A Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2011)

This is based upon a true story.
Before Prince Albert of York (Firth) ascended the throne of England,as King George VI, he had hired Lionel (Rush) a speech therapist to help him overcome his stammering when he had to speak publicly for official functions. Then he becomes king, and is terrified as he knows he will have to address the nation verbally.
When something is almost perfect it is hard to know where to start. Everything flowed flawlessly.
The acting by all was sheer perfection. Colin Firth was perfect imparting his fears to all of us. We felt for him and we cared, cared deeply. We were like his family cringing, hoping for the best, knowing it wouldn't go well, and were helpless to do more than give support and, in some cases, holding back tears.
Thank God for radio. If television was around at that time, this would probably not have gone as well. Imagine having to speak to the entire population with a camera in your face and you feared stammering, stuttering and losing the confidence of your country, and there is no place to hide. Yikes ! Keep in mind that Hitler and Germany were on the rise and the threat of war was very real. So radio saved the day and the monarchy.
The Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor (Firth) were well deserved. Other than a very touching, and heartfelt story, the thing I came away with most is this: now I know who Colin Firth is. Great job. He was perfect.
Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes during speech therapy sessions.