Our local theater tends to keep movies until everyone in town has seen them. Weeks and weeks and weeks. If I won’t go to a particular movie, the villagers surround the house, bearing torches and farm implements and chanting, “Set us free!”
So last night we knuckled under and saw the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The Queen, which has been playing here for about four months. It’s the lamest, most boring movie imaginable. The big “crisis” is when HRH reluctantly makes a two minute speech that it’s her frikkin’ job to do. BFD BFD BFD. Nobody changes, nobody grows. We’re talking serious parasitism.
Also it’s cheaply made; a lot of the movie is simply TV newscasts that I didn’t watch in the first place because I didn’t care. The only bright spot is Ruthie’s husband George from Six Feet Under, playing the Queen’s consort.
My mind turns to the great Sex Pistols song, God Save the Queen. First I found the lyrics, printed below. Then I found an MP3 music file of the song. Several versions there, actually. And then, whoah, I found a (bad sound, bad synch) video of a performance on YouTube. The sound is a lot better on the mp3 link, but it’s so cool to see Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious again. Play the video and and MP3 at the same time for a nice effect! I need bigger speakers on my computer. I love the Pistol’s intense and deeply felt outrage. “We mean it man.”
Whoah! I figured out how to link in YouTube video! Telepathy is here for real…
God save the Queen
Her fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential h-bomb
God save the Queen
She ain’t no human being
There’s no future
In England’s dreaming
Don’t be told what you want
Don’t be told what you need
There’s no future, no future
No future for you
God save the Queen
We mean it man
We love our Queen
God saves
God save the Queen
Cos those tourists are money
And our figure head
Is not what she seem|
Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid
When there’s no future
How can there be sin
We’re the flowers in the dustbin
We’re the poison in the human machine
we’re the future, your future
God save the Queen
We mean it man
We love our Queen
God saves
God save the Queen
We mean it man
And there’s no future
In England’s dreaming
No future (x3)
For you
No future (x3)
For me
No future (x3)
For you
No future, no future
For you
****
As long as I’m getting all political on you today,
you could do worse than join in a protest tomorrow, Saturday, January 27, especially the big one in Washing ton DC.
Peace.
January 28th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Just found your blog. I’m reading Mathematicians in Love. Thanks for the review of The Queen. It’s a pretty movie to look at. I became absorbed by these creepy insane people who spend all of their time picknicking in Scotland. Between those two distractions, I lost track of the fact that I don’t care about Lady Di or British Royalty, so I couldn’t figure out why I felt so dissatisfied with the movie. Thanks for putting things together.
February 11th, 2007 at 2:03 am
As an American living in England these 15 years, I was, and am, knee-jerk anti-monarchy. Yet I enjoyed this movie. The antique system is more real close up: I have a friend who was knighted and had to do the walk-up-to-the-Queen thing. How do you deal with that? It was funny seeing Tony try to decide. Like him, I have a sneaking admiration for the woman. She *has* done her job as she sees it, which involves being a celebrity, yet not the heart-baring and foolish kind of her younger relatives. America, the land of celebrities and ultra-rich, could find something to reflect on in her behavior.
Or maybe I just fancy Hellen Mirren, who radiates intelligence. Ew, that’s kind of like fancying HRH!
Love your books and meditations.
February 17th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I haven’t seen “the Queen”, the movie …
but I must challenge you to see “Magnolia” first,
before LABELING any major motion picture as “worst ever”
and then see the “Mr. Bean takes a holiday”
if you have and still hold fast to your conviction
then i will see the Queen.
i mean it man.