The King's Speech

From what I heard, the Queen Mother was asked years ago for permission to tell this story. She was very much in favor for the story of her husband to be told but under the one condition that it happen after her death. I was interested in this film because of the subject matter and also because of the cast. Ever since the release of “The Queen”, I have enjoyed historical, political and/or “royal” dramas. After seeing “The King’s Speech”, I would have to say that the cinematography, sound and the acting stood out the most. I also like the screenplay, music and directing. It is no wonder as to why it was the most nominated film at the Oscars. It sounds like there was a great attempt to make this film as historically accurate as possible. The chronology of events has been tightened into a shorter time frame but I don’t mind that. Besides the story of the King’s stammering problem being told, we see depicted such events as the Abdication & the start of World War II and that makes the film even more dramatic. A family undergoes a very dramatic change that still affects the world today.

I like the scene at the Empire Exhibition because of the sound. The use of the horse whinnying and the microphone amplifying every sound that Bertie makes is very heart wrenching. I did notice the unconventional framing that was done in “The King’s Speech” such as when the Duke and Logue first meet. Usually, the camera position determines how the characters are framed. The cinematographer, Danny Cohen, placed his camera and then did a creative thing by framing the characters opposite of what is conventional: the Duke was on the left side of frame where he should have been on the right and the visa versa for Logue. The subsequent moment where the Duke reads “Hamlet” is another good use of sound & cinematography in that we can only hear Mozart and we can not see the Duke’s mouth as he reads. Throughout the film, we see how his brother and father treat Bertie. They tease and bully him because of his speech problem and this makes Logue & the future Queen Mother (I shall always think of her as such) very appealing characters. They sympathize with Bertie, as do we. King George V does favor Bertie's ability to lead the country and tries to prepare him for that time but goes about it in the wrong way. We come to understand other trials that the Duke has had in his life. It is quite fascinating to see the future Queen Elizabeth II and the Princess Margaret as little girls. The world of today hardly remembers them as such. The scene where the new King George VI is intimidated by the royal portraits on the wall is very dramatic and it is somewhat sad when his little girls treat him more like a king than as a father. I also enjoy the humorous scene when Myrtle Logue is surprised to discover the King and Queen in her house. I like the psychological tactics that Logue uses to help the King such as sitting on the throne. A powerful scene is when the royal family watches Hitler and we the audience recall how good a speaker Hitler was. We realize just how outmatched George VI is vocally. I like the climax of the film because we see how Buckingham palace is sensitive to the King’s struggle. They have a tiny studio for just him and Logue. The cinematography of those shots in the studio is great in that it invokes feelings of extreme anxiety. We see all the speaking techniques put to use (especially as Logue and the King practice before the speech) and even though the King is still struggling, the speech itself is powerful for everyone outside the little studio. The King does better as the speech goes on and the choice of Beethoven's music in this moment is very powerful. We have great moments where Churchill, the archbishop and the royal family congratulates the King. I like how they take a photo of the King pretending to read the speech at a desk so as to uphold appearances. It again shows how those working with the King are sensitive and also shows the historical accuracy of the movie. The moment on the balcony of Buckingham palace shows how this family has fully gone from being royalty to being the royal family. “The King’s Speech” is not just about a royal man learning to overcome an imperfection; it is about a man rising to the occasion and taking responsibility.

The casting and acting is well done in this film as evidenced by the Oscar nominations. Even though I think that Jesse Eisenberg had the best performance of 2010 on “The Social Network”, Colin Firth won a lot more awards than him and I can see why. You can tell that Eisenberg is acting where as Firth delivers a very believable performance like Helen Mirren did on “The Queen”. I loved Firth’s performance in “Disney’s: A Christmas Carol” and I also loved his work in “The King’s Speech”. Firth won the Golden Globe, the SAG and the Oscar as did Mirren. Helen Bonham Carter as the Queen Mother was perfect and I applaud her nomination. I wanted her to win. I can see similarities between her performance in this film and in “Alice in Wonderland” as the Queen of Hearts. Despite these similarities, Carter comes across as a legitimate royal in a serious drama. After filming "The King's Speech", she had to go from portraying the Queen Mother to reprising her role as a maniacal witch for the last two Harry Potter films in quite a short time. Geoffrey Rush’s comic timing & acting is superb and I forgot his Captain Barbossa persona. I wanted him to win the Oscar also but I knew that Christian Bale would dominate. Guy Pearce was the perfect actor to play Edward VIII and his performance was well done, as was Michael Gambon’s. I failed to recognize Timothy Spall as Churchill at first so I am very impressed with him. It is no wonder why he, Carter and Gambon are with other reputable supporting actors in the Harry Potter franchise. I also enjoyed the acting of the little girls playing Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. This was the first movie that I took notice of Derek Jacobi, who plays the Archbishop. Then I was amazed to discover that I have been hearing him and watching him for many years and didn't know it. He was in "The Secret of NIMH", Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" and in "Gladiator" all along and I didn't recognize him until I researched this cast list.

"The King's Speech" received more Oscar nominations than any other film of 2010 as mentioned. I am not surprized and I predicted that it would win Best Picture. It was a close race though against "The Social Network". I do think that Alexandre Desplat's musical score was better than the Oscar winning score from "The Social Network". I am glad that the use of swearing is better handled than in other R-rated films but I wish it wasn't part of the story to be honest. It has given the film an R-rating in the US, which makes it difficult for a young audience to experience this wonderful story. The film could have had swearing to a lesser extend and still the story would have still been wonderful. All the elements of the film work together extremely well to tell a well-written story. The film has a sympathetic character and shows many important events surrounding the royal family in the 30’s.

4.5 Stars out of 5