The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
Review
Sometimes movies can be over hyped, so much in fact that through no fault of their own the audience already has a pre-planned idea of what the movie is and should be. This is unfair but it's a cross to bear for some. The King's Speech is a movie that has been hyped, it's won awards all over the place and Colin Firth has won everything he's been nominated for (and he'll win the Oscar). So does the film fall down on what it's been built up to be?
No. Its is a very good film, worthy of peoples attention, the hype is justified and I'd have to say Firth is a worthy winner of the awards he's collected. In a strange kind of way, the hype helped me accept the film. It was never going to be anything different than I'd expected and this helped me enjoy it even more.
The King's Speech is a film I would have overlooked ten years ago. One of those films I'd tell friends "I'm not bothered about that one, its one my Mum would watch" and I'd be dead right, it is one she'd watch, nothings changed in that respect. The thing that has changed is my appreciation for films of this nature, telling a story based on historic fact that appeals to a broader audience by being more intimate and drawn around the characters rather than lavish set pieces.
Now that's not to say there isn't any grandiose set pieces present in The King's Speech, there is but they are kept at a minimum and this is down to the two characters the story is centred around. This may be a royal period piece - and Oscar bait - but at its core it's a simple story of friendship, of how two completely different people can bond and mutually respect one another.
Colin Firth plays King George VI, a man with a stammer. A man who is rarely unable to communicate to anyone at any level. It's so much of a problem that he's also reluctant to tell a story to his two daughters, his speech is that much of a cross to bear. As his royal duties start to mount and the wireless growing ever more popular he's called upon to speak to the country on a more regular basis. It's this that sends his wife Elizabeth, played by a brilliant Helena Bonham Carter, to Geoffrey Rush's Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. A man who's techniques and therapy could be considered controversial for his time.
So begins a relationship where the two battle against each other, Firth the unsure, retiring patient with a very public problem and Rush the cocky, confident therapist. Twists and turns ensue leading to several monumental moments in history ending in Firth having to reassure his nation and give his ultimate speech when World War II is announced. It really is something you couldn't make up.
The chemistry between Firth and Rush is electric, each clearly bouncing off the other, providing the audience with an interesting character study of two people marked in the annals of history. Firth is the mightier of the two but that's clearly down to the character he's playing. A man who is unable to communicate must do it through other means and its down to Firth's mannerisms and body language where the communication lies. Firth displays all the emotions necessary to portray King George along with a likeability that many other actors may have struggled to get over.
Rush has the easy life, if that's not too mean on him, its the part he can have fun with, outlandish therapy techniques and the one who is in control of almost every situation the two find themselves in. Rush can let loose and just give it everything he's got. It's Firth who has to reign it in and give a believable performance, going overboard with someone playing a stutter can kill an entire film and reduce it to a laughing stock, but this does not happen and its a measure of how well Firth handles the role.
The supporting cast, Bonham Carter aside, are hugely overshadowed by the two leads and are at times reduced to no more than panto villains. This is the one weak point of the film for me. Derek Jacobi as a cynical Archbishop, Guy Pearce as a fly by the night big brother and Timothy Spall hamming it up as Winston Churchill. A little much but they don't do any harm to proceedings and come and go with no real longevity.
As mentioned this a film that has been hyped, is winning all the awards, and has performances sweeping the awards boards but believe me when I say, its totally deserved and an experience you will enjoy.
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