hodo68

I searched out this movie after seeing it included several "best of" lists on the internet. Maybe it was my high expectations but I found myself disappointed with this film. While there are several genuine eerie scenes, the whole film as a whole didn't work for me. It concerns a young American ballet student, who enrols in an exclusive ballet school, only to discover sinister goings on involving witchcraft. There's not a whole lot to the story beyond this. I didn't find myself gripped to know what was happening next as the film rattled along its wooden acting tracks. The acting for me was the biggest drawback. The delivery tends to be dull, even from the American actors. There is some interesting use of colour, but for this viewer I can only express disappointment on this movie. At around 80 minutes it is mercifully short so it may be worth seeking out if only to see what all the carry on is about.

A well acted , well scripted gem. Mirren as her maj. and Sheen as PM Blair are both excellent. The contrast between the young Tony Blair and the staid monarch and how their relationship develops over the Diana crisis is interesting. While the film in no way is flattering to the royal family - by humanizing the lady, Mirren makes her a complex figure, we feel for her bewilderment and hurt as she totally misjudges the mood of the country in the week following Di's death. The mutual respect that Tony Blair and the Queen seem to develop over the crisis is also one of the pleasures of the film. Despite their very different world views one gets the feeling at the end of the film they have a regard of sorts for each other.

Its all speculation of course, we will never know exactly what transpired between these figures in those August days, but its all been gloriously imagined in this film. I found it a great reflection on the loneliness of high office and the fickleness of power. The film reminded me how impressive Tony Blair was in that amazing week. It made it kind of sad comparing this with his impending exit from politics, and the high levels of cynicism regarding his political legacy. As Mirren says to the PM in the movie "they all turn on you eventually".