The King’s Speech
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people in the UK to see it when it premiered at 2010’s London Film Festival and got a standing ovation. The momentum of the film began with it’s premier at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival and it continued to build right through LFF and then on to it’s UK release in early January 2011.
Even before it got to the cinemas here in the UK there was furtive talk of BAFTA and OSCAR nominations, with Colin Firth tipped to walk away with the OSCAR that he truly deserved for A Single Man.
So, what about those much-anticipated awards? Well, by the time awards ‘silly season’ was over for another year the film had walked away with a bountiful selection of OSCARs, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAGs for Director Tom Hooper, Firth, Rush, Bonham-Carter and the film itself. Completists can see a full list here.
OK. so what about the fillm itself? The story of the relationship between King George VI and his speech therapist during one of the most tumultous times in British 20th century history (the abdication of King Edward VII and the eve of World War II).
The cynics amongst us could argue that it rode along on the good feeling surrounding the Royal family following the announcement of Wills and Kate’s impending nuptials. Or you could just say that it is an excellent film about a man who is struggling with a debilitating infliction (a stammer). The fact that he’s the King of England is just incidental.
One of the film’s strengths is it’s ability to make the audience feel complete empathy for a man who – on the face of it – had the perfect life with amazing wealth and power. However, his ‘job’ meant that he couldn’t just fade into the background and live a normal life with his wife and children. His stammer was on show for the whole nation (and Commonwealth to hear).
Director, Tom Hooper – who had already proved himself adept at crafting films about British institutions with The Damned United – is again able to weave a light comedic thread throughout the whole film which lightens the mood. It also saves the film from being ‘just another Merchant Ivory production’.
Firth (King George VI) and Bonham-Carter (Queen Elizabeth) have their fair share of these light-hearted moments but it’s the always excellent Geoffrey Rush as the King’s speech therapist Lionel Logue who has the lions share. It’s his insistence to treat George (or Bertie as he prefers to George’s annoyance) no differently than anyone else which provides the humour. Although, Rush never plays the fool and it’s the scenes between George and Logue which cry out for repeat viewing.
An instant classic which shows what the British film industry can produce with a combination of a great Director, a cast at the top of their game and a simple but universally engaging story.