I thought the character seemed to be a bit vindictive about the whole scenario.

Overall, The Queen is a thoroughly enjoyable and very entertaining take on the events surrounding the death of Princess Diana. As films of this sort go, it is definitely one of the better ones. Complete with a very proficient supporting cast and a couple of exceptional performances from Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen, The Queen is definitely a film to watch if you get the opportunity.

The Damned United

The Damned United is a film about the legendary British football manager Brian Clough and his time as manager of Leeds United, which only lasted 44 days. It is adapted from the book of the same name by David Pearce and is an interesting insight into the history of football.

Before moving to Leeds United, Brian Clough had worked with Derby County, alongside Peter Taylor, and had enjoyed enormous success. Before he took over, Derby were at the bottom of the old Second Division and Clough helped them to win the First Division and play in the European Cup. The film (and book) present Clough as obsessed with Leeds United and their manager, Don Revie, since they played each other in the FA Cup and Revie ignored him. Brian Clough was a very outspoken man and frequently made comments in the press against Leeds United. However, after he left Derby County and agreed to join Brighton & Hove Albion with Taylor, Leeds United made him an offer because Revie had taken the England job. Clough goes to Leeds without Taylor and things very quickly fall apart. His unique style of management was foreign to everything the Leeds players had known under Revie, and is sacked after 44 days.

Michael Sheen is fantastic as Brian Clough. He does very well to get the tone and speaking style of Brian Clough very near to perfect. His mannerisms in television interviews are also fantastically detailed. Sheen does an excellent job of conveying the character of Clough as well. He comes across as a man who just wants to win. His short temper and hunger for victory is seen continually throughout the film, and the audience often feels a bit sorry for Clough as his reign at Leeds seems doomed before it even began. Sheen has a bit of a knack for playing famous men with such skill and ability that you almost forget who the actor is.

Timothy Spall plays Clough’s assistant manager Peter Taylor. Personally I think he does very well and is exceptionally likeable. Both Clough and Taylor come across as exceptionally good friends in this film, which of course they were, and both Sheen and Spall do a good job to present this so enjoyably. There are a number of minor characters who do very well. Jim Broadbent is thoroughly dislikable as the chairman of Derby County, and this is fantastic acting from Broadbent. I don’t think I've seen a film in which I've disliked Broadbent’s character too much, but The Damned United is definitely him at his most despicable. The actors who play the Leeds United team do very well too. They feel like a strong unit of players and come across as a small family for the parts of the film when they are on-screen. The flashbacks to the past with Don Revie as manager only serve to reinforce this, and when Clough arrives at Elland Road (Leeds United’s home ground) he never fits in. From the first image of the players standing around looking at their new celebrity manager it is apparent that Clough’s time at Leeds will be short-lived. These actors do very well to convey such hostility as a group.

The Damned United book is very gripping and fantastically entertaining because of the way it is laid out chronologically. The film does a fantastic job of translating this exciting story to the screen. In both the book and the film Clough’s time at Leeds is interspersed with his success at Derby so that by the time he is sacked as Leeds manager he is also leaving Derby. This serves to make the book seem very cyclical, and while the film missed out on this slightly, the scene at the end where Clough and Taylor make up serves to complete the notion that all is well again. Indeed the little montage at the end shows just how successful this partnership would be. However, the Clough family, who are largely critical of the book, maintain that neither the book nor the film truly represent what actually happened. Many people in football have said that the film isn't a great representation of the truth, and some have said that the film plays up the friendship between Clough and Taylor.

I don’t think that this is a massive problem though, because regardless of whether the film is a detailed historical account or not, the basic ideas are there. Clough was critical of Leeds, and then became their manager. The more recent example of Rafael Benitez as Chelsea manager shows just how difficult this can make your job. The filmmakers wanted to focus on the ideas of jealousy and betrayal more than historical accuracy, and for the purposes of cinematic entertainment, this works perfectly. It’s a very enjoyable film and serves to inform people about the ups and downs of football.

Personally, as a massive football fan, I really enjoyed The Damned United, and it should definitely appeal to other football fans. If you are not a football fan though, this doesn't mean that you won’t enjoy it. I watched this with my girlfriend, who is very apathetic when it comes to all things football, and she really enjoyed it as well. It is a very entertaining film and, despite some historical inaccuracies, has fantastic actors playing fantastic characters. All round, The Damned United is sure to provide some entertainment.