...In the 1997 general election, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) becomes Britain's Labour prime minister. However, the Queen (Helen Mirren) is slightly wary of Blair and his pledge to modernise Britain, but he promises to respect the Royal Family. Three months later, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash at the Alma Bridge tunnel in Paris. Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), prepares a speech in which Diana was described as "the people's princess". Blair gives his speech the next day and the phrase catches on. Within the next few days after Diana's death, millions of people across London display an outpouring of grief at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces. Meanwhile, the Royal Family are still at their summer estate in Balmoral Castle. Diana's death sparks division among members of the family, in which they observe that since Diana was divorced from her husband, Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) a year earlier, she was no longer a part of the family. Diana's funeral arrangements were thus best left as a private affair of her noble family, the Spencers. Charles argues that the mother of a future king cannot be dismissed so lightly, while the Queen authorises the use of an aircraft of the British Royal Flight to bring Diana's body back to Britain. In London, flowers pile up before the palace railings, which forces the changing of the Queen's guard to use another gate. British tabloids become inflammatory about the lack of a statement from the Royal...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...With The Queen, British director Stephen Frears sheds light on one of England's most misunderstood public figures. The film, set during the week after Princess Di's death in 1997, offers a glimpse into what might have happened behind palace doors, when Queen Elizabeth II was caught between a relentless media frenzy and the desire to protect the royal family. The death of Diana, affectionately referred to as "the people's princess," shook up the country and left legions of grieving fans desperate for someone to blame—the paparazzi came under fire for chasing her before the fatal car accident, and, shortly after, their rage shifted onto the Queen for keeping her grief silent and undetectable. In other words, they wanted their Head of State to radiate a bit more warmth than the nearest refrigerator. The Queen begins with Her Majesty (played with understated perfection by Helen Mirren) discussing politics with the man painting her portrait. The opening credits pop up as she is gazing off to the side, and then, unexpectedly, she stares fearlessly into the camera. It's a perfect introduction to how the movie plays out: honestly, straight-forwardly, and without any sugarcoating. When Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) is elected Prime Minister, his friendly demeanor ("call me Tony") contrasts with the icy exterior of the Queen. Their first meeting, awkward and abrupt, hints that they have different ways of doing business—and their contained oil-and-vinegar dynamic resurfaces following...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...Stephen Frears, utilises the director's imagined memories of the events succeeding Diana's death to portray the Queen, and her actions, in a warmer light. A compelling and challenging view of Diana is also presented in the film, furthering Frears' purpose of convincing the audience of the difficulty of the Queen's position and hence softening the public image of her. Diana is initially presented through a montage of grainy archival footage, where Diana almost seems to be courting and teasing the media with her image. While this archival media footage adds authenticity to Frears' account, it also demonstrates how insulting this behaviour would have been to the rigid policies of the monarchy. Thus as Diana is depicted as causing trouble for the monarchy, sympathy for the Queen's position upon her death is created. This compelling portrayal of Diana, through historical footage, allows Frears to validate his personal memories and in this way the symbiotic nature of history and memory is revealed. insights into Queen Elizabeth II's emotions during the aftermath of Diana's death can be gained through observing the interplay between the collective and personal memories of the event. Frears' imagined interpretation of the Queen's vulnerability challenges the public's collective memory of Diana's death. Frears' perspective is immediately depicted in the opening intertextual quote from Shakespeare's Henry IV: "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". Sympathy is created as Frears suggests...
Words: 2449 - Pages: 10
...Queen Elizabeth Throughout history, men are seen as powerful, strong identities and leaders, very few women have made their mark as an influential being; however, Queen Elizabeth is known as one of the most influential and powerful women in history because of her strong character and leadership and her ability to connect with her audience. In1588 England was caught under a major rivalry with Spain. Queen Elizabeth decided to present a very powerful speech to her troops on the battlefield, with the soul purpose to give them hope and to strengthen their British patriotism. The subject of her speech was to ensure her people that she would not give up on them and would, “…live or die amongst [them].” The powerful message was executed with an informal and motherly tone. Many techniques and certain characteristics helped construct this speech that managed to give courage to thousand of troops. One of the most important techniques that Queen Elizabeth uses in her speech is her swift code switching. Her tone is informal and very colloquial, establishing a strong connection between her and her troops. Her use of language gave a sense of equality and unity. She establishes trust between her audience when she repeatedly uses “we” instead of “you” or “me”, sounding compassionate and selfless, “…but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faith and loving people”. Using Ethos Queen Elizabeth manages to create a strong confident character, one that the audience will easily...
Words: 593 - Pages: 3
...The Queen is an admirable villainous character in “Snow White” because she is determined, cunning, and malicious. The Queen is determined to kill to Snow White no matter what, she proves this because she says: “Snow-white shall die,” cried she, “though it should cost me my own life!” (Grimm 5). This shows that she is determined because she is so set on killing Snow White, that she claims that it shall cost her her life. The Queen is also cunning because she is very clever in her schemes to get rid of Snow White. Knowing that Snow White will not let anyone in because she tries to kill her twice, the Queen says, “Are you afraid of poison?” said the woman, “look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...that goes into creating a commercial is overlooked and must be viewed in a different manner. A commercial is an amazing component of advertisement. By definition a commercial is "an advertisement on television or radio" (Dictionary 175). One commercial only lasts an average of thirty seconds and, if run in a good time slot, costs anywhere from fifty-five to one hundred thousand dollars (Baldwin 2). Commercials usually have stars such as celebrities to provoke the consumer to buy their product such as CoverGirl. The CoverGirl ad includes a picture of Queen Latifah surrounded by a brown background with her green eye shadow. Queen Latifah has small brown eyes with long curly black eyelashes. She has a beautiful big smile with shiny white teeth. Queen Latifah also has a pair of silver hoop earrings dangling from her ears. The word “CoverGirl” is written in big bold white letters above her forehead, all to improve her appearance. “Queen Latifah” is written underneath to let the...
Words: 1041 - Pages: 5
...Vina Le Mr. Silver English 104 09 June 2013 Queen Latifah: CoverGirl Intense ShadowBlast The CoverGirl ad from March 2012 includes a picture of Queen Latifah in a grayish background with her green eye shadow. Queen Latifah has small brown eyes with long curly black eyelashes. She has a beautiful big smile with shiny white teeth. Queen Latifah also has a lovely pair of small gold round dangling earrings in her ears. The word “CoverGirl” is written in big bold green latter across her forehead, all to improve her appearance. Queen Latifah is written in small green letters underneath in the right hand corner. The photo shot is from her head to her shoulders, just enough for her viewers to focus on CoverGirls’s product. Queen Latifah appears to be wearing an olive green shirt, the same color as CoverGirl’s product, with her hair pulled back into a long pony tail. The advertisement effectively uses logos, ethos, and pathos to convince the viewers to buy CoverGirl products. His first appeal is hown by using logos to give the viewers resonoing to buy CoverGirl products. CoverGirl claims that their products are for women of any and all skin types or ethnic backgrounds. The ad states, “fadeproof, waterproof and ignore proof”, which is used to describe the product that they are advertising CoverGirl mascara. This product hs been around for a long tike and is rapisdly growing and maturity it is very iverse. coverGir states fadeproof becase thet claim that their product will stay...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...The Queen A film directed by Stephen Frears in 2005 Written assignment: Write an essay (700-1000 words) in which you make a portrait of either Queen Elizabeth or Prime Minister Tony Blair, based on the way the character is depicted in the film. Your essay should also include a brief characterization of either Prince Philip or Cherie Blair. You may use any of the elements of ‘cinematic technique’ and/or ‘theatrical elements’ in support of your portrayal of the characters, using the document ‘Film analysis’. The character I have chosen to portray from Stephen Frears movie, “The Queen”, is Queen Elizabeth who is conflicted and under pressure due to the high pressure from her people, who wants to see her respond and show grief for the sudden death of Princess Diana. The Queen Queen Elizabeth is the main character in the movie and from the start we get a first impression of her as her majestic and dominant character as shown in the scene where she is in official outfit, while her personal painter paints a picture of her. This impression changes shortly after when she starts discussing why she can’t vote, and wishes she could be partial just once in her life, here she shows a side of a round character and steps away from the stereotypical view of a Queen, who is opinion less and shows inclination of superiority, in this scene she shows humanity and when the camera pans in for a close-up you can see her, otherwise very tight...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...Once upon a time, in a land far far away, lived a queen, a strong widowed woman. Her voice had turned raspy due to years of public speaking. Over time she grew in defense of her country she fought, learned, and adapted for this versatility she had been admired. When she died, the land of Siah was the most definite power in the world. As her domain grew she became a larger target, inevitably causing her assassination by a cloaked figure. Postmortem she became a martyr for strength and for this hardiness she became known as the “Iron Queen”. The death of the Iron Queen brought instability to the world. Phantoms, assassins, ghouls, ferrets, knights, and all the unified inhabitants of Siah established a peaceful democracy. The end. An insidious cataclysm was approaching as different realities converged, time disintegrated, hope was lost, and the future dimmed. Loud voices all desperately trying to be heard overcrowded in a small space. All existential leftovers were submerging. Jo the Iron Queen’s sole child was looked upon for guidance. Unfortunately, throughout his life Joe was shielded from the hardships of life in the land of Siah. Joe had been intellectually suited to rule however when faced with forces beyond comprehension he...
Words: 564 - Pages: 3
...Bandit Queen Shekar Kapur’s Bandit Queen is according to Priyamvada Gopal (Gopal 73-102) “loosely” based on the real life story of an out law called Phoolan Devi. She was a lower caste woman from central India who underwent a series of travails that are depicted in the Bandit Queen. Phoolan Devi became a gang leader and a popular figure in India who later surrendered herself to the government and went to jail for several crimes she had committed. The film depicting Phoolan’s life brought about many controversies in India; critics have argued whether or not Kapur’s film brings forth the degradation faced by Phoolan or is it yet another exploitative measure? Some have accused the film of being another money making depiction, which further victimizes Phoolan, while others including the director of the film saw it as necessary to shed light on issues surrounding women that are usually ignored (Gopal 73-102). To add to these notions, this essay will discuss the very crucial issues that the film brings up through its characters and imagery by examining the role of authority, and the structural societal power that goes beyond the story of just one woman’s rape to looking at patriarchy system of oppression as whole and its consequences. Leela Fernandes in her article “A Trans/national Feminist Perspective on the Discrepancies of Representation” points out that “the film’s emphasis on rape shifts Phoolan from a legendary figure_ a woman dacoit, both heroic and notorious to the status...
Words: 1629 - Pages: 7
...Bandit Queen Shekar Kapur’s Bandit Queen is according to Priyamvada Gopal (Gopal 73-102) “loosely” based on the real life story of an out law called Phoolan Devi. She was a lower caste woman from central India who underwent a series of travails that are depicted in the Bandit Queen. Phoolan Devi became a gang leader and a popular figure in India who later surrendered herself to the government and went to jail for several crimes she had committed. The film depicting Phoolan’s life brought about many controversies in India; critics have argued whether or not Kapur’s film brings forth the degradation faced by Phoolan or is it yet another exploitative measure? Some have accused the film of being another money making depiction, which further victimizes Phoolan, while others including the director of the film saw it as necessary to shed light on issues surrounding women that are usually ignored (Gopal 73-102). To add to these notions, this essay will discuss the very crucial issues that the film brings up through its characters and imagery by examining the role of authority, and the structural societal power that goes beyond the story of just one woman’s rape to looking at patriarchy system of oppression as whole and its consequences. Leela Fernandes in her article “A Trans/national Feminist Perspective on the Discrepancies of Representation” points out that “the film’s emphasis on rape shifts Phoolan from a legendary figure_ a woman dacoit, both heroic and notorious to the status...
Words: 1629 - Pages: 7
...regular day for the rock band Queen. Queen, one of the greatest and most successful British rock bands in history, has had a triumphant career despite their own personal and health-related struggles with countless chart-topping hits and famous musicians continuing their legacy today. Queen was formed during 1971 in England. They were known for their unique style, top hits, and lively performances, and still continue their fame and success now. In 1971, 4 talented musicians came together to form a band known as Queen. Brian May and Roger Taylor were in a band called Smile, and one of Smile’s members, Tim Staffell, introduced Freddie Mercury to the rest of the band...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
...The Tyranny of the Queen Bee - WSJ.com 3/4/13 6:58 AM http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578328271526080496?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y Page 1 of 8 John Kuczala The Tyranny of the Queen Bee By PEGGY DREXLER Kelly was a bright woman in her early 30s: whip-smart, well qualified, ambitious— and confused. Even a little frightened. She worked for a female partner in a big consulting firm. Her boss was so solicitous that Kelly hoped the woman—one of just a few top female partners—might become her mentor. But she began to feel that something was wrong. In meetings, her boss would dismiss her ideas without discussion and even cut her off in mid-sentence. Kelly started to hear about meetings to which she wasn't invited but felt she should be. She was excluded from her boss's small circle of confidants. What confused Kelly was that she was otherwise doing well at the firm. She felt respected and supported by the other senior partners. She had just one problem, but it was a big one. One of the male partners pulled The Tyranny of the Queen Bee - WSJ.com 3/4/13 6:58 AM http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578328271526080496?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y Page 2 of 8 her aside and confirmed Kelly's suspicions: Her boss had been suggesting to others that Kelly might be happier in a different job, one "more in line with her skills." I met Kelly while I was conducting research on women in the workplace. She was trying to puzzle through...
Words: 2080 - Pages: 9
...“millions of billions of pieces”. These pieces are blown around and end up in people’s eyes and hearts, making them only see the bad and ugly in things and people and making their hearts frozen like a block of ice. Many years later, there is a little girl, Gerda, and a little boy named Kai, who live next door to each other. Their homes have adjoining roofs and they can easily get to each other’s house by simply stepping over the gutters of each building. The houses each have a window box placed on the gutter containing herbs and roses. The children become best friends and sit out there and play. Kai’s grandmother loves to tell the children stories and explains to them of a woman known as the Snow Queen, who is the ruler over the snowflakes. One winter day, Kai sees the Snow Queen out of his frosted window. She motions for him to come with her, but he quickly jumps off the chair he was on because he is frightened. Then during one summer day, while Kai and Gerda were looking at a picture book, one of the shards from the mirror stabs Kai’s heart and eyes. Kai becomes completely different and rude to everybody, including Gerda because of the effects of the Devil’s special mirror. The only thing...
Words: 735 - Pages: 3
...What does the image of the Benin Queen Mother tell us about the role of women in African societies? In African cultures women can hold a great deal of power, especially in the position of Queen Mother. In Benin cultures the Queen Mother is considered the co-ruler along with the King. Queen mothers have an extraordinary amount of power in Africa. They have sovereign power over their subjects, are independent, have their own courts, and help the kings make decisions regarding the ruling of the kingdom. The queen mother is like a high ranking chief. However, the Queen Mother has the ultimate veto power of the King. She is also allowed to appoint her own ministers and holds a strong decision in the ministers the King chooses as well. The Queen mother also participates in the council meetings as dominate authority. Ultimately the Queen Mother had the decision who became the next king within the tribe. Queen mothers usually built up political coalitions throughout their reign. This allowed them to bring their sons into power and thus protect their sons. So if we take Benin Queen Mother as an image women hold more power compared to other cultures. They had political, economy and spiritual power, the power actually lies in the dynamic differences between the roles of men and women. It is within these unique characteristics that are distinctively male or female that the power emerges. Unlike other cultures women were much respected in African society, they were believed to be...
Words: 291 - Pages: 2
