A wonderful, must-see drama

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2011)

This review does have spoilers, so be forewarned. After watching The King's Speech for a second time, I fell in love with this movie. This is the type of drama that will make you laugh and cry, and go through cycles of loving and hating the characters. The movie takes place in pre-WW2 England, where Bertie (Colin Firth), the Duke of York, struggles with his duties to make speeches due to a stutter. Due to the advancement of modern technology, the radio has increased the pressure on the royal family, making them give comfort to the people of England through speaking to them via the radio.
One of the most heartbreaking themes in this film is the way it makes the audience confront Bertie's purpose; he himself complains that as King, he has no real power: he cannot declare war or change laws. But now the royal family needed to comfort a nation that was in fear of war, and if Bertie had no voice than what did he have? Through his anger, the audience is drawn into the real frustration of a man dealing with a speech impairment; because of his lack of a voice, he has a hard time knowing his identity. This point is accentuated by the film's setting: a cold and dreary England, gloomy and dark just like Bertie's emotions.
Ultimately, we find that what Bertie needed was someone to believe in him and encourage him, which is exactly what he found in his relationship with Lionel (Geoffrey Rush); throughout his life, Bertie's family had teased him and pulled him down, but Lionel saw his potential and drew it out of him. This film tells an engaging story about the importance of one's voice, but furthermore, it tells the importance of friendship.
What I found to be an amazing aspect of this film is the use of sound, which is a beautiful technique given the plot of the film. Near the beginning of the film, whenever Bertie tries to speak or attempts learning from a speech therapist, there is absolute silence which makes the audience have to suffer through every single utterance that he makes. But as the king works with Lionel the music starts to play little by little, and by the end, when he makes his glorious speech to all of England, the music blares, drawing the audience into a proud euphoria.
This was one of the best films of 2010, and it would be a shame to miss out on it. Director Tom Hooper does an amazing job of taking a story that is not easy to tell well, and drawing the audience in through so many venues, including the setting, the music, and the friendship between the lead characters. If you have not seen this movie, do yourself a favor and rent it tonight!