Well crafted historical drama

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2011)

"The King's Speech" is a very well made and acted historical drama. It is based on the true story of the Duke of York, younger brother of the heir to the British throne. His terrible stammer makes public appearances unbearable for him. Various treatments prove unsuccessful. As a last resort his wife, the future Queen Mother, brings him to Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist with unusual methods.
In the background we see the situation within "the firm" changing. The Prince of Wales becomes King but remains determined to marry an unsuitable American divorcée. This may result in his abdication and the Duke of York becoming King. The pressure is on both the Duke and Logue to improve the Duke's speech so that he can speak properly to his subjects.
The relationship between the two men is shown to have been very close. Logue is determined to treat the Duke as just another patient, insisting on calling him by his first name and refusing to go to the Palace for sessions. He encourages to Duke to reveal unhappy memories from his childhood. At one stage the future King and Queen arrive at Logue's house for an informal "chat". This informality strikes me as unlikely for those times.
However the fact that we know where the movie is taking a few liberties with the truth doesn't take away from our enjoyment of it. The acting is spot on. Firth and Rush are excellent. However I particularly enjoyed Helena Bonham Carter as the Duchess of York. While the Duke doesn't seem to mind being treated as a "commoner" by Logue she is always at pains to be addressed in the correct way. There is a hint of steel beneath the velvet glove that probably isn't too far removed from the real Duchess' character.
The locations and costumes transport us perfectly back to pre-war Britain. In particular director Tom Hooper brilliantly raises the tension as we move towards the climactic set piece as the now King delivers a radio address to the nation following the outbreak of World War II. We are rooting for him to prove that he can lead the nation at such a dark time.