Stephen Frears English

Mr. Frears, with your movie “The Queen”, did you make a caricature or a close up upon the royal family?
Frears: (smiles) Well, to be honest, it’s a sensitive close up with distanced point of view of a cool House of Windsor-Mountbatten in a struggle between traditional protocol and transition of values...

Why and when did you decide to make this movie?
Frears: First of all because of the marvellous screenplay written by Peter Morgan who did a really good research and wrote very fine dialogues, a mixture of sweet bitterness and reality, then of course, because it’s nearly 10 years now when Diana died and furthermore because Great Britain went through a difficult decade. And one aspect is important: The main characters are somehow already part of Britain’s history while they are still in power and still ruling: PM Blair is still in Power although his time had come and Queen Elizabet II – Man, she is there and she was always there, as far as I can remember: She is like a furniture in your room that never chenged, she was on TV, on pictures and even on any stamp, she is part of my visual life like the Union Jack or the Tower Bridge in London.

Did you fear any judicial intervention by the Government, the Blairs or the Royal Family?
Frears: No, not really, Helen Mirren said she was nervous because all people in the movie, except for Lady Diana of course, are all still living and that’s for sure a more distinguished role to interpretate than a dead person like Henry V. But on the other hand these people are so high in power and so saturated that they wouldn’t climb down to fuzz around with an ordinary filmmaker, why should they, what would they win? It’s like we showed in the movie: They keep a sovereign distance...

How was the reaction of the Royal Family when they saw the movie?
Frears: I can’t say that, I’m even not sure if they saw the movie, there wasn’t any contact at all.

And what did Tony and Cherie Blair say to „The Queen“?
Frears: Same story: We didn’t make any contacts although I guess they already saw the movie. People told me they were amused...See, that’s all, nothing really happened with the people shown in the movie. There would have been a reaction quite earlier than now.

It’s reported that Peter Morgan recieved details to write an accurate screenplay directly out of Buckingham Palace?
Frears: (smiles) A good author and a good journalist needs contacts – I don’t know how deep they loom into Buckingham but there are always leafs the wind blows out of the fence...

In your movie PM Blairs Spin Doctor Alistair Campbell mentions a change of values when british citizens rail against the Royals and applaude to Tony Blair. Do you believe that values change in the UK? If so, how and why?
Frears: God, the UK really changed a lot the past 10 Years. Tony Blair began good, he renovated more than any other PM years before, he was even more radical than Thatcher was, but: The last 5 - 6 years he damaged as well a lot, he lied, he sent our forces to „defend“ our values in Iraq. Which values? Money? Lies? Control? I could tell more, but it makes me really upset, what our government made with our country...

It seems that you criticize Mr Blair rather more than the Queen...?
Frears: Well, this movie is not to blame anybody but to show how people in power handle their power and how they maintain their values: In Fact, „The Queen“ shows that values always remain the same although PM Tony Blair believes in the change of values and moral. But he gets eaten by power soon while his wife still fights for her values. The Queen shows in a few words that the monarchy’s strength always was to unite transition and tradition, where Rock Musicians like Mick Jagger become Sirs and Deer Hunters like the Duke of Edinburgh found the World Wildlife Fund. That’s not a caricature, that’s the truth: The whole royal system is contradictory but it works – I guess it works because of ist contradiction, it’s a unique system that survived throughout the centuries, it resists any fashion, any development, any innovation.

Why do you think this or any monarchy survives then? Good advisers? Instinct? Rules of Power?
Frears: Instinct, yes, Advisers, well, the royals are not stupid, they don’t really need advisers because of intelligence but because of time management. What makes them survive are more the rules of divided power: Strength through weakness: See, the Queen doesn’t really have power, the power is given to the government and the parliament, but: Ifo ne gains power he gets defeated, he has to fight, to run and to hide. In the end the one with the power doesn’t posess power but gets posessed by power and eaten by power. The Queen is not the one to be in action: She stays a bit outside but on top of the country. It’s a weakness that, because of ist passiveness is very powerful. Prime Ministers come and go. The crown remains on ist place. The crown and the throne are strong because they don’t have to fight.

But when Lady Diana died, the Queen really had to fight: She was to win back people’s hearts.
Frears: Oh yes, this was really the first time since ages when the british monarchy suffered a serious damage. People were to get rid of the monarchy. Well, I don’t believe it would have happened… but, who knows, if the Queen would have stayed some days more at her summer vacation at Balmoral Castle she would have destroyed a lot of the people’s faith into monarchy. And, she is not just the Queen, she is the head of the anglican church, she is the “Defender of the Faith”, this is part of her official titel and I do believe, yes, that she would have damaged the crown seriously if she wouldn’t have returned to Buckingham Palace these days. This was the first and only heavy crisis in her political life as a monarch she had to pass through. This was exceptional and therefore we did this movie.

Though you didn’t show her in a comfortable situation you seem to feel pity for Elizabeth II when she walks alone in the Highlands. Did you fear to go further?
Frears: Now that’s the score: I can’t deny I certainly point out a critic view to the Royals but on the other hand people may see that Elizabeth II is a human being, she has feelings, emotions, desires as any other human being has. That’s what makes the whole story simple: „The Queen“ shows a family affair, not more, not less, the Royals are a particular family, but still they are a family.

According to this: How would you describe the human being Elizabeth II and her life?
Frears: Flashback: Elizabeth II didn’t expect and I guess she neither didn’t want to become Queen in 1952: she was very young, when her father, King George VI died and she had to lead the crown; born in a men’s world and being a car – mechanic and member of the auxiliary territory force during World War II she learned to behave like a man and to show never any weakness. She had to rule the commonwealth while British Empire declined and its colonies got properly independent without losing the face - this was what her people seemed to expect – and when Diana died all that collapsed: press and people blame her for being cold and frumpy. Worse, a young gifted Labour PM called Tony Blair tells her and her family who succeeded the crown since centuries, what people should expect from power. Even more worse, a dead Lady Diana Spencer still wins people’s hearts, even more than alive. This must have been a shock for her...then you see her in the movie when she sees the broad majestic deer, watching her, alone in the highlands. She feels pity for the deer, tries to help him get away from her hunting husband. And she always is surrounded by her dogs. At least the animals seem to understand her and the timeless atmosphere in the highlands is where she feels fine: And nobody but the animals let her be free for what she is, too: A woman!

Critics said you totally ignored the rumours on the circumstances and investigation of Diana’s death.
Frears: Yes, because this would have been a completely different movie. Perhaps Oliver Stone should start where I stopped but that’s not my intention.

Oliver Cromwell plays Prince Phillip as a sarcastic, bad mooded grumpy husband of Elizabeth II. Why did you make such a caricature of him?
Frears: I did? God, Prince Phillip always makes a caricature of himself on his own purpose: The whole country laughs about him, he is a running gag since I can remember, always saying the wrong things on wrong time. It’s impossible not to show him different than what he is: A caricature!

Would you describe „The Queen“ as a political movie then?
Frears: Yes! British cinema became a very political and social cinema the last decade and that’s good. In my opinion young filmmakers should do even more political cinema, not just in Britain, as well in Germany or elsewhere. The last decade made everything worse, people lost hope and joy. As far as there are no significant changes to a better way of life we need more critical films to open up our eyes.

Means that your next project concerns another social or political subject?
Frears: Oh, I have no idea, perhaps I rather make something completely different, comedy, crime, something more entertaining...but right now I am unemployed!

Really?
Frears: Sure, maybe I’ll stay for a while in Berlin. I heard there is many unemployed people here so I should be welcomed (laughs).

Maybe you should better read the ads in Los Angeles or New York City regarding „Film director wanted...“ cause there are more job offers, right?
Frears: Yeah, but I worked there already. This city here is really more modern than any other place I know. I like to be in Berlin and I can imagine to work here. This is really a powerful place which will get more important in a sooner future. And to be honest, the British want Germany to become stronger in any sense. There is a lack of power in the middle of Europe which makes Britain weak as well.

So what’s with the proverbial British fear of the Germans then?
Frears: Ah, you mean the Press? Bullshit, We’re just joking. Humor avoids fear!