The Queen (2009/British TV Mini-Series/Acorn DVD Set)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B-
In yet another examination of the life and living legacy
of Queen Elizabeth II, an odd new mini-series simply called The Queen (2009) mixes a good heaping
of archive footage with actors playing the persons in that footage. The three episodes on two DVD feature five
actresses playing the same role over the years: Emilia Fox, Samantha Bond,
Barbara Flynn, Susan Jameson and Diana Quick, but also shows footage of the
actual woman throughout at the same time.
I do not like this approach and it does not work too well
overall, yet I liked seeing the older footage and the project is ambitious just
the same. This is not for everyone’s
taste and when they have Princess Diana showing up for real and being played by
an actress (some of the actors look so little like their real-life counterparts
that this becomes like a tabloid show) that the series reaches its breaking
point.
Now you can decide whether his one is for you or not.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image has some motion
blur and the editing can be awkward technically as anything else, but the shaky
camerawork does not help and the viewing experience in all that can be
trying. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo often
features more than its share of old monophonic archival sound and other flaws
from early stereo recordings. Text on
the actresses playing the title role on DVD One is the only extra.
- Nicholas Sheffo
