Oh! I can't wait to see this movie!
Thanks so much for posting this. :)
You remember when who was a young un Jess?
I was shocked to find out I joined Bettermost before you did.
God, I just can't even believe that.
How many keyboards have you burned up since you joined last June? ;)
Thanks Kerry for this new thread. The pictures are WONDERFUL. I plan to see the movie on Sunday afternoon. :)
Kerry- I just got home from "experiencing" The Queen. MANY feelings within me watching this AWESOME movie !!! My thoughts later. :)
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 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. :)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.
Harumph, I was the one who brought it up, but then again, Karl brought it home for us!!
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.
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.
Beautifully reviewed and a real eye-opener for me. Lee and KDs observations allowed me to view this scene from an entirely different perspective. And you have now completely blown me away with your observations. I must go see it again, just to look more closely at this pivotally important scene. And to think, I initially thought that the movie would have been better without this scene all together! (you're such an air-head at times, Kerry!) I guess I was just preoccupied with the vulnerability of the stag. I was expecting it to get shot at any moment, so was shielding my eyes whenever he was on screen, sorta like in a horror movie. I didn't want to see the splatter scene. Unfortunately, in so doing, I missed out completely on the subtlety of what the "stag" was really about. Thank you for your insightful, sensitive observations.
I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. You're not an airhead Kerry. I am. Case closed. :)
But after reading all these wonderful comments and reviews about "The Queen", I can't wait to go see it. :D