Monday, February 26, 2007

‘The Queen’ Earns Helen Mirren An Oscar

As was expected, Helen Mirren was honored with this year’s Academy Award for best actress. It comes as little surprise, as she pretty much swept all of the other awards shows building up to the golden Oscar itself.

This is Mirren’s first Academy Award, although she has been nominated twice before. Her portrayal of the reserved Elizabeth II in the days following Princess Diana’s shocking death in 1997 brought her overwhelming critical acclaim.

Mirren walked up on that stage with a radiant smile, raised the statuette and told the audience, referring to the British monarch whose portrayal generated the events: “I thank her because if it wasn’t for her I most certainly would not be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Queen!”

“For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle. She’s had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she has weathered many, many storms,” Mirren said while accepting the Oscar.

Seeing that Buckingham Palace has a policy of never revealing the Queen’s personal preferences in books or movies, it will never be known whether or not she has seen the movie. Mirren told reporters on the red carpet on Sunday: “I can’t imagine the Queen has not seen it, but I will never officially know.”