Helen Mirren in "The Queen."

By Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When news of Princess Diana rousts the queen from bed, her husband reacts like an exasperated parent. "What's she done now?" Prince Philip barks.

		'The Queen' Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen Director: Stephen Frears Web site: www.thequeen-movie.com/ Family Film Guide Related article: Oscar's ladies in waiting

She had been gravely hurt, as she and Dodi Fayed were pursued by a speeding pack of paparazzi in Paris. Their chauffeur-driven Mercedes crashed in a tunnel along the Seine River, sending Diana to the hospital, where she would die hours later.

The Aug. 31, 1997, death of the "people's princess" is the real-life key that unlocks the royal doors in "The Queen," starring Helen Mirren in (so far) the best female performance of the year. In a trick worthy of an illusionist, she disappears behind Queen Elizabeth II's gray waves, sensible clothes, sturdy footwear and stiff upper lip.

Often, the actresses who weep and gnash their teeth get the most attention at awards time. This year, voters may honor Mirren's comportment, restraint and resentment at being forced to confront a changing world.

Director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan use the death and reaction of the royals -- contrasted with the commoners, who took to the streets to weep and lay a sea of flowers -- to examine the role of the modern monarchy, the heads that wear the crowns and the ascendancy of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In one of his easier feats, Morgan also foreshadows the end of Blair's honeymoon with the press and people. The queen, speaking of her own humiliation, predicts it will happen to him, "quite suddenly and without warning."

Actual footage of Diana is woven into the story that claims to be based on private sources who provided "exceptional insights" into the way the principal players might have thought, talked and acted. Among them: former employees of Downing Street and the palace, biographers, private secretaries, guests of the royal family at their Scottish retreat, journalists and politicians.

Unless someone was eavesdropping or snooping in diaries, no one really knows what Prince Charles said to his parents behind closed doors, or how the Queen Mum counseled Elizabeth, or if the nasty message from the queen's sister (Diana managed to be "even more annoying dead than alive") is pinpoint accurate.

None of that will take away the delicious entertainment value of the movie, which turns the audience into insiders to historic events and also taps into the wave of grief that engulfed the world when news broke that the 36-year-old Diana had died.

Diana's private and public faces are addressed in "The Queen," which concentrates on the slowness of the royal family to react in a way that Blair and the British subjects thought appropriate and respectful. The eloquent PM and his aides strike just the right note in his early remarks but the queen is loathe to respond in kind. A delicate tug of war ensues.

Secluded at Balmoral, the queen considers the death a private matter while Blair suggests the British people are desperate for a chance to share in the grief.

"The Queen" paints the monarch as a prisoner of her isolation (in the Scottish countryside, far from the madding crowds) and sense of responsibility and history. She never saw herself as mourner in chief, but as a woman who lived by the notion of "duty first, self second."

Mirren is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast, especially Michael Sheen as Blair, a role he first played in a TV drama called "The Deal." Prince Philip (James Cromwell) is the embodiment of impatience and entitlement, while the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms) is Mummy, a woman whose age and birthright allow her to say whatever she wants.

Alex Jennings is Prince Charles and he's not a doppelganger but he does master the often-crooked slant to Charles' mouth and budding bald spot. He is portrayed as a man who has the right instincts but defers to his strong-willed elders. His sons are seen largely in the background; anything else would seem exploitative.

Screenwriter Morgan uses a 14-point stag roaming around Balmoral as a symbol of many things, from the queen's love of animals to the anachronistic monarchy and even Diana herself. Those scenes seem to be gilding the lily but they allow the queen to show her vulnerable side.

In a properly private moment, of course.

Opens today at the Manor.