1) The inclusions of the stag and stalking–if a little heavy-handed–were also brilliant. Not only did they prove an interesting metaphor and foil for how the press and royalty treated Diana, their inclusion also called to mind how many times I’ve seen people of the queen’s generation fixate on an object other than the one at hand as a way for them to sort out their grief or confusion.
2) I appreciate that the filmmaker’s didn’t let Diana steal the show. The use of news clips and photos from her life proved to be an uderstated way of recalling her life and also served as a reminder that for most of us, all we knew about her came from the press..
3) The film was also a great reminder about how goodness usually comes in imperfect packages: the calling up of Winston Churchill early on, the tracing of Diana’s tulmultuous life, and the exacting account of the queen’s and Tony Blair’s decisions in the days after Diana’s death, all point to the notion that leadership–and an ability to put goodness into the world–often comes from flawed and imperfect people..
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