The Reluctant King And The Speech Therapist

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2011)

History has long served as an inspiration for filmmakers. This is especially true of story's from the past that serve to inspire. Director Tom Hooper's new film The King's Speech, with its tale of a reluctant king trying to over come a speech impediment with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist, is a perfect example of just such a tale. It is more then just an inspiring story though in that it is also a fine example of the art of film-making.
There's the performances of the two lead actors, Colin Firth as George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist Lionel Logue respectively, for example. Firth brings King George VI, known as "Bertie" by those closest to him, to life as a man who has struggled all his life to overcome his stutter only be to thrust into a role he hoped he'd never have to take. The role is a perfect place for Firth to show off his range from the almost comedic exercises to overcome the stutter to his occasional bad temper. Firth's best moments in the film comes in the scene where he talks to Logue about his childhood in a scene that is so heartbreaking that it threatens to reduce a viewer to tears and in the climatic speech as Britain enters the Second World War. Rush plays Logue as a man of seemingly infinite faith in his patient and who must overcome the skepticism of all those around to help George VI. Like Firth, the film gives Rush a chance to show off much of his range in the process. Watching the film, it is not hard to see why both have received well deserved Oscar nominations.
Both Firth and Rush are backed by a fine supporting cast. Leading it is Helena Bonham Carter, herself receiving a much deserved Oscar nomination as George VI's wife Elizabeth who becomes his greatest supporter not only once he becomes King but in his battle to overcome the stutter. Guy Pearce plays George VI's charismatic and much loved older brother Edward VIII who eventually abdicates the throne for American divorcée Wallis Simpson (played by Eve Best). Much of the supporting cast is made of up of actors and actresses who makes the most out of otherwise small roles. These include Derek Jacobi as Archbishop Cosmo Lang, Michael Gambon as King George V, Claire Bloom as Queen Mary, Jennifer Ehle as Logue's wife Myrtle, the aforementioned Eve Best and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. Overall the supporting cast of The King's Speech does what any fine supporting cast does: support the lead actors and stand out in their own right.
The film's production values are just as fine as its cast. Director Tom Hooper has made something of a career in expertly bring the past to life and this film is no exception. The production design Eve Stewart brilliantly recreates the numerous 1920s and 1930s settings of the film to the point I suspect that only an expert would know the difference between real locations and film sets. Much the same can be said of the costume design work of Jenny Beavan which helps to believably bring the character's to life with the actor's help. The cinematography by Danny Cohen, while perhaps a bit too dark in places, serves the film well. In particular there are moments when the cinematography, combined with the editing of Tariq Anwar and Hooper's direction, even gives the viewer a sense of what George VI's nervousness must have felt like when trying to publicly speak with his stutter. The result is a film that is as visual engrossing as the performances within it.
Last but not least is the script by David Seidler. Seidler's script takes a little known story about a member of the British royal family and turns it into a drama that is both engrossing and inspiring. Seidler also sprinkles the drama with little touches of humor throughout that helps to illuminate the fact that these figures from the past were all also flesh and blood human beings. That said the film (and by extension its script) is not 100% historically accurate, though it doesn't claim to be. In particular, the film's treatment of Edward VIII and his abdication are a bit off. This is especially true of a scene with Edward being perhaps a bit too antagonistic towards his brother and where the future Queen Elizabeth mentions a rumor of Wallis Simpson having learned "skills" while in Shanghai (a rumor that has long since been proved untrue). The film also seems to give the impression that Churchill strongly supported the abdication (where as in in real life he seems to have done everything in his power to avoid it). One charge leveled at the film I disagree with is how it supposedly glances over Edward VIII's apparent Nazi sympathizing which certainly does not seem to be the case upon watching the film. For the most part though the film stays true to known history and is at its best doing so.
From the fine performances of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush to the fine supporting cast apparent throughout, to the as equally splendid production values and the script by David Seidler, The King's Speech presents an engrossing and inspirational true story. It is a tale of a reluctant king trying to overcome a speech impediment that threatened to ruin him and the man whose unorthodox methods helped him on the path to doing so. It is also a fine example of film-making, and the ability of film-makers to bring the past back to life, as well.