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User Reviews for: Spencer

Bradym03
8/10  2 years ago
"Will they kill me, do you think?"

Don't go into 'Spencer' expecting an ordinary little biopic about Princess Diana. Nope, this is a straight up psychological art house horror thriller. 'Spencer' brilliantly captures the feeling of dread in an isolated foreign space surround by strangers. The royal family themselves are freaking creepy, always watching, always judging.

I must be honest, I wasn't a big fan of Kristen Stewart's recent work, as it never wowed me, and I wasn't convinced that she's improved since Twilight. But man, she's fantastic in this movie and it's one of her best performances to date. Stewart manages to portray Princess Diana in a new light that we haven't really seen before. In my opinion, her other movies failed to show her versatility as an actor, where I fully believe this movie did her justice. I'm just glad this movie won me over.

On the other hand, Timothy Spall is excellent in this movie, and another stand out performance. If you are aware of Spall as an actor, then this isn't surprising news, but I feel it needs repeating. I found him very eerie and overbearing. He plays a man with an eagle eye; he watches everything and everyone in the royal family at Sandringham House.

The major thing that this movie made me realise is that in Diana's life it's the people that kept her mentally and emotionally grounded. Her two sons, her assistant (Sally Hawkins, who is very good in the small scenes she has), and the chef played by Sean Harris, who is someone you would not think of being important.

Sean Harris is a very underrated actor that I wished people talked about more. Harris is known for playing sinister roles, but here I thought he was really sweet and shows a softer side. He's got an interesting sounding voice as well. Jack Farthing as Prince Charles does a great job playing a slimy over-privileged **** Stella Gonet as the Queen who I found really unsettling, especially her dagger eyes.

There's one scene at the dinner table with the other royal family that is one of the most intense things ever. It was anxiety level stress that made my heart racing. All thanks to Pablo Larraín claustrophobic and unique directing. Complimented by Johnny Greenwood's atmospheric, free flowing and tense score.

While I know that certain elements of the movie are fiction, but then again, the movie begins with a title card "based on a tragic fable" and I feel like the movie is playing into the nightmarish fair tale of an iconic figure in history. Diana's life in royalty was no fairy tale, but a Brothers Grimm tale.

Overall rating: The movie has metaphors to ghost, ghost of the past, ghost of old tradition. People who follow tradition isn't too kind to rarity. Great movie.
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Polydorus
8/10  2 years ago
The most terrifying horror story of the year has a name: The British royal family


'Spencer' takes place in 1991, during the royal family Christmas celebration, close to Diana and Charles separation. From the very beginning the film is successful in exposing some of the utterly conservative, outdated and ridiculous traditions followed by British royalty such as an extremely specific dress code, obsession with punctuality, weighing themselves before and after all the Xmas activities (they were supposed to gain weight) and hunting pheasants. Diana is already in a very bad place due to Charles's affair with Camilla and having to deal with all of the royal family over Christmas sends her in a downward spiral. This depiction of Diana is given life through Kristen Stewart's outstanding performance with some really nail-biting scenes. Timothy Spall, who plays the role of an equerry, and Sally Hawkins, who is a the princess' royal dresser, also deliver fantastic performances. The cinematography is great and the costume design is on point.


Bear in mind that this is a fictionalized story. If you are looking for a biographical film or a more traditional telling of the princess' life you will be disappointed. If you are just looking for a great movie, a great psychological drama or one of Stewart's best performances then you should definitely watch this.
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msbreviews
/10  2 years ago
I knew absolutely nothing about this movie beforehand. I heard/read extraordinarily positive reactions that definitely elevated my expectations. And my actual knowledge about Princess Diana and her life was and still is extremely basic. Spencer is one of those rare examples where going into it completely blind didn't work in my favor at all. I found myself trying to look for something to grab on to, and despite some genuinely outstanding technical attributes, Steven Knight's (Locked Down) screenplay doesn't offer me enough to hold my attention.

Spencer is undoubtedly a fictional character piece that only stands on its feet due to one of the year's most mesmerizing lead performances. Kristen Stewart (Underwater), an actress who still gets a lot of unfair hate despite her clear evolution to one of the most underrated actors working today, delivers a career-defining portrayal of Princess Diana that viewers will hardly forget about. I can't recall the last time I witnessed an actor completely disappearing into their role. A true masterclass worthy of every single award. The rest of the cast is also superb.

Technically, I also have little to complain about. Pablo Larraín's (Jackie) distinct direction adequately fits the frustrating, claustrophobic story, and I love how Claire Mathon's (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) moves between the intimate close-ups and gorgeous wide shots. As expected, costume and production design look fabulous, but Jonny Greenwood's (You Were Never Really Here) score didn't work for me. The mix of jazz with high-tension sequences becomes too uncanny, distracting the viewers from the narrative, which leads me to my main issue.

For someone with my knowledge and expectations, Spencer becomes one of those "nothing happens" films that usually surprises viewers with its unique storytelling approach. I'm all-in for this type of work, but outside of Stewart's display, I struggled to feel captivated by whatever was going on. A supposedly consistently interesting character study transformed into an overlong, repetitive one-woman show, where I couldn't figure out what it was aiming for. I understand the purpose of making the audience feel how Diana felt during her marriage and living within British Royalty, but Larraín's execution somehow fails to leave me emotionally satisfied.

A second viewing will probably improve and strengthen my opinion about the movie. For now, I feel very mixed about Spencer, but I'll leave this as a positive review trusting that I'll gradually enjoy it more after each viewing.

Rating: B-
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M_i_c_h_a_e_l
/10  2 years ago
An enigmatic actress full of baggage plays one of the most enigmatic people of the 20th century who had a bit of acting to do herself.

Diana’s stories are far too plentiful for one film - or even a series of them - so the film wisely keeps to only one chapter.

It’s a slow meditation with lots of time spent on expansive and beautiful shots of an ugly situation.

The big question for this film is the choice of the lead: How on earth did such as American actress like Stewart play someone dealing with the successors of the House of Stewart? Stewart shows the skills to pull it off with lots of breathlessness. Stewart spends the time being on the verge of cracking for the whole of the film and it's an impressive sight.

Stewart's Diana stands out just like the way the colour of her outfits provides a pop of colour to the mostly drab setting. Performances from the support cast are minimal with dialogue between the royal family are few and far between.

Music is classical and restrained with discordant jazz matching the discordant feelings going on in the rural estate

The clash of tradition and the new is at a the fore here like a flower beating against an armoured tank. It's where the new of Diana tries to prepare to enter an institution of centuries of tradition. This Diana is shown to completely and utterly not belong. The family is forever waiting for her and is even have here kept within barb wire fences like a prisoner. She desperately wants to cut these wires.

Parallels with Anne Boelyn are drawn - a woman who didn’t fair too well herself. The symbolism of Diana’s home reflects her past - something that is now gone for her, but she wants to desperately get back to it.
There’s a distinct lack of love portrayed in the royal family.

Even the staff are models of military precision and tradition with Spall taking up the role of rules enforcer. The family and staff spend most of their time criticising Diana or ordering her about. They are always distant - Diana is mostly shown alone and needs a fantasy to get out of it.

The film is ultimately very sympathetic to Diana - the royal family aren’t much above the level of monsters.
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