A personal and historical drama, humanly rendered and skillfully interpreted

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2011)

The story of George VI, of his meek nature and his stammer may sound not so familiar to the great public, but the picture by Tom Hooper captures and appeals thanks to the humanity and the warmth it's rendered through. I do not know how much historical precision there is in the story itself, certainly the overall historical background is displayed vividly, in a period where the English monarchy began to change, due to the radio and the appearance of the royalty on the screen, which made them more near to the subjects, revealing their weaknesses to them as never had happened before. The movie gets to dose and perch the historical drama on one hand with the personal inner drama of the King and his relationship with his speech therapist on the other. This last may sound too predictable, too cinematographic in its development, but certainly the talent of Colin Firth and still more of Geoffrey Rush (whose interpretation appears as truly generous), helps make it always believable and likely. Also Helena Bonham Carter delivers a heartfelt interpretation, and in general the whole cast contributes to the high quality of the movie and to a deeply human vision of the themes dealt with.