The Queen (2006 film)

The Queen
British theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Frears
Written byPeter Morgan
Based onDeath of Diana, Princess of Wales
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAffonso Beato
Edited byLucia Zucchetti
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed byPathé Distribution (France, Switzerland & United Kingdom)
BIM Distribuzione (Italy)[1]
Release dates
  • 2 September 2006 (2006-09-02) (Venice)
  • 15 September 2006 (2006-09-15) (United Kingdom)
  • 18 October 2006 (2006-10-18) (France)
Running time
103 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Italy
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$123.5 million[1]

The Queen is a 2006 historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Peter Morgan. The film depicts the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. The royal family regards Diana's death as a private affair and thus not to be treated as an official royal death, in contrast with the views of Prime Minister Tony Blair and Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favour the general public's desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about republicanism.

The film's development coincided with a revival of favourable public sentiment in respect to the British monarchy, a downturn in fortunes for Blair, and the inquest into Diana's death, Operation Paget. Michael Sheen reprised his role as Blair from The Deal and he did so again in The Special Relationship.

The Queen garnered widespread critical and popular acclaim for Helen Mirren playing the title role of Queen Elizabeth II.[3] Mirren was praised by the Queen herself and was invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace.[4] However, Mirren declined to attend due to filming commitments in Hollywood.[5]

  1. ^ a b "The Queen". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  2. ^ "THE QUEEN (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. ^ Bastin, Giselle (Summer 2009). "Filming the Ineffable: Biopics of the British Royal Family". Auto/Biography Studies. 24 (1): 34–52. doi:10.1080/08989575.2009.10846787. S2CID 220313542. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Helen Mirren at the Oscars". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 12 April 2018.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Mirren 'too busy' to meet Queen". BBC News. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2018.