BOTTOM
LINE:
Featuring
strong performances and excellent visuals for a modest budget, “The
King’s Speech” is an excellent film about King George
VI’s struggle with stuttering and how he overcame it to fulfil
his duties as Monarch of the United Kingdom.
THE
GOOD: Prince
Albert, Duke of York (Firth), who subsequently becomes King George
VI, has a major problem with his speech. In a tense opening sequence
where he is required to deliver the King’s message on his
behalf at Wembley Stadium in front of many people, he is barely
able to get the words out, and visibly upsets many. After trying
many treatments unsuccessfully, he gives up. His wife Elizabeth
(Carter) however, discovers an Australian speech therapist named
Lionel Logue (Rush) who uses unconventional treatments to help him
overcome his stammer, from his duties as Prince, all the way through
the rest of his life as King George VI. A film like this relies
on the quality of its performances, and it is held together quite
strongly by Colin Firth’s excellent portrayal of the stuttering
King, and Geoffrey Rush is note perfect as the speech therapist.
The entire film is essentially based on these two men and their
developing friendship, and a desire to see the King overcome his
problem, particularly with wider events causing him enormous anxiety,
from the beginning of the Second World War to his brother Edward
(Pearce) abdicating the throne in order to marry a divorcee. Helena
Bonham Carter is excellent as Elizabeth, portraying a very proper,
but insightful duchess and later Queen. The visuals of this film
are quite stunning when you consider the film had a very small budget,
yet it looks as if it cost much more than that with its excellent
period piece production design and elegant pictures. What is perhaps
best of all about this film is that it is an education on not only
speech impediments, but also the anxiety that it creates in the
person that has it. After watching this film, you really feel for
the King and want him to overcome his problem. “The King’s
Speech” is good old-fashioned story-telling that serves as
a great example of how keeping things simple and telling a story
with good performances is sometimes all you need in a film.
