“The King’s Speech” is about so much more than what the title implies. It is about family relationships, friendships and the dedication of a loving woman.
Starring Colin Firth as the unexpected King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, “The King’s Speech,” follows the story of Prince Albert and his ascension to the throne when his brother abdicates.
The film was released on December 2, 2010 but received it's world premier on September 4, 2010 at the Telluride Film Festival. The movie was also previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival, which happened to be on Firth's 50th birthday. According to a festival press release, the star called the TIFF release "a great 50th birthday gift."
"The King's Speech" is reaping honors hand over fist. Firth got the nod as best actor and the entire cast for best ensemble cast in the recent Screen Actors Guild awards. Director Tom Hooper was thrilled to be named the top director in the Directors Guild of America awards. The film is the runaway favorite for next month's Academy Awards.
Starring Colin Firth as the unexpected King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, “The King’s Speech,” follows the story of Prince Albert and his ascension to the throne when his brother abdicates.
The film was released on December 2, 2010 but received it's world premier on September 4, 2010 at the Telluride Film Festival. The movie was also previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival, which happened to be on Firth's 50th birthday. According to a festival press release, the star called the TIFF release "a great 50th birthday gift."
"The King's Speech" is reaping honors hand over fist. Firth got the nod as best actor and the entire cast for best ensemble cast in the recent Screen Actors Guild awards. Director Tom Hooper was thrilled to be named the top director in the Directors Guild of America awards. The film is the runaway favorite for next month's Academy Awards.
It is Prince Albert’s stammer that leads the future King George VI to an unlikely friendship with Lionel Logue. Portrayed by Geoffrey Rush, Logue became Bertie's confidant as well as his teacher and friend. Rush played the pianist prodigy David Helfgott in the movie, "Shine." Like Firth in King's Speech, Rush raked in the honors for that role- the Oscar, Golden Globe, British Film Award and Australian Film Institute Award.
“Call me Lionel,” Rush’s character says to Firth after calling him by his boyhood nickname of Bertie when the pair first meets in Logue’s office. Logue’s unorthodox speech therapy methods work to bring out Bertie’s long hidden traumas, helping him draw on his own strength to enhance his speech.
“Call me Lionel,” Rush’s character says to Firth after calling him by his boyhood nickname of Bertie when the pair first meets in Logue’s office. Logue’s unorthodox speech therapy methods work to bring out Bertie’s long hidden traumas, helping him draw on his own strength to enhance his speech.
When Bertie’s brother, David professes his love for Wallace Simpson, his twice divorced mistress, he is forced to give up the crown, thrusting his younger, stammering brother into the unwanted position as the King of England. "The King's Speech" brings Bertie's struggles to speak in public directly to the forefront.
Perhaps it is the last piece of the story that goes under appreciated by most theatergoers. If not for Bonham Carter’s Queen Elizabeth, her husband and his therapist would never have met. It was Queen Elizabeth’s determination to help her husband that led her to a less than upper class section of London.
It is in the office of Logue, with its peeled paint and shabby furniture, where Bertie learns that he can indeed speak in public without stammering. It is because of the queen’s determination to raising a stable family that the future king has a loving relationship with the couple’s young daughters, Margaret and the current Queen Elizabeth.
It is in the office of Logue, with its peeled paint and shabby furniture, where Bertie learns that he can indeed speak in public without stammering. It is because of the queen’s determination to raising a stable family that the future king has a loving relationship with the couple’s young daughters, Margaret and the current Queen Elizabeth.
Thanks to the many historical figures (Winston Churchill, King George V, Wallace Simpson, to name a few), the film takes audiences through the days leading up to World War II. Unlike some historical films, “The King’s Speech” utilizes the times as background and not as a huge part of the plot. The real plot lines are the friendship between Bertie and Lionel and Queen Elizabeth’s love of her husband that makes “The King’s Speech” flow.
In the just announced nominations, The King's Speech leads the Oscar race. With 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director, it is clear voters like the film for its story and acting and the spectacular way it was put together. The movie also leads the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations with 14. These honors are in addition to those already heaped on The King's Speech at the Golden Globes.
With masterful performances by Firth, Bonham Carter and Rush, the movie is filled with wonderful moments, with laughter and sorrow and with a story of friendship that lasted a lifetime. I spent the afternoon totally engrossed in historical England, feeling empathy for Bertie and cheering when he succeeded in giving the most important speech of his life.
The costumes were top notch, the acting superb, and the story was mystifying, uplifting and fun. The old adage about friendship having no boundaries was proven throughout the film as royalty and the common man worked side by side toward a common goal and, in the end, became friends.
At a glance:
Run time: 1 hour, 51 minutes
Rated R
Drama
Directed by Tom Hooper
Staring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambo, Geoffrey Rush
Local showtimesOther links:
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The King's Speech
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