Spencer
Director: Pablo Larraine
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Jack Farthing, Stella Gonet, Richard Sammel, Jack Neelin, Freddie Spry
The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen's Sandringham Estate. Princess Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. Spencer is an imagining of what might have transpired during those last fateful days.
There seem to be two distinct sides of Diana’s character – Diana as the Princess and Diana as a mother. Ironically, while her moments of deepest pain and sadness come when she is playing the role of the wife and Princess, her moments of greatest joy shine through when we see Diana with her children, Princes William, and Harry.
When Diana is the Princess, she is – to use her Highness’s description – a cold, lonely ghost. She is shunned by the Royal Family and humiliated by her husband, Prince Charles, who flaunts his affair unabashedly in Diana’s face, while also chastising Diana for her flaws. I think Diana retaliates to this cold treatment, in her own quiet and subtle way, by not following the stringent rules and traditions expected of her as the wife and Queen to be. She refuses to adhere to the set dress code that has been laid out for her, she secretly gives her sons gifts on Christmas morning (rather than respecting the tradition of exchanging gifts as Royalty on Christmas Eve) and she always arrives late to family gatherings like dinner and the family photograph. Although she endures much of her suffering in silence, Diana bravely challenges her husband, Prince Charles, because her son, William, doesn’t wish to shoot a gun, and according to the royal tradition, he is expected to shoot birds with his father during the hunt. Diana tells Charles that she would rather her son not shoot real birds.
It is only when Diana is shown as a mother to her sons, William, and Harry, that her beautiful heart and her joy truly shine. When Diana arrives at Sandringham, she is reunited with her sons, and they share a warm hug. Later, after opening Christmas gifts, she gives each of her sons a gift “to open like ordinary people” and she plays a game with them about telling the truth. When Harry asks William if he wants to be King, William says “I have no choice”. When William asks his mother if she wants to be Queen, she answers “I’ll be your Mum…that’s more important.” She also tells her sons that she will only believe that she’s acting “silly” if they tell her so. She's showing me a side of Diana I had not seen....and a side, as well, that I always knew she had (and that is, the deep and unbreakable love that she has for her sons, of course.) It seemed to be the only time during this film where the beautiful Princess seemed sincerely happy…when she was with her sons.
There is a metaphor in the story that illustrates power, and it is shown in how Prince Charles tries to wield his power over his young wife, Princess Diana. He wields this power by sewing her curtains closed so that she can’t be seen from outside when she refuses to keep them closed herself…almost as if Prince Charles is forcing Diana to stay trapped in a gilded cage where he has complete and total control over her. It is shown when he carelessly gives Princess Diana the same pearl necklace that he gave his mistress and forces her to wear the necklace…as if the necklace was a prison shackle that Diana must endure, as he unabashedly flaunts his mistress in Diana’s presence. Diana’s greatest illustration of love is portrayed when she breaks the pearl shackle and flies, quite literally, in the face of tradition when she stops the hunt and claims her true identity as a Spencer.
There are many words that one could use to describe Diana. She was, first and foremost, a loving and devoted mother to her two sons, William, and Harry. She was the Princess of Wales…and despite the pain and humiliation that she endured at the hands of her husband, Diana was a beautiful and devoted wife, and she was a woman whose grace and gentle heart touched the lives of millions of people all over the world. She would later be called the People’s Princess after her death. The story in this film only gives us a small window into Diana’s life and what she possibly experienced during her last Christmas, but it is told with such veracity. It didn’t sugarcoat the truth but gave it a sincere and heartfelt voice. The casting for this movie is on point. This is....BY FAR....the best portrayal of Princess Diana that I have ever seen. FAR better than Naomi Watts portrayal. Kristen Stewart made me forget she was an actress playing Princess Diana as a character. She made me think I WAS looking at Diana, herself. She captured Diana’s voice and mannerisms and mother love perfectly. I would highly recommend this movie.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg
Director: Pablo Larraine
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Jack Farthing, Stella Gonet, Richard Sammel, Jack Neelin, Freddie Spry
The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen's Sandringham Estate. Princess Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. Spencer is an imagining of what might have transpired during those last fateful days.
There seem to be two distinct sides of Diana’s character – Diana as the Princess and Diana as a mother. Ironically, while her moments of deepest pain and sadness come when she is playing the role of the wife and Princess, her moments of greatest joy shine through when we see Diana with her children, Princes William, and Harry.
When Diana is the Princess, she is – to use her Highness’s description – a cold, lonely ghost. She is shunned by the Royal Family and humiliated by her husband, Prince Charles, who flaunts his affair unabashedly in Diana’s face, while also chastising Diana for her flaws. I think Diana retaliates to this cold treatment, in her own quiet and subtle way, by not following the stringent rules and traditions expected of her as the wife and Queen to be. She refuses to adhere to the set dress code that has been laid out for her, she secretly gives her sons gifts on Christmas morning (rather than respecting the tradition of exchanging gifts as Royalty on Christmas Eve) and she always arrives late to family gatherings like dinner and the family photograph. Although she endures much of her suffering in silence, Diana bravely challenges her husband, Prince Charles, because her son, William, doesn’t wish to shoot a gun, and according to the royal tradition, he is expected to shoot birds with his father during the hunt. Diana tells Charles that she would rather her son not shoot real birds.
It is only when Diana is shown as a mother to her sons, William, and Harry, that her beautiful heart and her joy truly shine. When Diana arrives at Sandringham, she is reunited with her sons, and they share a warm hug. Later, after opening Christmas gifts, she gives each of her sons a gift “to open like ordinary people” and she plays a game with them about telling the truth. When Harry asks William if he wants to be King, William says “I have no choice”. When William asks his mother if she wants to be Queen, she answers “I’ll be your Mum…that’s more important.” She also tells her sons that she will only believe that she’s acting “silly” if they tell her so. She's showing me a side of Diana I had not seen....and a side, as well, that I always knew she had (and that is, the deep and unbreakable love that she has for her sons, of course.) It seemed to be the only time during this film where the beautiful Princess seemed sincerely happy…when she was with her sons.
There is a metaphor in the story that illustrates power, and it is shown in how Prince Charles tries to wield his power over his young wife, Princess Diana. He wields this power by sewing her curtains closed so that she can’t be seen from outside when she refuses to keep them closed herself…almost as if Prince Charles is forcing Diana to stay trapped in a gilded cage where he has complete and total control over her. It is shown when he carelessly gives Princess Diana the same pearl necklace that he gave his mistress and forces her to wear the necklace…as if the necklace was a prison shackle that Diana must endure, as he unabashedly flaunts his mistress in Diana’s presence. Diana’s greatest illustration of love is portrayed when she breaks the pearl shackle and flies, quite literally, in the face of tradition when she stops the hunt and claims her true identity as a Spencer.
There are many words that one could use to describe Diana. She was, first and foremost, a loving and devoted mother to her two sons, William, and Harry. She was the Princess of Wales…and despite the pain and humiliation that she endured at the hands of her husband, Diana was a beautiful and devoted wife, and she was a woman whose grace and gentle heart touched the lives of millions of people all over the world. She would later be called the People’s Princess after her death. The story in this film only gives us a small window into Diana’s life and what she possibly experienced during her last Christmas, but it is told with such veracity. It didn’t sugarcoat the truth but gave it a sincere and heartfelt voice. The casting for this movie is on point. This is....BY FAR....the best portrayal of Princess Diana that I have ever seen. FAR better than Naomi Watts portrayal. Kristen Stewart made me forget she was an actress playing Princess Diana as a character. She made me think I WAS looking at Diana, herself. She captured Diana’s voice and mannerisms and mother love perfectly. I would highly recommend this movie.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg