The King's Speech - User Reviews
The King's Speech might not seem, at first glance, like the kind of story that would keep an audience glued to the screen. A stammering monarch facing his fear of public speaking could easily have remained a mere historical curiosity. But what truly makes this film stand out is how it transforms such a simple premise into a gripping drama, and much of that success lies in the performances and the storytelling. Geoffrey Rush, portraying the unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue, fills the screen with warmth and a sense of humor that pleasantly contrasts with the rigidity of the royal setting. The chemistry between Logue and King George VI, masterfully played by Colin Firth, is the beating heart of the film. Their scenes together carry an almost theatrical energy, where respect and friendship build naturally with each encounter, effortlessly guiding the viewer from laughter to heartfelt emotion. Tom Hooper’s direction strikes a balance between historical accuracy and emotional intimacy. The camera lingers close on the characters during their most vulnerable moments, allowing the audience to feel the king’s anxiety and pressure with every word he struggles to pronounce. The production design and period details enhance the narrative without overwhelming it, creating a backdrop that supports the story without distraction. While some may argue that the film follows familiar formulas of British period cinema, what sets it apart is its ability to humanize historical figures. This isn’t just about a king delivering a speech; it’s the story of a man confronting his own limitations, supported by an unexpected friendship. The King's Speech is a testament to how an apparently small story can carry a powerful, universal resonance. It’s not only about personal triumph but also about how support and trust can transform lives—even in the most unlikely corners of royalty.
Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth make for quite a pairing in this touching drama of King George VI and his speech impediment. Being called upon for public speaking only increased the anxiety of the then Duke of York (Firth) and so his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) decided that there had to be a better way to treat her husband than sticking an handful of marbles in this mouth. She, as "Mrs. Johnson" sets up a chat with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) and he, having no idea who she really is, only agrees to see him if he comes to his consulting room. Unfamiliar with the backchat, but impressed by his independent mindedness, TRH duly arrive and once Logue gets over the shock, he begins to deal with his new, cash-are, client in a polite but hardly deferential fashion. Gradually we see that progress is being made. Not just with the confidence of the Prince at speechifying, but also with his attitude and behaviour in general. He likes Logue, Logue likes him and thanks to some airfix kits, quite a bit of the old Anglo-Saxon and all under the discreet but potent supervision of the Duchess, the young man comes better prepared for what is to come next - after the Abdication Crisis, that is... There's a great rapport between the two men here as this speculative story offers us a plausible and engaging look at just how tough and unforgiving society was to those who stammered - regardless of their rank. Rush also juggles Logue's role of a career man with that of a loving family man well as well as a budding Thespian entertainingly too. Astutely, Tom Hooper leaves the vast majority of the film to just those two men. HBC adds a touch of diversion now and again and Sir Derek Jacobi weighs in as the outwardly rather unsympathetic Archbishop Lang but for the most part it's just them. It's history, we know what actually happened but over these two hours we do get a sense of beginning to know a little of the man beneath the crown and of his honest and forthright advisor and of why they might have become firm friends. No gimmicks, no CGI - just a solid script, some great production design and two strong performances.
Well, it's interesting for providing an intimate look into the inner workings of the Royal Family. This is of course not a documentary and it may or not be totally fictional. And I don't think that's the point here. Not even sure whether the therapy happened exactly like that. I like the beginning. A new era arrives: radio. A prince needs to speak in public. That's what they do. The whole empire will want to hear his voice. And it will all be recorded. Ideally their accent will project solemnity, dignity and class. (It will get worse: soon they need to look good on camera and everybody will know their face. No more sneaking around anonymously). Is the story great? No it isn't. Not much really happens in this bromance if you think about it. A stuttering man is cured by another man because that man is able to ignore class barriers for the time being. That's it. But actors, cinematography and dialogues are great and I profoundly enjoyed the glimpse into history. It was never boring. Kudos to whoever dared to make a movie out of this totally unremarkable story. He pretty much succeeded. PS: I like the subtle Corgie origin story.
I bought the DVD & praise Colin Firth for collecting his Academy Award portraying King George VI. As a man w/ a speech impediment, I empathized with Firth's character & the king's assistant Lionel Logue, who had an unconventional yet effective method of speech therapy. Without naming names or even dates, it's a hell of a burden for any person who's a monarch or some sorta world leader to present themselves to the public. But do keep in mind the name & date to acknowledge in "The King's Speech" is King George VI, who during the mid-20th century, particularly when Great Britain would enter World War II, did less of the dirty work as the king of England than the UK's prime minister, Winston Churchill (although Neville Chamberlin, Churchill's predecessor, was in charge during the film's setting and as history dictates, was less helpful than Winston). I'm also reminded of the scene where the royal family witnesses on media a certain man in Germany who was more eloquent and won over the people (clearly Adolf), thus urging King George (or I think Albert before he's crowned) to be more presentable to the Britons and whoever would become the Allies in the Second World War. Incidentally I think it's good that there is a film about the man who was king during Churchill's time, assuming there's been enough books & films about that prime minister of Great Britain but not the king during his administration (not to mention enough media about King George IV's successor, the currently reigning Queen Elizabeth II, as portrayed in the TV show "The Crown"). Anyway, Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush worked wonders with their characters in a film that collected 4 Oscars on a dozen nominations, and again as someone with a stammer, this true story of a British king is very inspirational & uplifting.
The gift of cinema does credit to the gift of speech. The King's Speech is directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. It stars Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi & Michael Gambon. Music is by Alexandre Desplat and photography is by Danny Cohen. The idea for the film came about after Seidler read about how King George VI (Firth) overcame his stammer after a friendship was formed with his voice coach Lionel Logue (Rush). Having himself overcome a stutter problem in his youth, Seidler set about writing his story from informed information. A bonus came before filming started when notebooks belonging to Logue were put forward for use. These enabled Seidler to incorporate works from the books into the screenplay. Plot picks up just prior to George's brother, Edward (Pearce), abdicating the throne, thus thrusting the stammering George on to the hottest seat in England. With World War looming, George will be needed to make the speech of speeches to becalm his nation, but first he must work closely with the affable Logue and hope it brings an end to his vocal woes. I first viewed The King's Speech just a couple of days before the Academy Awards that year, so I didn't know how it was going to perform there. It would garner the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Hooper), Best Actor (Firth) and Best Original Screenplay (Seidler), with 12 nominations in total. This was a year when Oscar and BAFTA (where it won 7 of the 14 categories it was nominated for - including Best Film and Best Actor for Colin Firth) got things right. The film at that time I watched it had already made over $230 million in profit, which was a figure guaranteed to rise considerably since the film was still playing to packed theatres in the UK (which was indeed the case as the last figure put forward was $412 million). I myself ventured to the theatre on 22nd February 2011, which was over 6 weeks after it was first released in its homeland. As I approached the cinema I saw there was a queue! A queue? I haven't queued to get into a film since the halcyon days of Jaws, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind! I noticed there was many youngsters in this line, so of course they were going to see the Yogi Bear movie, or that Gnomeo & Juliet film, Surely? Not so actually. In they went to see The King's Speech, an audience that ranged from 12 years of age to the fragile OAP day trippers. For the next two hours the only sounds I heard were that of laughter, hushed words of praise for what was on the screen, and even sobs during some of the more tender moments within. No mobile phones, no chitter chatter about acne or the boy next door, just an across the board appreciation for expert film making. There in is the reason why The King's Speech coined it in at the box office and broke merry records as it went on its way. It has universal appeal, a film without tricks, just a simple involving story acted supremely by a cast of bona fide thespians. It beats a true heart, whilst doling out a visual history lesson to those so inclined to matters of the British Monarchy and the political upheaval about to surface as Adolf started his surge. Even for a film so chocked full of dialogue and basic human interactions, the pace is brisk and never sags, the quieter reflective moments only bringing anticipation of the next enjoyable scene. When all is said and done, The King's Speech success snowballed because of word of mouth, it started out as an intended independent picture, to be shown in selected theatres only, and now it holds up as one of the best films of 2010/2011. Believe me, believe the hype, that if you still haven't seen it then you owe it to yourself to see this beautiful movie. 10/10