A Nutshell Review: The King's Speech

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2011)

Interest is always high on the British monarch and the next big thing on the agenda is the wedding ceremony between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The countless of biographies available make natural adaptation into compelling films, from more period The Other Boleyn Girl to the two Elizabeth films by Shekhar Kapur and even something more contemporary such as Stephen Frear's The Queen. These films are deeply rooted in familiar history as they snapshot a period of time during the respective monarch's reign, not to mention the characters that come and go during the period, both famous and infamous. In The King's Speech, I'm rather surprised that the many subplots put in were purposeful, and tells a bigger story about how King George VI ascended the throne due to circumstances, rather than just a story that's obsessively focused on his speech issues.
Played by Colin Firth, King George VI before he became King of England in the late 30s, was the Duke of York whose inability in speaking publicly because of his stammer meant being kept under wraps and outshone by his brother, the heir apparent to the throne (Guy Pearce), and much to the disappointment of their father King George V (Michael Gambon) since the former is deep in controversy himself, having to consort with a commoner who's soon to be twice divorced (Wallis Simpson, played by Eve Best). It's actually because of this abdication that the current royal lineage is where it's at now, and for the uninitiated, here's that bit of historical trivia for you since this film goes back four generations and has plenty of character cameos such as Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) during his pre-Prime Ministership days.
No thanks to the advancement of radio and broadcast technology that had inevitably shamed the big man in public, the Duchess of York (Helena Bonham Carter) persistently sets her husband up with doctors to cure him of his impediment, only for her efforts to finally reach Lionel Logue (Rush), a speech therapist whose methods are most unorthodox, although his results speak for themselves. But like in any teacher-student relationship, success all depends on the efforts and determination of the student, and this isn't easy when someone is of a higher social standing than oneself, and believes in that standing from time to time coupled with an impatiently fiery temper borne out of countless of frustrating years.
Two big reasons why you must absolutely watch The King's Speech - Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Two of some of the best in the business outside of America, they give pitch perfect performances and share that slick chemistry to make their characters' relationship, from mentor to student, healer to the ill, royalty and subject, and finally friends, all the more delightful to sit through that progress. It's a solid story on friendship, and David Seidler's tale covers amazing ground in its narrative space, going both both breadth and depth, with nice little reveals at appropriate times to bring about some emotional power punches, be it Lionel's wife Myrtle (Jennifer Ehle) stumbling upon her VIP guests, or that conversation between experience and paper qualifications, something I think which will hit home here as well.
Firth makes his stammer believable and you feel sorry for him being thrust into the limelight when he's really not ready for it, worried to bungle it up and to become an embarrassment to his nation. It is this fighting of his own personal battle that becomes a beacon and an inspiration to his subjects and countrymen to conquer their own fears and uncertainty, and of course to stand up to the dark forces clouding Europe at the time. You'll feel every inch of his frustration at his predicament, and the skepticism toward Lionel Logue's methods which to him doesn't seem to solve the issue at hand.
Tom Hooper, who directed The Damned United and had similar themes involving a maverick's attempt to excel and inspire, definitely knows a thing or two about putting a successful partnership on screen, and Geoffrey Rush proves to be that perfect counterpunch to Firth's King, whose pitch perfect enunciation of the English language lacked heart, which of course is the opposite of that in King George VI. What I also enjoyed is Hooper not employing tactics which other directors may employ in either fading to black at the critical crescendo built up or having the actual speech played while the credits rolled, providing something effective in reminding us that it's the process, and not the destination, that proves to be of importance and a highlight.
It's a tough one to choose between The Social Network and The King's Speech come Oscar season, but between the two, this one has a more inspiring, uplifting and positive tale about friendship, while the former touches on the destructive nature that success brings about amongst friends which is quite ironic given the creation of a world-beating social network that's supposed to promote communication and interaction between friends. I suppose it depends on what mood the voters are in when they cast their vote, but if given a choice, The King's Speech would be mine. Highly recommended, so don't miss this on the big screen!