The British film “The Queen” opens throughout Australian cinemas. Directed by Stephen Frears, who says he is a dedicated queenist – not a monarchist – and starring Helen Mirren, the film has enjoyed modest success, way behind the remake of Casino Royale. The jury is out about whether it helps or hinders the Australian republican cause. All we can say is that the main character, particularly when foregrounding a massive horned stag in the grounds of Balmoral, appears quintessentially English and completely removed from the land of droughts and flooding rains.
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
