Went to see The Queen last night, with Helen Mirren in the title role. It was a great movie, with Mirren giving a lovely performance. The music was a great source of annoyance for me, seeming to belong in some Harry Potter movie. Also, the script was not all it was cranked up to be, although it was not bad at all.

There was one nice little allegorical feature which as far as I can tell nobody has commented on online:

After Diana's death, Elizabeth II's husband takes the young princes hunting to get their minds off the grief, and for several days, they stalk, but can't shoot an 18-point stag in the countryside around Balmoral. In the movie's emotional climax, Liz meets the stag after her car breaks down.

As you know, Bob, the deer is a symbol of the goddess Diana the huntress. She is almost always depicted with a deer. Smell the allegory. This, though it could have been a nice touch, is handled a bit heavy-handed. Diana did seem to have mythological dimensions, and this is what I like about the idea. Also, this subplot gives us one of the few peeks into the emotional life of the main character.

A day or two later, the stag has been shot, and something like the following dialogue takes place between HRH and Prince Philip:
- It wandered into a neighbouring estate and was shot.
- By who?
- One of the commercial guests, I'm afraid.
- Oh... Which estate?

The answer is left hanging (the movie cuts), but the film is making a nice, subtle, well-deserved crack at the fourth estate.