Actors made the Queen

I went to see The Queen, the brilliant movie about the times after Diana's death back in 1997.

As I walked to my seat at the row 6, I had absolutely no expectations about the film. I had, naturally, heard and read about Helen Mirren's performance as the queen and I was keen to see her work myself.

Now, I am a royalist. When Diana passed away in August 1997, I was among those Finns, who went and wrote a message to a mourning book. I also bought one simple red rose and placed that on the Embassy's gate, next to the several other flowers and buckets placed there. I did that, because it felt the right, correct and proper thing to do. I had not placed Diana to a pedestole nor see her as my idol, but I had, since I can recall, amired her for her work for charity organizations. And, I suppose, receiving the news about her death on the very same year than I had lost my own father, made the loss of this person feel more meaningful.

Back to the film. Helen Mirren's performance was absolutely fabulous. She made a viewer feel that she was the queen herself and not just some actress playing her. Brilliant! Her performance was, indeed, worth the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award it has so far landed her. And, of course, in less than a month she is, without a doubt, an Academy Award winner. At least, her performance would be worth an Oscar.

I was also amazed by Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in the movie. He made Tony Blair a sympathetic fellow, who understands all sides and is making his way as the new prime minister. It would have been interesting to see Sheen's performance with someone who cannot stand Mr Blair, though, because this Blair was more like the kind fellow next door than a sneaky politician. Then again, this character is based on what Blair could have been 10 years ago.

Another brilliant performance was by James Cromwell, who played Prince Philip. He made his character feel believable and genuine. I could easily imagine him as Philip, and reacting the way he did. And Alex Jennings, who played Prince Charles, did something I never thought he could: made me feel sorry for Charles. He made Charles more sympatic and caring kind of person than I thought he could be.

So, I had heard several things about The Queen before I saw it. Yet, none of the articles I read mentioned how funny the film itself is. It was entertaining to watch it. It was like taking a journey back in time, taking a close look on what it could have been there and then for these people.

Some say, that the movie could have been mistaken for a documentary for a while. Well, there was, indeed, clips from past interviews, documentaries and news broadcasts, but The Queen is clearly a film, a piece of fiction. Brilliantly acted, carefully written and directed. Enjoyable experience for anyone, who wants to see what great acting looks like or what a life at the Royal Palace could be.