Beautifully scripted, directed and acted thoughtfull film

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2011)

Last night I saw The Kings Speech with no understanding of the history behind the story of what I was going to see. As I watched the film unfold I cried as well as laughed. I learnt that being part of the Royal family gave no safety against being abused, love of parent being witheld or a buffer against the bullying by others, including members of your own family as a child or an adult, ending up causing health and emotional problems as an adult.
I also learnt that a man who is effectively isolated by position can find support and friendship with someone that they never thought they would ever come into contact with, and that person would be there to support you in what would end up being your defining moments written down in history.
Colin Firth and Geoffry Rush both give multi layered performances. One as a man whose position in life thrusts him into an area he doesn't wish to be in, but accepts it with a resolution that makes him find a strength that no-one, including himself, ever believed he had. And another man whose position in life is one of empathy and support to help the other to find it in himself to overcome his fears.
I loved this film and I recommend it to others, not just for the historical story it portrays, but for the real human emotions and the mirror it holds up to how real friendship can be built between two people and end up enriching both their lives.