Search - Her Majesty on DVD

Fantasies, Truth, Justice, and Redemption

Deborah Earle | USA | 06/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 2001 film shows off the beauty of New Zealand, and recreates the grace and charm of its society in the 1950s when it hosted the newly coronated Queen Elizabeth II.

In some ways, I view this fictional story of a fantasy-prone teenaged girl as a counterpart to the tragic true-to-life story of two fantasy-prone teenaged girls in need of a reality check, portrayed in Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures", which took place in New Zealand around the same time. But Director Mark J. Gordon's tale is heartwarming and triumphant.

With her large eyes and crooked smile, Sally Andrews gives a sincere performance as Elizabeth Wakefield, a dreamy 13-year-old living in Middleton, New Zealand in 1953, with her cheesemonger father (Mark Clare), mother(Alison Routledge), delinquent brother Stuart (Craig Elliott), and dog, Kupe (Hercules).

She is a civic-minded young girl who enjoys school, being part of the marching squad, time spent with her best friend, Annabel Leach(Anna Sheridan), and determinedly writing letters to the Queen, enthralled by the pomp and splendor of the recent coronation.

The postman, Nigel Osgood(Geoff Snell), left mute in battle during World War II, empathizes with her plight. He will come through for the young girl at a very critical moment, and will receive a miracle of his own.

Elizabeth also has a schoolgirl's crush on her handsome young marching instructor, Ian Dixon (Cameron Smith), and the audience is treated to a cute dream sequence involving that issue. But realistically, she will experience a disappointment there.

When her brother throws a brick through the window of a the small shack where an old Maori chief's daughter resides, Elizabeth smashes his piggybank, and accompanied by a frightened and reluctant Annabel, leaves money for reparation of the window.

When she goes back later to retrieve her shoe, the old woman, Hira Mata ("Whale Rider's" superb Vicky Haughton)angirly confronts her about the breakage of her window, and Elizabeth gradually finds the answer for her brother's conduct. The young girl gradually begins to spend time talking to Hira and is given a different perspective on local history from the one she normally hears. Later, after the two discuss the new Queen's scheduled visit to Middleton, Hira tells the young girl about a tragedy that befell her family and tribe at the hands of locals in the wake of a previous Royal visit.

Sobered by Hira's story, Elizabeth must find a way to reconcile the old woman's teachings with the desires of the local White population, as well as those of her family--who have a connection to Hira's tragedy--and her own dreams of meeting the Queen.

The pompous, vain, arrogant, and immoral Virginia Hobson (the late Liddy Holloway), President of the Rhododendron Trust, and chairwoman of the Royal Welcoming Committee (who had intially scoffed at Elizabeth's letter-writing campaign inviting the Queen to Middleton)and the ladies' club to which Elizabeth's mother belongs, creates difficulties for Hira and the Wakefields as the big day approaches. But one redeeming aspect of that situation is that Mrs. Wakefield is not one of Mrs. Hobson's brownnosers, unlike her fellow committee members. In due time, Mrs. Hobson's mysterious influence over the Mayor(David Stott) and decisons about what the Queen will see in the town, will be exposed.

Elizabeth displays a lot of moral courage in standing up on behalf of Hira, even the wake of her father's admonishments about visiting her, harassment by her brother and schoolmates, and the near loss of her friendship with Annabel.

The great day in question will find one more major obstacle in Elizabeth's way, which she overcomes partially with advice from Hira, and help from Kupe and Annabel.

It will prove to be a day of justice, and redemption in more ways than one as the young Queen (Rachel E. Wallis)and Prince Phillip (Andrew Bolton) arrive,and a young girl's dream comes true, proving to be beneficial to Hira as well. To everyone's surprise the Queen's--and consequentially the town's-- attention will be drawn to a part of town that many had shunned, but which was wholly deserving of attention on that grand occasion.

As the Royal party depart, there is a wonderful spirit of alacrity among the townspeople, and a sense of satisfaction from the visibly moved Hira that the past has been reconciled in the present, and a sense that two young friends will have glowing memories to share with posterity."