THE KING'S SPEECH

King George VI (Colin Firth), known as "Bertie" to his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) and soon to be friend Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), speaks with a debilitating stammer. One of the most powerful people in the world and he can hardly carry on a face-to-face conversation. After his brother King Edward VIII steps down from the monarchy, George is to take his place. The mantle of the entire British Empire is thrust upon a man who can barely string together a sentence.

The year is 1939, and Britain is on the brink of war with Germany, the Nazis, and Hitler. King George VI is supposed to address millions of people worldwide on live radio. The speech has been written for him, but will he be able to deliver it without making a fool of himself in front of the entire world? Can he summon the power and respect of his title and deliver the reassuring and commanding words his people need to hear?

That's where Lionel Logue comes in. He's a speech therapist, and George goes to see him out of desperation. He grew up with this stammer and it won't go away. He's tried every sort of therapist and doctor out there and no one can cure him of his stutter.

Logue is a different kind of teacher. Along with the mechanics of speech, Logue also wants to delve into George's past. There must be a psychological reason he's got this speech impediment. There must be something in his past that made this happen.

Even though much of the movie is about George's stammer and Logue helping him overcome it, the movie really isn't about that at all. Here is a king, ruler of a quarter of the world's population at the time, and he has zero confidence. Then he meets a confident common man who helps him find the confidence he's been searching desperately for. A king finds friendship and a lifelong companion in an everyday subject of sorts.

'The King's Speech' walked away from this year's Oscars with a bucket full of golden statues, including Best Director, Best Actor, and even Best Picture. Do I personally think it was the best movie of 2010? No, I don't think so. It's a touching movie, with some very moving direction and some brilliant acting from Firth and Rush, but I don't think that it was the best film of the year.

Still, 'The King's Speech' is a movie that sheds light on a little known story about one of the most famous kings of England. The scenes that Firth and Rush share are electric. They have some of the best chemistry I've ever seen on screen. Not only are they devastatingly emotional with each other, they're also insanely quick-witted. 'The King's Speech' is much funnier than I could have ever imagined.

There are many memorable moments here, from George trying his best to stand up to his brother Edward, to the final scene where he walks toward the radio microphone for his wartime address, like he's walking to his own execution. In the end though, this is a story about two men who should never even known each other, but by fate were thrown together and became lifetime friends. There's a lot of stammering in 'The King's Speech,' but ultimately it's about the power of friendship.

A Very Brief Plot Synopsis

Prince Albert (known to the family as "Bertie") is the younger son of King George V. His older brother David assumes the throne as Edward VIII when their father dies. Edward VIII takes up with an American divorcee named Wallace Simpson. Scandal ensues. Edward VIII chooses love over duty and abdicates the throne. Obviously Bertie is next in line and has no say in the matter. Like it or not, he must take his brother's place.
There's only one problem. Bertie suffers from a major stuttering problem. It's painful to watch  him try to address the public. He stutters in private as well, but not nearly as badly.
Bertie's sage and devoted wife Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) takes matters into her own capable, no-nonsense hands. She finds an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue to help her beloved Bertie.
The movie centers on the therapeutic, but often contentious relationship between Bertie and Lionel. Now, even it only chronicled their budding friendship, the film would stand well on its own. But Bertie is anything but one-dimensional. Through his sessions with Logue we get to know him and understand him as a man as well as a monarch.

More British Royalty -- Henry VIII Goes Wild

5 Reasons to Love this Movie

1. History. Aside from watching every episode of "The Tudors" I must confess I have forgotten most of what I learned about British royal history in high school. As such, I knew the name "Prince Albert' (of phony phone calling fame -- "Do you have Prince Albert in a can? Let him out!!" Ha ha) but not much else about him. I had no idea he stuttered. Nor did I realize he was the father of Queen Elizabeth and married to the Queen Mother.
I did know about some king abdicating for the love of some lady named Mrs. Simpson. Was not aware this was Albert's older brother, tho.
So boning up on my royal family history and what was going on in England right before Hitler's rise to power was a nice bonus for me.

2. Costumes. One of the main reasons I adore period dramas is the clothing. How people dress tells a lot about society at the time. "The King's Speech" is set in an elegant time. Top hats and tails for the gentlemen (or Navy uniform, complete with epaulettes and medals) and fur-collared coats for her majesty. Even after ascending the throne, Albert/George VI and Elizabeth don't walk around wearing crowns. They are very much refined yet understated -- the 1930s equivalent of the current royal family.

Now that's what I call true love. Elizabeth and Bertie. 

 

 

. Friendship. When you realize just how isolated royals are, the idea that Bertie actually forms a friendship with Lionel Logue is actually a miracle. The path to friendship is a bumpy one. Lionel must earn his patient's trust. Bertie must give himself permission to let down his guard. Lionel is a master at what he does. He doesn't give an inch, nor does he treat Bertie like anything but his patient. This is is what wins Bertie over in the end.
The scenes between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are the most entertaining in the film. You'll laugh out loud at Lionel's snappy one-liners, the "physical" therapy Bertie must endure, and the back-and-forth that runs the gamut of emotions (not unlike a "real" friendship).
Oh yes. If you've ever wondered whether monarchs curse, the answer is a definite, "yes!" And it's hilarious!