The King’s Speech (2010)

I will admit that the reason this film caught my attention was because of Colin Firth… turns out sometimes you can judge a book by its cover (or a film by its lead actor, as it were).

In 1925, King George V asks his son, his royal highness Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) to make a public speech over the wireless to England and all her colonies. Due to the Duke’s stammer, he is unable to complete the speech and feels as though he has disgraced himself. Jump to 1934. 9 years later, the Duke’s wife, her royal highness Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), is trying to find a specialist to cure her husband of his impediment. By chance – and as a last resort – she comes across Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) an enunciation expert who claims that he can cure anyone if they only wish to be cured. As Lionel and Albert make progress on the Duke’s stammer, England and the rest of the world are on the edge of war. When King George V dies and Albert’s older brother David (Guy Pierce) abdicates, Albert – now King George VI – must face not only leading his country through World War II, but also facing his greatest fear: the most important public speech of his life.

I am one of those people who runs in the opposite direction very quickly when someone brings up politics or anything political. Not because I have such unwavering opinions that I’m afraid to voice but because the subject just bores me, plain and simple. When I heard about The King’s Speech, I won’t lie, I wasn’t interested. Eventually I decided that dismissing a film simply because the subject matter doesn’t interest me would be seen as irrational, so I began to read about it and, in the end, as mentioned at the beginning of this review, it was Colin Firth playing the leading role that won me over and cemented my want to watch this film. Also because it was one of the forerunners in this year’s Oscar nominations and although I never bow to the mass opinions of Hollywood I take it into due consideration. Believe me when I say, I was not disappointed.

I will say right now, that if you like films with lots of action, sex and violence, or at LEAST a genuine scandal, then don’t watch this. You will only feel cheated and then spend far too long complaining about this to everyone around you. This is a film about a man struggling to overcome a lifelong problem; the fact that this man happens to be the Duke of York and not Joe Bloggs down the road is just a nuance. The fact of the matter is, I dislike politics and avoid it, and this film was less about politics and more about the power of genuine friendship and unbelievable courage.

What I found fascinating about this film – having now seen it twice – is that it has very little music in it. My editing teacher taught me that with music less is more, if you hear music start and end, you did it wrong. The music is meant to be so natural in the film that you don’t notice it until it’s midway through. This film is a beautiful example of this. For most of the scenes, the characters have no backing track to their conversations or struggles, they just are. Every so often music will fade in and disappear as soon as you notice it. Because music is used so sparingly throughout the film, when the climax of the film rolls around and music is used (Beethoven’s 7th, one of my personal favourites), it is incredibly powerful and effective. Although it’s a fantastic element to use it is also a very difficult one; the film has no choice but to rely heavily on its dialogue or action.

Considering that this film has no action at all, the dialogue has to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the film through. And it does this perfectly. This film is genuinely witty and entertaining without being a laugh-out-loud comedy (yes, films classed as drama/historical can be funny too, fancy that) and every scene is needed; there is never a time where you wonder why something is happening, everything is explained and it is done so in an efficient and beautiful way.

The acting is superb; putting aside the obvious fact that the cast is brilliant in general, the actors work together so well that this is truly a flawless film. Colin Firth does an incredible job with his character’s stammer; it is never overdone or laughable, and watching him work through it and learn to speak is beautiful not only because he succeeds, but because it’s realistic. He still stammers, but he isn’t as bad as he was before. Geoffrey Rush is wonderful as the man who helps the king find his voice. He is a person of infinite patience and years of experience that were hard won and worth so much more than any certificates could ever provide.

All in all the film is one that makes you feel incredible at the end. It is truly a cathartic experience but it is also a wonderfully uplifting feature.

Overall I would have to agree with IMDB and give this film an 8.5/10. It is a slow-moving film but it’s paced perfectly for its subject matter. For those who are like me and dislike politics, don’t worry. This film, as I have said, is about a man struggling with a problem; politics just acts as the backdrop. Finally, I have to say, that although this film is going against 127 Hours and Inception in the Oscars for some categories, I am rooting for it. This is a film that I would gladly watch a third time and would recommend many of my readers to watch at least once.

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