The King’s Speech (2010)

SUMMARY (from IMDB): Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.


DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper; CAST: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Rush,...

MY OPINION:

Above all The King’s Speech is a film about a personal struggle with a disability, which is so much more difficult when someone is a public figure. The film focuses on the King’s personal drama and is, therefore, quite static. Yet, it is an attention keeping film and two hours pass like a flash.

There has already been much praise on the acting and, after seeing the film, I can only join in. Firth makes his character so believable one can easily empathise with, struggling alongside him, suffering through the self-consciousness, despair and anger. The montage also adds to the whole atmosphere, for example the repeating echoes creating a feeling of confusion and enhancing stage fright in the speech at Wembley scene. Regular intermezzos of typical British humour perfectly round up the film.

The King’s Speech is a very emotional film which presents royalty with the same problems and difficulties in family relationships as other people have, only theirs are perhaps harder to bear because of their public functions. Aditionally, the film is valuable not only for its historical insight, but also for the lesson it offers for the present day. It is a great illustration of how damaging mocking of a disability and pressure upon improvement in place of comfort and encouragement is.