The Kingβs Speech (2010)
Iβd always meant to see The King's SpeechΒ but never found the right mood, crowd, or time until today. I wish I could go back to get myself to see it sooner. Its story completely enraptures you, everyone delivers fantastic performers, and it offers many memorable moments throughout. Even though itβs "only" a movie about people talking itβs as exciting as a bomb going off.
Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) suffers from a terrible stammer. Heβs tried everything to get over it, but has given up. With the advent of radio and increasing responsibilities as his brother Edward (Guy Pearce) shows himself unfit to rule, Albert is convinced by his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) to see Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist.
Thereβs almost too much to take in from a single viewing. Firth won the Academy Award for best Actor so obviously you want to pay attention to him but he's just one among many. Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are excellent here. They feel like real people with unique flaws, dreams, and quirks. When the camera isnβt on them, you know their lives go on. Then, thereβs the cinematography. It's great but not in obvious ways. This movie is all about dialogue and characters. The camera sneaks in to enhance the mood, by giving you low shots to emphasize how daunting a task might be, or framing the characters in a way that allows you to understand how they feel on the inside. I wish I could tell you about the music, the sets, and the period-accurate costumes but honestly, they all blend in so well with the rest of the film I couldnβt notice them. The professionals working behind the scenes did such a good job you forget it was all constructed for the film and that in another world, it might not have been there.
When The King's SpeechΒ ended, I was wondering when the next scene was going to begin. At 118 minutes, it flies by like nothing. You desperately want a sequel because the story of this soon-to-be-ruler and this speech therapist is filled with every emotion imaginable. It makes you realize how hungry you were to see greatness. We aren't getting a βPart II" Β but thatβs ok. Thereβs good re-watch value here. Iβd love to be able to memorize some of the lines in this movie for fun or to isolate one particular element and focus my attention upon it.
I know some of you might be thinking βPeople talking? I get enough of that at workβ. Consider that youβll be inspired, delighted by the relationships that develop, and that itβs a tremendous crowd-pleaser thatβs so accessible and so delightful strings were pulled so that the R-rating was toned down to a PG-13 despite the deluge of profanities throughout. Also, consider that youβre a damn fool and that youβre doing yourself a disservice by skipping out on it. I had high hopes for The Kingβs Speech. It still took me by surprise. I love his movie. (On Blu-ray, January 15, 2016)
