Helen Mirren: A Royal Actress

From Arte’s press release: The British actress Helen Mirren, who made her debut in the film “Age of Consent” in 1969, is particularly famous for her roles as queens – most recently she played Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ feature film “The Queen” (2006). The documentary paints the portrait of a strong woman who is guided by her feminist convictions as an actress and in her private life. Mirren, who feels just as at home on the theater stage as in the television studio and on the feature film set, rose to become an internationally celebrated Hollywood star in the 1960s. She has received an Oscar in the category “Best Actress” as well as several awards in Cannes and Venice, among others, and is the only living recipient of the British and US Triple Crowns of Acting.

Helen Mirren is best known for her roles as queens – most recently she played Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ feature film The Queen. But the multi-talented actress is far from being pigeonholed. Her feminist beliefs play a fundamental role in her choice of characters, her appearance on film sets around the world and in private decisions; she has taken up the cause of the fight for female emancipation, for gender equality and against sexism. No wonder, when you know that Helen Mirren was raped herself in her youth, was involuntarily considered a “sex queen” in Hollywood and, like so many of her colleagues, fell victim to the mechanisms of a male-dominated cinema industry. Using archive footage, the documentary draws an impressive portrait of the outstanding British actress and her commitment to a better, more equal world.