The Queen (2006)

[David Pettigrew]

I had heard nothing but good about this movie when I went and saw it on my birthday. It absolutely lived up to all the hype.

In a nutshell, this movie follows the interaction between Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair on the week between Princess Diana's death and funeral. Queen Elizabeth is much more concerned with following tradition (Charles and Di are divorced at this point, and she sees no reason to give Di a royal funeral), and comes across as out of touch with a mourning public. The prime minister, brand new to the office, does his best to help her see things from the public's perspective.

The acting was great. The score was beautifal. The cinematography was breath taking, especially the hunting scenes on one of the royal estates. But what I loved about this movie was the picture it gave of what is taking place in the church today. At what point do we quit letting our traditions keep us from touching a world that is hurting?

This movie was squeaky clean. I don't recall any bad language, and there was certainly nothing sexy about it. It's not a kid movie, but it is family friendly.

dp

PS - a movie review forum on a Nazarene discussion board? My shouting, ordained elder, Nazarene evangelist great-grandmother is spinning in her grave, I'm sure :basic02

[Hans Deventer]

PS - a movie review forum on a Nazarene discussion board? My shouting, ordained elder, Nazarene evangelist great-grandmother is spinning in her grave, I'm sure :basic02

David, you have a point here and therefore I have added the Manual statement on entertainment to my "Read this before posting" message.

[David Pettigrew]

I know, Hans. I was very much joking. It's amazing to me how the church has changed on this issue in my lifetime.

I remember when VCRs came out. All my young life I had heard that movies were of the devil, yet, all of the sudden, we were renting them and bringing them into our home! It was ok, because it wasn't in a movie theater.

Is this even still an issue anywhere? I would venture to guess that even the generals enjoy taking their spouse to a night at the movies once in a while (like they have time).

[Hans Deventer]

I know, Hans. I was very much joking. It's amazing to me how the church has changed on this issue in my lifetime.

Yes, I knew. But I still felt you had a point and we all know that there is also a lot of garbage out there.

[Ryan Scott]

My wife and I rented The Queen this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a bit slow moving for her, but I appreciated the sincere performance from the actors. It helped that most of them were British and were able to handle the roles from a more culturally conscious perspective. I could imagine an American version of this film being much different.

I also appreciated the way they portrayed the royal family dealing with the two sides of Diana. She was a media darling, but had obviously not behaved the same way in private family matters. They just accepted that society would never see her as they did.

It was a fascinating insight into the responsibilities of royalty, even in this age (and from my culture) where they seem to make less sense. It is true leadership to put the betterment of the nation before your own interests. It's just sad we have to give someone inherited rights in order to get that sort of humility and sacrifice from public figures.


(I also saw, Hot Fuzz, Idiocracy, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End this weekend. Let me know if anyone wants a review of any of these.)

[David Pettigrew]

This movie was squeaky clean. I don't recall any bad language, and there was certainly nothing sexy about it. It's not a kid movie, but it is family friendly.



Upon renting this movie and re-watching it with my wife, I discovered that the "f" word does make a couple of appearances. Sorry!

dp

[Anita F. Henck]

I used the movie in January for my class on "Leading Change in Higher Education". In addition to being a good movie, it has some great lessons on effecting change in established systems. Notably, not only did Tony Blair assist with change, he was also changed as he grew in appreciation for the Queen. I reminded my students that this is an important part of the lesson, too. Even change agents have to be willing to change, when they learn more about the organization they are trying to influence.

Important lessons for all of us in the church.

Finally, I like the demonstration of how word usage ("the people's princess") shapes the way people look at things. Wordsmithing is an important influence on how institutions shape reality.

[Ryan Scott]

By the way, I threw this movie on again last night with the commentary from the historical expert/royal family scholar. It was a great learning experience, plus the content is the commentary, so you don't have to sit and watch, but can do other things while enjoying it.