The documentary Elizabeth goes in search of the person behind the icon, the stamp and the mug ★★★★☆

You could compare Queen Elizabeth to Mona Lisa. Like the British queen, the inhabitant of the Louvre has been admired daily by mere mortals for decades. She can’t say anything back, just smile mysteriously. Both women are world famous, but at the same time relatively unknown. Elizabeth has always maintained her secrecy, despite pressure from the advancing media.

While the 96-year-old queen gradually says goodbye to the outside world, attempts are made to get closer to her. A playful version of this is the documentary Elizabeth: a portrait in parts by Roger Michel. Died last year Notting Hilldirector has rightly ruled that a chronological documentary with talking headlines does not do justice to the rich life of the queen, a woman who also never gives interviews.

Instead, he has come up with a kaleidoscope, in which themes from her life pass through very diverse images. At the same time, this creates an image of the Elizabethan era. Her love for horses, for Philip and the Commonwealth of Nations. Her grief over the fire at Windsor Castle, the fortunes of her children and the decommissioning of the Royal Britannia, the yacht that acted as a lifeboat with which she and her family could take a break from her role as monarch.

Michell makes original connections with his visual material. The director playfully alternates images of prime ministers arriving for an audience with images of people undergoing psychoanalysis. In the image of Elizabeth riding an elephant towering over crowds, Michell sees statues of Mary carried through crowded streets on holidays. Unique are images of Princess Elizabeth changing tires of jeeps and filling tanks of bombers during the war. Then we see how she, as queen, visits Dresden years later.

Excerpts from Star Trek† Cleopatra and Peppa Pig testify to Michell’s ability to associate, as well as the song Mona Lisa† In one of the beautiful snapshots, the Beatles arrive at the palace smoking cigarettes to receive their royal honours. The carelessness contrasts with the tense looks of dignitaries who receive a crash course on how to kneel and greet her.

Michell is not afraid to use unflattering images, for example of an Elizabeth who yawns in front of a radio speech and forgets to cover her mouth. It’s a behind-the-scenes look that matched his mission to find the person behind the icon, behind the stamp and the mug. Given her mischievous sense of humor and self-mockery, the queen, who can see the end result differently from the maker, will be able to laugh about it.