Bravo, Mr. Firth

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2011)

Loved it, yet it made me sad. It's a close-up portrait of a royal who isn't really cut out for the job, yet recognizes his responsibility and painstakingly overcomes a dreadful childhood, horrible debilitation, and impossible family (a family with which we can identify, despite their blue blood) to ascend to his duties. Firth, never overacting, takes us deep into the king-to-be's pain, sense of hopelessness, and frustration, and also emphasizes his essential decency; loved the scenes with the young Elizabeth and Margaret, showing what a superb father and loving husband he was. Shot in "Masterpiece Theatre" style, it's very civilized and proper, and perhaps overworks the humanizing angle; whether Bertie will give a proper speech or not is weighted to be more important than the fact that England is entering a devastating war on his command. But what saddened me was, it's such an old-fashioned movie--no crashes, no overt special effects, no sex, no violence. And all those things may have their place in movies, but I think the industry has become overdependent on them, at the expense of offering human stories. This is a human story, presented gently, straightforwardly, and literately, and good as it is and as much as the audience with me enjoyed it, I don't think we'll be getting many more movies like it. Sad.