the voice against the wall

Rating: Null/10 (24 February 2011)

This is more or less what i was expecting, for good and for bad, and that's now actually a very good complement. When i go to a movie, i always go with an open mind, expecting to be surprised.
This is a film for and about actors from root to leaves. The main plot is about an unimportant man who has to learn how to act, in order to be convincing in front of an audience, and in order to disguise his stammerer condition. The device they use to show this is a common thing in drama: the personal quest of one man to overcome his handicap is mapped onto the collective aspirations of a group, in this case a nation on the verge of a war. So, by focusing on the personal drama of a number of people; the future king, his stammering brother, his wife, the voice coach; while being given a glimpse of what's going on in the world, the imminent conflict between uk and Germany, we are given the sensation that what will happen to the world depends on whether the king will be able to talk clearly to his people or not. It's an usual device, normally used in epics or war films. In this case i don't think that the "speech" is a strong enough alibi to make credible the whole story, but still i suppose it is OK as a dramatic device.
Within that drama, the main point is the relation between the voice coach and the king. So, here it is a film about a friendship, a whole different genre on its own, that we've seen many times before. This gets interesting here, because the actors are apt, and the script helps. Colin Firth does fine, he has become a good actor, he knows how to merge into the fabric of the film and be a part of it. But Geoffrey Rush is something to watch, no matter what he does. He is a very fine actor, and his multiple layers of acting here are really interesting to watch: he acts an incredibly good voice coach, who hides his other side of a frustrated actor, constantly being rejected in theatre castings. He is able to correct the others' speeches, but not to deliver the lines convincingly enough. He transports his undelivered performance to the king, and projects his frustration as an actor unable to convince an audience to the success of the king as he convincingly incites his nation into resistance. Radio is the chosen medium, and it is perfect for this plot because its magic resides uniquely on the words, and how they're delivered.
Oh and there is an element that comes from
There is one very interesting set, worth mentioning: Rush's office. The environment is fine, the old furniture, gadgets of those days, the turntable, the mic, etc. But what is really well picked is the texture of the wall behind the patient's couch. All those multi colored dots, placed on the background of a face fighting to overcome his difficulty. The wall has great visual power, and supports the drama well enough. I enjoyed it.
My opinion: 3/5
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