The grandchildren step on the Queen's toes in the film “Elizabeth” by Notting Hill director

documentary

Title: Elizabeth – Portrait in Part(s)

It is shown in: Cinema

sharing: Queen Elizabeth II

direction: Roger Michel

game time: 90 minutes

degree:3

Royal Waves begins and ends this documentary. With a feather-light hand and British wit, director Roger Michell tells of Queen Elizabeth II and her life, surrounded by ancient ritual and rigorous planning, burdened by the crown and a global commonwealth. Sometimes it looks like he used what was cut from other films. For example, when a young grandchild steps on the Queen's feet, or when she confidently says before a dinner party that a foreign guest knows only three words in English.

The film is not arranged chronologically, but thematically in chapters. In “Mother” her role as a rural mother and mother of her children is dealt with, and in “Horribilis” the scandals of recent years are narrated. Most things flash by quickly, and watching the TV series “The Crown” to see all the images from time to time is certainly helpful.

Michel is best known for the film “Notting Hill” from 1999. “Elizabeth” became his last film as he passed away in September 2021. The film appears to be inspired by Michael Moore’s documentaries. All kinds of quotes cut from popular culture can serve as commentary, deepening, or winks to movie audiences. It's elegantly entertaining but also somewhat plot-driven. The British monarch becomes a little more human but shines as a symbol. Because as she wisely says in the film: “The crown is more an idea than a person.”