Here’s the first full trailer for Kristen Stewart’s Lady Di film Spencer
Pablo Larraín's film opens in theaters on November 5
Film News Spencer
We’ve already gotten a few glimpses at Pablo Larraín’s new film Spencer—including a teaser trailer that reveals Kristen Stewart’s take on Lady Diana Spencer in all her “Looking pretty stressed out about this whole royal family business” glory. Now, Neon has released a full trailer for Larrain’s film, which stars Stewart as Lady Di, attempting to weather the holidays immediately preceding her divorce from Prince Charles, even as the ever-present paparazzi fixation on her only looms.
In her write-up of Spencer for our rundown of all the biggest films at the Venice Film Festival, where Larraín’s movie made its debut, Leila Latif praised Stewart’s turn as Spencer, calling it “loving, paranoid, beautiful, self-obsessed, and witty.” (Also, she apparently pulls the accent off, always an open question even when extremely talented performers take on these sorts of transatlantic parts.) Meanwhile, the film co-stars Jack Farthing as Diana’s soon-to-be-ex-husband, and Stella Gonnet as Queen Elizabeth, both embodying the coldness and excess of the British crown. Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins also star as others trapped (or thriving) within the strict world of royal protocol and power.
Stewart’s portrayal of Diana Spencer is, of course, just one of several pop culture takes on Lady Di that have floated around the pop culture sphere in recent years; Naomi Watts played the character in Diana back in 2013, while Emma Corrin was just nominated at the recent Emmys for her portrayal of her on The Crown. (Elizabeth Debicki is set to take the part next season.) Spencer, though, has the benefit of intense focus: In that same write-up, Latif writes that the film has “more in common with The Shining than The Crown,” focused on the paradoxical claustrophobia of the castles and estates of the royal world.
Spencer is set to continue making the festival rounds for a few more months, before opening wide in theaters on November 5.
13 Comments
I never expected this to be good, but it sure does look like it is.
I don’t care about the story at all but wow the cinematography looks excellent.
it looks stunning, and the trailer and Stewart did a great job at making that anxiety of wanting to escape very palpable so I’m excited for the movie.
The “kids chorus covers a dark or subversive song” feels incredibly played out, but I’m somehow drawing a blank on other examples.
the social network did it with creep by radiohead
Radiohead’s “Creep” choral arrangement for The Social Network?
I think it started with the version of Radiohead’s “Creep” in the trailer for The Social Network
I have no problems with Kristen Stewart, thanks to streaming I have seen a big chunk of her catalog, but I’m not really seeing anything new from the trailer. It is a story that has been told several times which a lot of us remember from when it happened, so I don’t know that it’s really worth a theater ticket. Streaming on a service to which I subscribe, sure, but whatever theaters cost now and in the midst of a pandemic… I’ll just wait.
maybe, I think lately movies have been leaning heavily into the comedic absurdity of royalty. this seems to lean more into the horror of it. Diana seemed so alive compared to the ghosts around her, and maintained a spark despite all the sadness of living a life in a haunted world.
Between the Festival reviews and this longer trailer, this continues to look really good. Just like Larraín’s Jackie, this seems to be more of an interpretive and impressionistic (versus factual biography) take on Diana and from the trailer, that includes Kristen’s performance which at times looks/sounds uncannily like Diana and at others, not so much. And that’s just fine with me, as actors trying to do full impressions of well known people can be very distracting.
Note the short shot outside the church of what I assume is meant to be Camilla.
If only a single Royal looked like the real one, I’d be sold. Aren’t there several actresses who are spitting images of her Majesty the Queen?
I see zero resemblance here and the melodrama is so thick and ‘fuzzy’ that I actually felt repulsed.
What a weird fuckin’ casting choice. I mean, hey, if it works, it works. But still… her? (Pretend an Arrested Development “Her?” gif is here instead of text. I’m too lazy to go look for one.)