Shakespearean actor and hollywood star Sir Kenneth Branagh had the homour of presenting the award during a dazzling reception at Windsor Castle attended by stars of stage, screen and television celebrating their industry. Movies featuring England’s Queen are available as free dvd movies . Chairman of Bafta, John Willis, paid tribute to the Queen for her patronage and endorsement of entertainment bodies and charities throughout her 60 year reign.

In his speech Mr Willis said: ‘We should be proud of our industry. The people here this evening represent a vast variety of skills and ground breaking innovation; they have entertained and informed a generation and inspired generations to come.’ The Queen movie is available for free full movie download. He told the audience which included the Queen’s husband the Duke of Edinburgh: ‘I am delighted that this evening has given us the opportunity to give something back. I have the great honour to announce that we are to present Her Majesty with an honorary Bafta today, in recognition of her outstanding patronage of the film and television industries.’

This is a film which will remain in the best-seller list for a long, long time – not just due to the Oscar and Bafta winning performance by Helen Mirren, but also by the glimpse it gives us of the private life of a woman who has maintained her dignity throughout her very public life. Helen Mirren dedicated her Oscar to the lady who she had portrayed with such luminescence, praising her dignity and decorum. A great dvd to add to your collection. Buy this dvd with a Zavvi Discount Code

Tracing the halcyon days which followed Princess Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris, the film is a portrayal not just of a Queen who is trying to come to terms with the public outpouring at the death of her ex-daughter-in-law, but also trying to adjust to changing protocols and traditions. Her reluctance to fly the flag at half-mast, her sorrow at the hunting of a deer and her majesty when receiving a smirking Cherie Blair are all shown in a very understated manner, yet you learn to sympathise with her and appreciate her more.

The charm of the film lies not just in the docu-drama scenario of the story, but in our fascination with royalty and with Diana in particular. Princess Diana is shown only in true news clippings through the film, yet her presence is very tangible through every skein of the story. Prince Philip is shown to be a fairly disgruntled human being and Prince Charles as a warm and caring father. Tony Blair, played with aplomb by Martin Sheen somehow manages to make us feel kindly towards him as he tries to deal with an unusual situation, with no benchmarks to guide him.

Combining truth with many unsaid side stories, the film is one of subtle innuendos, of different classes of society which collide in a heartbreaking crash, of cool reserve and stoic dignity, of public clamour and private lives and above all of how unexpected circumstances can change how we perceive our public figures.

The Kings daughter is about Elizabeth, daughter of James I of England, successor to Queen Elizabeth I. The novel opens with the attempted kidnap of Elizabeth as part of the plot to blow up parliament and assasinate the king and his oldest son Henry as part of the Guy Fawkes plot. The novel continues through her early years, depicting a princess, loved by her brother Henry who died before coming to the throne, but feared by her father who is less than popular and fears that she may be the focus of further treason.

The story also features an entirely fictional character who becomes Elizabeth’s confidante – Tallie an African girl who was brought up in the flesh pots of Soutwark. Tallie becomes her spy in trying to find out her father’s intentions, particularly as to who he intends to marry her to.

The Queen’s surname
It is not normal for the Queen to use a surname, for example she does not own a passport or a driving license. But on the odd occasion when she is required to do so the name ‘Windsor’ is used.
The surname of the British royal family was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but this was changed to Windsor in 1917. This was due to the rife anti-German attitude of the public after World War One broke out in 1914. King George V rejected all the German titles that belonged to himself and his family and so took the name of his castle, Windsor, instead.

For more information about the queen, check out British Information which covers anything from information about the queen to even UK car motor trader insurance.

Brian May revealed the news via the official Queen website:

“Work is now fully under way for the much-vaunted feature film on the life of Freddie. Peter Morgan has delivered a first draft of the movie, which everyone is very excited about, and Sacha Baron Cohen is chomping at the bit to get into the role, in a way which certainly would delight Freddie!

It is expected that the film will be due for release in autumn 2012.

The choice of Cohen to play the part of Mercury is a controversial one. Some fans are wanting a “serious” actor to take on the role. Other critics however see the choice as inspired one, playing on Cohens ability to camp it up as reflecting what Mercury was all about.

Mirren conjures Elizabeth as an identifiable flesh-and-blood wife, mother, grandmother, and woman with a job to do. She also conveys the importance — and the majesty, unaffected by political fashion — of the institutional Elizabeth II of the House of Windsor, Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith, a living embodiment of her empire’s proud history. – Liza Schwarzbaum

Stephen Frears’ marvelous film “The Queen” gets it right because it puts aside satirical broadsides in favor of a psychologically precise look at the behavior of Britain’s royal family in the week between Princess Diana’s fatal car crash and funeral – Glenn Whipp

Sure, it looks like an afternoon watching paint dry, but “The Queen” is a striking portrait of waning power and the grind of the publicity machine. Lead by a stunning performance from Helen Mirren, the film is a tightly-wound drama that sheds new light on the death of Princess Diana – Brian Orndorf

Although the global outpouring of grief over the death of Princess Diana has since been overshadowed and surpassed by unimaginable events, “The Queen” reminds us that Diana’s appeal was as the romantic counterpoint to an atrophied institution – Duane Dudek

Frears’ first Hollywood film was Dangerous Liaisons starring Glenn Close which brought him to a wider audience and which film earned a mumber of award nominations. Since then he has directed The Hi-Lo Country (1998), High Fidelity (2000) – Nick Hornby’s novel, disappointingly adapted from London to Chicago – and Dirty Pretty Things (2003)

Working for TV his direction of The Deal featuring the political carve up of the Labour Party by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown was a precursor to his involvement with The Queen

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Color: Color
Regional Encoding: NTSC
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

BluRay Features
* The Making Of THE QUEEN
* Feature Commentary With Director Stephen Frears and Writer Peter Morgan
* Feature Commentary With British Historian and Royal Expert Robert Lacey, author Of “Majesty”
* Instant Access to select movie scenes that showcase the ultimate in High-Definition picture and sound
* Seamless Menus

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Color: Color
Regional Encoding: NTSC
Sound:

* English (Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround Sound)
* English 5.1 Uncompressed (48 kHz/ 16-bit)

Get movie discount codes online.

As well as being a succesful theatre actress, Mirren has starred in both TV and films. Her most notable TV role being that of Jane Tennsion in Prime Suspect.

As a film actress Helen Mirren has starred in numerous movies including Calendar Girls, Gosforth Park and the Madness of King George.

As well as receiving an Oscar for her role in The Queen, she has received three other Oscar nominations:

Best Actress: The Station
Best Supporting Actress: The Madness of King George, Gosforth Park

The film stars Natalie Portman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett Johannsen and focuses on the story of the rise and fall of Ann Boleyn who became the wife of Henry VIII. In particular it tells the story of  two sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson), who are driven by their ambitious family to seduce the King of England (Bana) in order to advance the family’s position at court and to become, along with their cousins the Howards, one of the most influential families in England.

Although the novel is a work of fiction, it has received much criticisim from historical scholars as much of the story, although broadly based on fact involves considerable speculation. The problem arises where a novel so closely follows historical facts and then takes liberties with it.