The Deal / The Queen

THE DEAL, 2003, Granada, 90 min. The team behind THE QUEEN -- including director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen -- etch a portrait of Tony Blair's rise up the slippery pole to becoming the Prime Minister we saw in "The Queen." The heart of this based-on-real-events film is the tough bargain that Blair forces on rival Gordon Brown (David Morrissey) over who will be party leader first.

THE QUEEN, 2006, Miramax, 97 min. Blending the rewards of a detailed film biography with an insightful meditation on character, director Stephen Frears puts the British monarchy under the microscope. Set in 1997, it details the bond of trust that slowly develops between the 71-year-old Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) following the death of Princess Diana. With James Cromwell.