An absolute joy!

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2010)

A large number of period dramas, especially those centring on royalty, have achieved great artistic and financial success in the history of movies. Their attributed points of content typically include the stylish visual essence of the relevant era, the seething corruption and injustice present, and the influence of a wise and regal protagonist. This year's The King's Speech is certainly one of the finest of the genre, right up there with the magnificent Elizabeth, and its inclusion of the three aforementioned classic elements is incontestable, yet they fall second place to a wonderfully poignant tale of inhibition and liberation.
England's pitifully inarticulate and introverted Prince Albert (Colin Firth) is edging ever close to the dreaded, burdensome throne in the uneasy years between the two World Wars. An imposing government, an expectant public, and an unsettlingly coarse father (Michael Gambon, playing King George V for the second time) surround, hitting him with an avalanche of worries and doubts that continue to aggravate his heavily troublesome stammer, which makes all radio speeches an embarrassing nightmare. After years of problems, his always caring and sympathetic wife (Helena Bonham Carter, perfectly charming here as usual) assigns the highly-regarded experimental speech therapist Lionel Logue (a deliciously quirky and also affecting Geoffrey Rush) to this difficult case. For the hapless "Bertie", sessions are met with considerable reluctance, Lionel's personal questions are received with anger, and heated discussions often lead to the patient's frustrated withdrawal, though he always returns eventually and never ventures too far from a burning desire to be heard without condescension.
Here we do see Nazism, royal troubles, and elegant costumes and set design, but they are merely superficial plot lines that serve the heartrending journey of Bertie, later known as King George VI, which lies at its beautiful core. True as it may be that there are perhaps some sappy and unimpressively conventional episodes placed throughout the story, we accept all such events because the stark unfaltering realism of its characters is always there to reinforce the piece. Firth magnificently and touchingly captures the internal rage and maddening fragility of those who are outwardly inept and therefore rarely taken seriously. Rush makes an absolute masterpiece of his role, pumping every line and indeed every second of screen time with glorious intricate characterization. In the acting department, we even have the pleasure of seeing Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi and Timothy Spall among others in the supporting cast.
All in all, one cannot view this film without praising it enthusiastically: it is truly marvellous.