Review of “Spencer”
Now streaming on Hulu, Spencer is a stunning work of historical fiction from director Pablo Larraín. Starring Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer, the film takes place over a crucial Christmas weekend in Diana’s marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. While Spencer draws its story from real people and real events, the film should not be seen as a historical reference.
Stewart redefines her career in her performance as Diana, so far gone from her work in the Twilight saga it is hard to believe it is the same actor. While this is not the first time since Twilight that Stewart has delivered an excellent performance, it is by far her best. Stewart brings the memory of Diana back to life, portraying her with a vulnerability the public never got to see. Diana’s struggles with her mental health, particularly bulimia, were no secret prior to Spencer’s release. Yet Stewart’s performance is so raw that her depictions of these struggles feel like a revelation. Stewart flawlessly depicts the feelings of isolation, anger, and hopelessness contrasted by the powerful motherly love Diana felt for her sons.
Stewart’s performance is bolstered by an outstanding supporting cast of Jack Farthing, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins. Farthing’s portrayal of Prince Charles is one of passive villainy that flawlessly captures the complete lack of chemistry in his marriage to Diana. Spall plays the watchful eye of the Royal family’s fictional equerry, Major Alistair Gregory. The character of Gregory is a physical manifestation of the interests of the Royal family, acting as a foil to Diana and her own desires. Spall plays Gregory well, with the strict specificity one would expect from a military man. Sean Harris is Royal Head Chef Darren McGrady, who was an actual chef to the family. He is more sympathetic to Diana than Gregory, and Harris portrays him as a man with a soft kindness to him but who cares deeply about the kitchen he runs. Also in Diana’s corner is Maggie, Diana’s royal dresser, who is played by Sally Hawkins. Although Hawkins felt criminally underutilized, she played the role she was given magnificently. Maggie was not one of Diana’s real dressers, but in the film, she is shown to be Diana’s only real friend.
Further supporting the cast of the film is its score and cinematography. Composed by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, the score is unique but befitting. Combining discordant free jazz with baroque classical, the score plays to the themes of the film quite well. The jazz represents Diana, who wishes to be free from the rigid expectations of the classical ways of the Royal family. The cinematography, by Claire Mathon, is captivating. Mathon, perhaps best known for her work on Portrait of a Lady On Fire, is well suited to a film like Spencer. She has a way of capturing a woman’s desires and desperation unlike anyone else, and at its core, Spencer is a film about desperation.
A film about Diana would not be complete without its costumes. Spencer made an interesting choice: rather than attempt to faithfully recreate actual outfits worn by Diana, outfits that were inspired by Diana’s actual outfits would be used instead. This choice helps to draw the line between fact and fiction. Just as the clothes are not an accurate recreation of Diana’s wardrobe, the film itself is not an accurate recreation of real events. Costumer Jacqueline Durran did an excellent job capturing the spirit of Diana, and every outfit felt like something she would have worn.
Historical fiction is a tough genre to get right when dealing with real people and real situations. However, Spencer manages to strike a perfect balance between truth and fiction. While the way the film diverges from the truth could be seen as problematic and confusing, I see it as a statement. Spencer is an artful interpretation of the way society projects made-up lives onto people in the public eye. We can never truly know what these celebrities’ lives are like, so we speculate, filling in the gaps with what we wish to be true. The parasocial relationships the public develops with public figures, particularly the Royal family, are incredibly toxic and unhealthy for all involved. The Royal family’s relationship with the media, especially Diana’s, is a central theme of the film. As the film progresses, you can really see how the pressure from the media, along with all the other pressures of royal life, impacts Diana in a negative way.
