Bertie and Logue in The King's Speech

Rating: Null/10 (22 October 2011)

In The King's Speech (Hooper, 2010), Colin Firth plays Bertie, the youngest son of King George V of England, who is second in line for the throne. Set against the events of Hitler's rise in Europe, the death of George V (Michael Gambon), and the short reign of Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), the movie concentrates on Bertie's very public stammering problem. At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth (played by Helena Bonham Carter), Bertie is introduced to an unconventional speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush). The conflicts between Bertie and Logue involve Bertie's reluctance to change, the divide between Bertie as a royal and Logue as a commoner, and Logue's determination to have Bertie overcome his stammering to achieve the greatness that Logue sees in Bertie. Bertie has to overcome issues caused by the dominance of his father in his life and the lack of respect from the family towards Bertie. Logue is able to help Bertie overcome the stammering and is also able to help Bertie overcome his reservations about becoming King of England.
The path for Bertie to overcome his stammering to achieve his greatness is the theme in the movie. At the beginning of the movie, Bertie has been asked to give a speech on his father's behalf at a packed Wembley Stadium in London. The cinematography focuses on a microphone and a very nervous Bertie trying hard to overcome his stammering to deliver the speech. Bertie's speech is a failure. The scene is shot from a subjective point of view, which allows the viewer to experience Bertie's awkwardness, frustration, and tension from Bertie's perspective (Boggs & Petrie, 2008). Bertie starts, stops, and restarts sessions with Logue. Their relationship is similar to Annie Sullivan teaching Helen Keller how to communicate to allow Helen to achieve her greatness in The Miracle Worker (Penn, 1962) except that it is complicated with Bertie being a monarch and Logue being a commoner. The defining scene between the two happens when Logue states to Bertie that Bertie "could outshine David (his brother, the king)" to which Bertie replies that Logue is " a disappointing son of a brewer " (Seidler, 2010). The scene ends with Bertie stalking off in one direction and Logue walking in the opposite direction. As the camera pans out, Bertie is presented in a larger view as the monarch that he is and Logue is shown as the commoner, small and insignificant. Time and events that elevate Bertie to the throne allow both men to work through the differences. The speech that Bertie has to give as King George VI is the most important speech that Bertie will give as king and is the climax of the movie. England has declared war on Hitler and Germany. Logue covers the studio with blankets and opens the window. The microphone in the room becomes the most significant object in the shot. Bertie stands on one side of the microphone and Logue stands a few feet back on the other side of the microphone. Together they work in symphony, Bertie carefully delivering the speech and Logue making the gestures needed to keep Bertie on pace. In that moment, Bertie, the king, realizes and achieves the greatness that Logue has been pushing him to. The speech completes Bertie's journey to greatness as king and validates Logue's belief in him.
Reference Page Boggs, J. M. & Petrie, D. W. (2008). The art of watching films (7th Ed.). New York: McGraw- Hill. Hooper, T. (2010). The king's speech DVD. Penn, A. (1962). The miracle worker DVD. Seidler, D. (2010). The king's speech DVD.