Stars: Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest, Alex Jennings, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Kelly Reilly, Will Young, Sylvia Syms

Director: Stephen Frears

Summary: Contains the films THE QUEEN and MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS. THE QUEEN is set at a time of an unprecedented outpouring of grief by the British public following the death of Princess Diana in 1997. After an austere response by the Royal Family to Diana's death, Queen Elizabeth II attempts to reconnect with the nation.<BR>In MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, wartime entertainment takes a new turn when Mrs Henderson decides to offer an all naked female dance troupe to bring some cheer in times of trouble.

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The Queen - Helen Mirren reigns supreme in The Queen, a witty and ingenious look at a moment that rocked the house of Windsor: the week that followed the sudden death of Princess Diana in 1997. Diana's death came at just the same time that Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by the bright Michael Sheen) was settling into his new government--and trying to figure out the delicate relationship between 10 Downing Street and Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren). A large portion of the British population was trying to figure out the Windsors that week, as Elizabeth remained stiff-upper-lip and largely mum about the death of the beloved princess. In Peter Morgan's skillful script, we watch as Blair grows increasingly impatient with the Royals, who are sequestered in their Scottish estate while the public demands some show of grief. Prince Philip (James Cromwell, in good form) clumsily decides to take Diana's sons hunting, while a sympathetically-treated Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) displays some frustration with his mother's eerie calm.

None of this conveys how funny the film is, or how deftly it flows from one scene to the next. Director Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things) deserves great credit for that, and for the performances, and for the movie's marvelous sense of well-roundedness; you could see this movie and groan at the cluelessness of the Royals and their outmoded existence, or you might just sympathise with showing reserve in a world that values gross public displays of emotion. But either way, you'll marvel at Mirren, who makes the Queen far more alert and human than one might ever have imagined. --Robert Horton

Mrs Henderson Presents - The blitz-bombing of London in World War II provides the serious backdrop for the uplifting entertainment of Mrs Henderson Presents, a delightful comedy anchored by the flawless performances of Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins.

After losing a son in World War I, and becoming a widow in 1937, the wealthy and respectable Mrs. Henderson (Dench) decides that the best way to support soldiers going off to battle is to give them a wartime send-off they'll never forget. Thus, she buys and renovates the Windmill Theatre in London's Soho district, hires Mr. Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins) as the impresario of an all-day musical variety show called "Revudeville," and secures permission from the censorious Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest) to include naked women in the stage show--on the condition that the ladies remain still onstage to qualify as "art," like nude portraits in a gallery, with the "foliage" of their "midlands" discreetly obscured. "Revudeville" is an instant hit, British propriety remains tastefully intact, and as The Windmill's fortunes rise, fall, and rise again, Mrs Henderson Presents develops an emotional depth and good-natured nobility that's perfectly matched to the comedy of tweaking British manners.

Working from an eloquently witty, fact-based screenplay by Martin Sherman, director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity) brings out the best in a well-chosen cast, and Andrew Dunn's cinematography (enhanced by judicious use of digital effects to show the London blitz in progress) casts a warm, inviting glow over this winning tale of show-biz tenacity in the best and worst of times. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Making Of Documentary, Production photography, Audio commentary, Cast and crew biography, Photo gallery, Theatrical trailer, TV spots
Year:	2005
Release Date:	February 18, 2008
Runtime:	204 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P 923001060
Keywords:	Queen, Presents, English, General, Mrs, Drama, Henderson
Genre:	Drama