The Queen

[Front-Ranger]

Plot spoiler follows


What did you think of the scene where Elizabeth encounters the stag? Was it equivalent to Ennis's seeing the bear, or was it more of a symbolic visitation?

[Kerry]

Plot spoiler follows

What did you think of the scene where Elizabeth encounters the stag? Was it equivalent to Ennis's seeing the bear, or was it more of a symbolic visitation?

I can't say that that particular scene was my favourite in the film, Lee. In fact I would have preferred that it had been omitted entirely. I almost laughed when the Queen looked into the big brown eyes of that majestic Monarch of the Glen! And when she visited the body of the beheaded beast, I was left wondering . . . Why? I could only deduce that she must have been experiencing some manner of aberrant apoplexy! The British royal family are renowned for their love of blood sports. From what I understand, the Queen is no exception. If it has feathers, fur of fins, the Royals will consign it to its Maker, quick smart! I make these comments with no malicious intent. I am a royalist, but I'm also a realist. Regarding your analogous comparison of Ennis' epiphany with the bear and that of the Queen with the deer, I can personally see no similarity. That doesn't make me right. Just means I can't personally see it myself, in my opinion. Ennis' emotions were initially abject terror, followed by rage, because he had to chase the "dumb ass" mules and try to retrieve the scattered groceries. The Queen appeared to experience some manner of doe-eyed (pun intended) love affair with her beast of choice. Sorry I can't agree with you on this point, Lee, but thank you for raising it. 

[Front-Ranger]

But she did drastically change her strategy vis a vis Diana right after that.

[Kd5000]

I think it was definitely a symbolic nod to Diana.  One critic has described that particular scene as something out of NARNIA.  The stag is just so magnificent.  Elizabeth tells the animal to hide itself as she doesn't want something so beautiful in the world to be taken out, for the sheer sake of sports.  Diana was beautiful and she was killed in part fleeing from "predatory" photographers. So pointless. As if the world needed any more pictures of the late Princess of Wales.

As I walked out of the theater with a group of ppl, that was the first question that popped into my head. What did the stag represent? So it must have been memorable. I'm glad that scene was in the film.  It was beautiful...

[Front-Ranger]

The scene seemed almost Arthurian to me.

[Kerry]

I think it was definitely a symbolic nod to Diana.  One critic has described that particular scene as something out of NARNIA.  The stag is just so magnificent.  Elizabeth tells the animal to hide itself as she doesn't want something so beautiful in the world to be taken out, for the sheer sake of sports.  Diana was beautiful and she was killed in part fleeing from "predatory" photographers. So pointless. As if the world needed any more pictures of the late Princess of Wales.

As I walked out of the theater with a group of ppl, that was the first question that popped into my head. What did the stag represent? So it must have been memorable. I'm glad that scene was in the film.  It was beautiful...

The scales have just fallen from my eyes. I hadn't appreciated this scene's subtlety until now, reading your interpretation of it, KD. Made me think that this was probably the point the Director was trying to get across to the audience. I guess I couldn't appreciate it previously because, up until now, I couldn't help thinking that the Betty Windsor I know of, would have blown that stag away in the twinkling of an eye. The Royals love their blood sports. If it's moving, shoot it. She was only in that glen, with that stag, at that particular time, because her husband, son and grandsons were all out "stalking" the self same stag she was admiring so fawningly (for the euphemism "stalking," substitute "aim for its heart"). I guess what I'm trying to say is that she would never have reacted as she did in real life, but I do now understand that it was a cinematic device used by the Director to illustrate the Queen's change of mind. Cleverly done.  Thanks for pointing it out to me.

[Front-Ranger]

Harumph, I was the one who brought it up, but then again, Karl brought it home for us!!

I related to that scene because I live in an area with a lot of wildlife, and I have a tendency to start thinking of the deer and elk as overgrown rodents. Until I meet up with one. Say, a magnificent stag just standing in the middle of the road as I'm going to work at 6 a.m. They really are legendary animals, so noble, so otherworldly. It shakes me out of my notions of superiority.

[Front-Ranger]

The scales have just fallen from my eyes. I hadn't appreciated this scene's subtlety until now, reading your interpretation of it, KD. Made me think that this was probably the point the Director was trying to get across to the audience. I guess I couldn't appreciate it previously because, up until now, I couldn't help thinking that the Betty Windsor I know of, would have blown that stag away in the twinkling of an eye. The Royals love their blood sports. If it's moving, shoot it. She was only in that glen, with that stag, at that particular time, because her husband, son and grandsons were all out "stalking" the self same stag she was admiring so fawningly (for the euphemism "stalking," substitute "aim for its heart"). I guess what I'm trying to say is that she would never have reacted as she did in real life, but I do now understand that it was a cinematic device used by the Director to illustrate the Queen's change of mind. Cleverly done.  Thanks for pointing it out to me.

She was stripped of her blunderbuss and her Land Rover at that moment and at the mercy of Nature. I think it was also significant that she was mired in the middle of a roaring mountain stream.

[Kerry]

Harumph, I was the one who brought it up, but then again, Karl brought it home for us!!

Mea culpa, Lee. My apologies. You were, indeed, the first one to raise it. Thank you for doing so. I am now interpreting the entire second half of the film differently, thanks to you and KD. 

[Shakesthecoffecan]

Having read this thread I went to see the movie last Friday night, had been wanting to for a while, and kept in mind the stag as it began.

My goodness, the Stag was everywhere. Dozens of stag heads on the walls of Balmoral, the lamp on the table out side "the boys" bedroom was a stag lamp. She goes for a drive by herself and I know the stag scene is coming. And sure enough, it was so totherworldly in its appearance, accompanied by the 1960's travelogue music.

The Queen had been sobbing a bit before this, I suppose this was an overflow of emotion she was allowing herself while she waited for help, and this made me think, the appearance of the stag was to represent Diana's spirit visiting her. Maybe on some levels it is. But later my partner said he thought the stag represented the institution (monarchy) itself, hunted and under attack. Since they had so many of them in their house and all. As long as it stayed on the estate it was relatively safe, but when it left it was killed.

I think now that was what the Queen was thinking when she went to see it, that going back to London was tantamount to slaughter. But she went.

Initially I had a bad feeling about this movie because I thought all it would accomplish was to rub the Queen nose in the debacle that was the death of Diana. I came away from it with a different perspective, that it told the Queen's side of the story, he point of view. According to the movie she thought this was a private but learned it was not, that Diana had made her own mark on the world and she had to bow to that.

I thought the performaces were amazing, and the guy who played Charles occasionally had some of Heath Ledger's expressions, esp. when he was about to cry. Bless his heart Charles owes them one for getting that guy to play him. Theres is no comparison.