The Man Who Wouldn't be King Earns the Right to Wear the Crown

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2011)

About every few years, a performance of exceptional depth, meaning, and transcendence crosses film and television screens, hopefully reminding us how powerful the medium can be to show us something about ourselves. Although these exceptional performances often concern historical figures, what they portray is the very human side of people we think of as being nearly timeless. Some which come to mind include Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I, Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, Paul Giamatti as John Adams, and Denzel Washington as Malcolm X. In 2010, this honor has to belong to Colin Firth as King George VI in "The King's Speech".
The reason I believe "The King's Speech" is the best picture along with the best performance of 2010 lies not exclusively with Firth's outstanding performance as King George VI, which is exemplary by any standard. The whole tone and atmosphere of the King's Speech is about the English monarchy revealed. Within the high palace walls and glorious banners which have flown for centuries reside fallible human beings. These people, despite the limos and the embroidered ermine, have the same hopes, fears, challenges, and shortcomings which we all share. This film is about one of those born into what seems, from the outside, a life of pure splendor and privilege, and how that person had to cope with very serious shortcomings considering his position in the royal family.
When he is born the second son of the man who would become King George V, it was understood that Bertie would never become king. His brother Edward was the heir presumptive and remained so until the mid-1930's. Bertie (Colin Firth), since early life, had a stammer (or stutter) while speaking, particularly in public situations. As I don't know this history, it sounds like his stammer wasn't taken so seriously because he would never be seated on the throne. But after a disastrous public-speaking engagement at Wembley Stadium in the 1920's, he seeks professional help. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) comes across a reputed speech therapist Lionel Logue (Jeffrey Rush in an equally compelling performance) who helped impaired World War I veterans regain their voices. Logue is a kind of real-life Professor Higgins (Pygmalion/My Fair Lady), although his intent is to help those with speech impediments.
At first, Bertie wishes only to work on the physical aspects of speech with his new therapist. Logue agrees, provided their relationship is equal behind closed doors. The two work intensely every day to help the future monarch loosen his jaw, enunciate, and breathe more properly. But as the sessions progress and Logue learns more about his high-ranking client/patient, a deeper relationship emerges. And we begin to learn that Bertie did experience ill-treatment as a child which contributed to his stammer. The therapist realizes there is more to Bertie's stammer than mere physical defects.
When his brother abdicates the throne in 1936, suddenly Bertie becomes George VI, King of England and Britain. I think George VI is one of the unsung heroes of World War II, often overshadowed by Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle. Although he may have not engaged in a great act of heroism on the field, his willingness to improve himself because of his obligations as Britain's Head of State is a courageous act. His ability to communicate will become the voice of reassurance and resolve among the English-speaking world along with Churchill and Roosevelt against the fascist forces in Europe. A very slow but deliberate transformation occurs throughout the film in which Bertie is at first shy and nervous until he exceeds even his own expectations and becomes worthy to fill the shoes of those before him, worn by the likes of Queen Elizabeth I, King Charles II, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and his father King George V.
A president doesn't exactly become president when he swears his oath of office, nor a king when he is crowned. These people become fused with their roles when they rise above their deficiencies and face their obstacles head on. As the man who wasn't supposed to be king, George VI rose to the occasion, shortcomings and all. At one point, his speech therapist says "You're the most courageous man I know." And that is the mark of a great man, king or otherwise.