Sometimes it ain't so great to be king.

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2011)

With Hitler about to throw the world into chaos and his elder brother and first in line for the throne of England shirking his duties to slavishly chase of all things a twice divorced, well traveled American, the future King of England, George VI (Colin Firth) is about to have the awesome weight of leading Great Britain in its most dire hour thrust upon him. Cursed with a stammer since the age of four he is ill equipped to do so in the age of the wireless but duty demands it and his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) desperately seeks a cure. Literally and figuratively making her way through a London fog she engages the help of an Australian (Geoffrey Rush) speech therapist who employs unorthodox methodology. Reluctantly the future king acquiesces to treatment but it's a bumpy ride all the way.
The King's Speech is a gripping historical film that deals with the fate of the world in drawing room drama fashion. The conflagration that will engulf all of Europe has yet to begin but we are all aware of what's next and the pressure and frustration of awesome responsibility worn on the face and in the stuttering cadence of the future king is as tense as any panoramic battle scene.
Director Tom Hooper does an excellent job of staying on point without letting Speech becoming too dependent on dialogue. Camera movement and editing give the film the energy George by virtue of his handicap of fits and starts cannot. Remaining faithful to history he gives brief but effective glimpses of the major players ( George V, Baldwin , Churchill, Queen Mary ) of the day economically conveying the strain of duty over self. In addition Barry Cohen's cinematography deftly compliments the sober mood with muted canvases, making the most of the few exteriors with some dazzling pertinent imagery without calling attention to itself.
The supporting cast of Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce Michael Gambon and Claire Bloom among others are uniformly precise while Geoffrey Rush's speech therapist displaying a flawed confidence with a hint of vanity is an excellent foil and counterbalance in scene after scene with the frazzled heir to the throne. It is Colin Firth's towering performance as "Bertie" though that gives The King's Speech it's voice. He may be royalty but he is also nothing but a man hobbled by a crippling defect and Firth conveys it with magnificent nuance. Ill fitted to deal with greatness in its three forms "Bertie" is both sympathetic and a prig. Waylaid as he is by his malady he is fully aware of his station in life and Firth is equally adept at being cruel and condescending within that vulnerability. Suffice to say Mr. Firth will soon be in need of a much larger mantelpiece at home as well as being addressed differently in the future for a career paved with standout performances with this arguably his finest hour.