HOLLYWOOD—By now, the whole world knows of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, who died peacefully on September 2, at her Scottish estate at the age of 96. The queen began her journey to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change. Her coronation in 1953 was the first national television event, and almost every step she then took in public was captured on film. As for her private moments, a number of actresses have attempted to portray what might have gone on behind closed doors. Let’s look at some of the documentaries that opened a window into her life, and some high-profile, fictionalized portrayals that helped shape public perceptions: “The Crown,” a Netflix series, (2016-present) You can’t write about the Queen on screen without mentioning “The Crown,” Netflix’s major series tracing the reign of the monarch from her ascension to the early 2000s.
Clair Foy and Olivia Colman have played the lead in the four seasons so far. Imelda Staunton is taking over for the fifth, which is scheduled to launch in November and be set in the 1990s. The series feels at times like a high-class soap opera, accentuating the supposed drama and conflict both among the Royal Family and between the monarch and prime ministers, although its historical accuracy has been widely criticized. The other film on Netflix (2006) titled, “The Queen” is played by Dame Helen Mirren who won an Oscar for Best Actress in the title role.
Set in the wake of the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the movie depicted one of the most challenging moments for the monarch, when she was perceived as aloof and slow to respond to the national mood. Dame Helen revealed earlier this year that she had written to the real Queen before filming to say: “We are investigating a very difficult time in your life. I hope it’s not too awful for you.” The actress also said, according to published reports, “I can’t remember how I put it. I just said that in my research I found myself with a growing respect for her.”
The actress also said she did not know whether the Queen watched the film, but “I got the sense that it had been seen and that it had been appreciated.” How she got that sense is not clear, given that the portrayal is not always entirely flattering-including for the wider family-and that Mirren added: I’ve never heard directly, and I never will.” The film titled “A Royal Night Out,” a 2015 film starred Canadian actress Sarah Galdon as a 19-year old Princess Elizabeth, who goes out onto the streets incognito with sister, Margaret during the celebrations on VE Day, the end of World War II in Europe in 1945.
A light-hearted and charming reimagining of the princesses’ night of anonymous freedom loosely based on real events when the sisters did indeed join the merry throng on the Mall outside of Buckingham Palace. However, it seems unlikely that Elizabeth did really meet a dashing airman on a double-decker bus before cavorting through the city with him and taking him back to the palace for breakfast with her mother and father-but the film’s writers decided they too could use artistic license when filling in the blanks about the Queen’s life. The film is available on various on-demand platforms.
Then you have on Amazon Prime “Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts,” a 2022 documentary, while remaining respectful-this 90-minute film splices together archive of the Queen and her surrounding culture, jumping back and forth in time across her 70 years. Released for her Platinum Jublilee earlier this year, it was the last work by “Notting Hill” and The Duke director Roger Mitchell before he died a year ago. His style, using cut-up footage to compile loose themed chapters rather than telling a chronological story, gives it a fresh feel and helps break down some of the pomp and formality that surrounded the monarch.
Rose’s Scoop: Sadly, Rapper PNB Rock, 30, was shot dead on September 12, in an apparent robbery at a Los Angeles restaurant after his girlfriend allegedly tagged the location in an Instagram post. Lesson learned, never post where you are. Condolences to his mom and family.
