The king who didn't fall off his horse conquers his stuttering in a film that humanizes the Royals

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2011)

THE KING'S SPEECH may not be a truly great film but it comes close. The acting is splendid, the costumes well-researched, the background score including some classic pieces of Mozart and Beethoven is inspiring, and Tom Hooper's direction is admirable.
What hampers the film is the fact that it's protagonist, a stuttering man (Colin Firth) who must ascend the throne when his brother (Guy Pearce) abdicates, is really quite a dull man with a fierce temper and an inability to express himself as a person until he meets the challenge of a speech therapist. But for all his courage in overcoming his handicap, he keeps the story from moving forward until the last thirty minutes when the story's stature becomes more important because of the impending threat from Hitler and WWII.
However, it must be said that Colin Firth plays King George VI with gusto, matched only by Geoffrey Rush as Mr. Logue, his therapist. The two of them create sparks in many a confrontational moment of truth, and each has a firm grip on their roles. Equally proficient, but less noticeable and given a smaller amount of screen time, is Helena Bonham Carter as the gracious and adoring woman who stands by her stubborn man and presides over a household of two children, one of whom is a future Queen of England. In a lesser but still rich role, Guy Pearce is excellent as Edward VIII.
But unfortunately, because of the film's preoccupation with King George's speech impediment, the film moves forward at a snail's pace and only becomes more urgent during the final half hour when the world awaits the king's reaction to the news that Great Britain has failed to prevent war with Germany.
All the technical merits make the film outstanding in various departments, particularly the cinematography, costumes, settings and music. Colin Firth deserved his Oscar and Geoffrey Rush would have deserved a nomination as a Best Actor rather than Best Supporting Actor since his role his clearly a co-starring one.
More importantly, the film does a grand job of humanizing the Royals.