One of the biggest names in the history of England’s royal family, Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart), makes her way to the big screen in Spencer. During the 1991 Christmas season Diana examines her life–her mental health, her marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing), and her future with the royal family. As she contemplates divorce, an unprecedented thing among the ranks of her prestigious family, her life seems to be spiraling out of control. Spencer tells all regarding this crumbling family dynamic, more than the world ever knew to be true.
I grew up listening to my grandmother obsess over the royal family, feeling as if somehow the things they did in their lives affected her. I can remember driving all around New Jersey with her and my mother as they desperately attempted to find the new, limited edition, Princess Diana Beanie Baby (which we eventually found and, to this day, sits in a plastic case away from the grubby mitts of grandchildren and great grandchildren). During these times I came to realize that Princess Diana was a unique individual–far different than any other member of the royal family, and even at a young age I found that appealing. As a result of my grandmother’s obsession with this family (which I did quickly come to realize is no different than the average family), pertinent information about the hardships of Diana’s life were often omitted from tales of the headstrong princess–but Spencer not only intends to express these dark details, it also seems to dabble in simply airing out the family’s (particularly Diana’s) dirty laundry. Very few things in this world are perfect: my wife, and, well, that’s it–so finally seeing a different side to this idolized family is something of a breath of fresh air.
That angle alone, seeing what was wrong with the royal family, is enough to propel Spencer from beginning to end, but there’s one person in particular that, more than anyone or anything else, is the reason that Spencer has been successful, and that is Stewart. Of course a tad bit of research was essential to understanding how Diana acted, her personality, her temperament, etc., and in the work that I did to educate myself, one thing stood out to me, Stewart is damn near perfect in her performance. Her accent is perfect, her gestures uncanny, and her overall performance worthy of the nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role that she received.
I always have to question the validity of the casting for real-life individuals beyond their talents, but in terms of their aesthetic as well. For the most part I believe that Stewart fits the role rather well, but one issue I found, if I’m being really picky (and why shouldn’t I be) is that Stewart is too attractive in comparison to the real Diana. There were moments throughout Spencer that I had to remind myself that the real Diana didn’t look quite like this, and, fair or not, that changed my perception of the character to a degree.
The dark, dreary score that transcends the entirety of Spencer–from very literally its opening moments–mirrors the sentiment and the tone of the film. There were times when the music became frustrating, even to the point that I became something comparable to anxious–and that is exactly what needed to be done in order to express the way in which Diana felt throughout the film.
Like the score, the costumes play a pivotal role in the overall reception of the fim. 1990’s royalty is likely a difficult wardrobe to replicate, and the team tasked with bringing something believable to life far exceeds the expectations. Compared to the actual wardrobe of the beloved Diana, Jacqueline Durran creates things that look identical. Again, I tend to believe that very few things in life are perfect–but the work that Durran and her team does to create the costumes for Spencer may be among that list. Both the costume design and score should have received nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, and there is no reason that I can muster up that justifies these oversights by the Academy.
Spencer is an all-around team effort: from acting to costumes, and score to cinematography, nothing slips through the cracks of this wonderful production. Spencer is emotionally powerful, seemingly historically accurate, and a lively tale of the human mind. I’d go as far to say that Spencer deserves a nomination for Best Picture; and to convince me of this is a testament to how beautifully done the film really is. What a great film, what a great story–and best of all, what a great performance by Kristen Stewart.
Directed by Pablo Larraín.
Written by Steven Knight.
Starring Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Nielsen, Freddie Spry, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris, Stella Gonet, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
Comments