The Queen / Mrs Henderson Presents Helen Mirren 2008 New DVD Top-quality

Double pack of hit British films directed by Stephen Frears. ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’ (2005) is a comedy starring Judi Dench as Laura Henderson, a widow who is not by any means, going to spend the rest of her days playing bridge. The Windmill Theatre becomes her game and the infamous showman Vivian Van Dam (Bob Hoskins) becomes her partner and fiercest opponent. The Germans are bombing London but the roar of the Windmill is all that can be heard, as Laura convinces Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest) to allow her actresses to be the one thing no one could ever imagine: nude. Brought to its knees by war, what Mrs Henderson presents brings a nation to its feet in applause. ‘The Queen’ (2006) is Frears’ critically acclaimed portrait of the English Monarch in a time of strife. One of the most turbulent periods in British politics in recent memory seen from an insider’s perspective – an almost documentary look at the relationship between the figurehead and the brains behind the UK. It’s 1997 and Tony Blair’s Labour Government has just won an election, ending 18 years of Conservative rule. Blair the firebrand (Michael Sheen) must introduce himself to the Queen (Helen Mirren) and ask permission to govern the country. The stone-faced Regina, in accepting, gives him not a millimeter of slack, silently underscoring the fact she’s in charge. Shortly thereafter, the former Princess of Wales, wife of Elizabeth’s son and heir, is killed in Paris. The Queen’s initial reaction is to hold ranks and treat Diana as an outsider, being that she has left the royal household. Blair senses the coming landslide of public opinion against this course of action and tries, as hard as a new boy can, to make her majesty see sense. The question of who’s truly in charge comes to the fore.