Writer: David Seidler
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Release Date: December 10, 2010
Length: 1 hour 58 minutes
Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush star in the highly anticipated true story of the stammering King George VI, The Kings Speech. The film, directed by Tom Hooper, takes place in England just before World War II and Hitler’s rise to power. Prince Albert, Duke of York (Firth) has always been teased and tormented for having his nervous speech impediment and the only person he can confide to about it is his loving wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter). Since a failed public speech Albert was asked to give in 1925, Albert has been trying to shake off his stutter with different speech therapists and vocal coaches. None of them having worked, Elizabeth finds the peculiar speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Rush). Although Albert goes through a successful first appointment with Lionel, he dislikes how personal the therapy is and chooses not to go back. When Albert’s father (Michael Gambon) dies and his older brother David (Guy Pearce) becomes King, Prince Albert worries among others that his unreliable brother will not be able to lead his country through a time of dreaded war. It is suspected that Albert will have to replace him at a certain point so Albert decides to go back to see Lionel and continues to do so weekly. David eventually steps down from his title as King due to a scandal between him and a married woman. This leaves Prince Albert to change his name to George after his father and prepare to be king, which includes speaking like one. Colin Firth is nothing short of extraordinary as King George VI and carries the entire movie so beautifully. He makes the audience do nothing but empathize for him from beginning to end. Upon every stammer of a word, the audience has their heart torn for him. Between each word of his speaking, everyone sits there in intense anticipation waiting for him to either heartbreakingly stutter or blissfully speak without a hitch. Firth simply makes The Kings Speech one of the most heartwarming films of all time. He is accompanied by a fantastic cast of British actors including Michael Gambon as his father, King George V, Guy Pearce as his older brother, Edward and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. Geoffrey Rush, who also produced the film, is hilarious and also touching as the loving family man Lionel Logue. Rush and Firth create one of the best “bromances” ever on screen. Helena Bonham Carter is also wonderful as the composed Queen Elizabeth. The almost unseen romance between her and the king is quite cute and Bonham Carter also provides extra humor here and there during the film. David Seidler’s original script provides such a moving quality to the film and deep characterization of King George VI for the audience to fully understand and appreciate the stammer. It is no surprise that The Kings Speech won the People’s Choice Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival last September as it is by far one of the best films of the year. You’ll feel like you want to hug the film when it is over and will be an extreme misfortune if The King’s Speech does not receive winning recognition at the Oscars this February.
I think I'll go watch it, THANKS!
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