THE KING'S SPEECH
SEPTEMBER 6, 2010
The continued hype of "the kings speech" put the edge of the seat so far away it was hard to contemplate how much distance there was between feet and ground. The bar was set high and the anticipation was burying the mercury in the thermometer. This film not only met the expectations but surpassed the possibility that this was more than just any film. The collaboration of writing, production, directing, lighting, music, set design and finally acting left no stone unturned to bring the story of king George vi (born Albert Frederick Arthur George) whose stammer was his biggest obstacle throughout the film as in his life. King George VI (Colin Firth) did not often give respect to others but he did have a great respect for his wife, queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), who never allowed him to withdraw and stood behind him, even seeking assistance to help him overcome his studder. She was the only one who saw him beyond his imperfection and believed in him with every fiber of her being. Lionel Logue (Geoffrey rush) is the one person to cross paths with the then duke of york, future king of the united kingdom, who after the initial butterflies of their introduction never backs down from king George vi. He pushes him into accepting his speech defect by moving deeper into the early stages of how it truly developed. Logue had formal training in a college setting and his knowledge was one of experience obtained during world war i. His treatment was unorthodox at the time but was successful, allowing him to open a speech-defect practice in London
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The script written by David Seidler has set a great platform for director tom hooper to keep the story moving and the actors performances are on target from the beginning to end of the film. Listening to the original speech of 1939 during high school it was believed that it was the king's style or the English way as history (social studies) was not geared at that time toward in-depth analysis of the united kingdom. So listening to it again years later after watching the tremendous portrayal from Colin firth, a realization of what it took for the king to make that speech emerged. Firth delivers such a stunning performance without overshadowing the rest of the cast.Colin and rush together put balance between these two men as one can not break out of how he is supposed to be while the other continues to push through to the real reason for the stuttering. A film of this caliber could not be made in Hollywood, as writers have had to take a back seat to reality-based garbage that sells to those who like to watch real life play out no matter how it effects the lives of those on screen. So if you are looking for grade-a movies of 2010 this should be your first stop.
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