The King's Speech

Plot synopsis:
Prince Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V, stammers through his speech closing the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium. The Duke has given up hope of a cure, but his wife Elizabeth persuades him to see Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist living in London. During their first private session, Logue insists on being called Lionel by his patient. In addition, breaching royal etiquette, Logue calls the Prince "Bertie", a name used only by his family. When the Duke decides Logue's treatment is unsuitable, Logue bets him that he can recite Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy without trouble and distracts him by playing music through headphones while recording his performance on an acetate record. Prince Albert leaves in anger but Logue offers him the recording as a keepsake.
After King George V makes his 1934 Christmas radio address, he explains to his son the importance of broadcasting to a modern monarchy and demands that Albert train himself, starting with a reading of his father's speech. His attempt to do so is a failure. Later, the Duke plays Logue's recording and hears himself reciting unhesitatingly. He therefore returns to Logue, where he and his wife both insist that Logue focus only on physical exercises, not therapy. Logue teaches his patient muscle relaxation and breath control but continues to probe gently and persistently at the psychological roots of the stutter. Albert eventually reveals some of the pressures of his childhood and the two men start to become friends.
With George V’s death in 1936, his eldest son David ascends the throne as King Edward VIII, but causes a constitutional crisis with his determination to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite divorcée who is still legally married to her second husband. It is pointed out that Edward, as head of the Church of England, cannot marry her, even if she receives her second divorce, because both her previous husbands are alive.
At his next session, Albert expresses his frustration that while his speech has improved when talking to most people, he still stammers when talking to his own brother and reveals the extent of Edward VIII's folly with Simpson. When Logue insists that Albert could be a good king instead, the latter labels such a suggestion as treason and dismisses Logue. When King Edward decides to abdicate in order to marry Simpson, Albert reluctantly succeeds him as King George VI. The new king and queen visit Logue to make up the quarrel, startling Mrs. Logue, who was unaware that the new King had been her husband's patient.
During preparations for his coronation in Westminster Abbey, George learns that Logue has no formal qualifications. When confronted, Logue explains how he was asked to help shell-shocked Australian soldiers returning from The Great War. Since George remains unconvinced of his own fitness for the throne, Logue sits in King Edward's Chair and dismisses the underlying Stone of Scone as a trifle. Goaded by Logue's seeming disrespect, the King surprises himself with his own sudden burst of outraged eloquence and allows Logue to rehearse him for the ceremony.
Upon Britain's declaration of World War II with Nazi Germany in 1939, King George summons Logue to Buckingham Palace to prepare for his upcoming radio address to Britain and the Empire. Knowing the challenge that lies before him, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Winston Churchill and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain are present to offer support. George and Logue are then left in the broadcasting room. He delivers his speech with Logue conducting him, but by the end is speaking freely. Preparing to leave the room for the congratulations of those present in the palace, Logue mentions to the King that he still had difficulty enunciating 'w' and the King jokes back, "I had to throw in a few so they'd know it was me".
After the King and his family step onto the balcony of the palace and are applauded by the crowd, a title card explains that Logue was always present at King George VI's speeches during the war and that they remained friends for the rest of their lives.

Tags: depressing, dramatic, feel-good, inspiring, historical, storytelling, sentimental

Review:
It occurred to me that some of them may have been alive when George VI gave the actual speech to the British Nation which had just declared war with Hitler.The King's Speech is a feel good movie, but a very adult one, and while it tells a good story, well scripted, absorbing and believable (except for an odd line or two), Tom Hooper's film is far more driven by character than by plot.You may need to see it to believe it but, Colin Firth has no obvious competition for the best actor awards which are coming his way.
Overshadowed on the global stage by powerful orators like Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini, the King relies on the help of a little-known Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue to find his voice and courageously lead his people into the most devastating war humanity has ever faced.This is a powerful, hilarious and deeply moving story, told against the backdrop of a critical juncture in modern history, of the emergence of a deep friendship out of a professional relationship between two men who would otherwise never have socially interacted.
(Apparently, this also happened at the Roy Thomson Hall premiere.) Geoffrey Rush (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) does a fantastic job as Lionel Logue and Colin Firth (A Single Man) is excellent as King George VI.I saw the second public screening of this movie at the Ryerson Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
He was joined by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush after the movie ended for a brief Q&A.It turns out that David Seidler also had a stuttering problem as a child and drew inspiration from the king's struggle.
Not only does the actor get pitch perfect the stutter, but he also invests a kindness, courage, and vulnerability in the character that work in harmony to create an unforgettable George in an exquisite period peace.Not to forget how generously Geoffrey Rush underplays Lionel, the speech therapist who is instrumental in making the king a speaker and a friend.
Truly, there is no way to improve upon the achievement that this film represents, whether in casting, direction, writing, artistic value, you name it.The story gives us a fascinating look into the struggles faced by George VI on his way to becoming king of England.
Edward is typically romanticized and lionized, but here we see him as more of a spoiled, selfish lout.But the heart of the movie is the relationship between George and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who is helping him overcome his speech problems.
is good, and as it should be.Colin Firth in the role as King George VI is really good, and he is completely convincing as a man who struggles with different things, such as his temperament, memories from his childhood and of course: his stammering.
Let's not forget also the other main characters, Lionel Logue played by Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter as the Duchess of York, Michael Gambon as George V and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill - all absolutely perfect for their respective roles.
While the very idea of a stammering king is inherently interesting, as is the historical context of a gathering world war, the real substance of this movie is the interplay between two fine actors, Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.
Colin Firth was believable as King George VI, Helena Bonham Carter good (if, I thought, a little too irreverent in places) as his wife Elizabeth.
Then - the abdication crisis, as his brother King Edward VIII gives up the throne for the woman he loves (the American divorcée Wallis Simpson) leaving poor Bertie (as George was known) to take up the reins and the responsibility of rallying the nation as Britain and its Empire slide toward inevitable war with Nazi Germany.The movie begins with Bertie's disastrous and almost incoherent 1925 speech at Wembley and ends with a still hesitant but nevertheless eloquent speech declaring war on Germany in 1939.
In between, the movie essentially deals with the speech therapy that Bertie received from the Australian Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush.) It isn't really all that interesting to witness almost two hours of speech therapy, but one has to feel a certain sympathy for Bertie as he faces this situation that to him must have been terrifying as well as a certain admiration for him - unlike his brother, he sucked it up and overcame his weaknesses and limitations and did his duty.
Two years after the decent but unremarkable "Slumdog Millionaire" got an Oscar, and a year after the even more unremarkable "The Hurt Locker" also undeservedly received the coveted statue, the Academy performs an even worse atrocity by denying The Social Network and Black Swan (among others) the best picture award, instead opting for "The King's Speech", a movie so obviously engineered to win a lot of Oscars that it hurts.Of course, this is not a BAD movie.
The acting by Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter is first-class and the cinematography is beautiful.Unfortunately, a story about a man overcoming his stuttering is about as boring as it sounds, and the totally risk-less direction doesn't help things either.
If I was disappointed by Boyle's latest offering I was pleasantly surprised by THE KINGS SPEECH The movie suffer somewhat from the hype surrounding it but that's not to take away from the fact that it's one of the most charming films I've seen in a long time .
With this type of movie a film largely succeeds or fails due to the supporting cast since the two are in danger of dominating the film to the detriment of everyone else but Bonham Carter , Jacobi , Pearce and Gambon make an impact with their small roles as does as unrecognisable Anthony Andrews Realising that the main story of the Prince's stammer isn't enough to carry a 2 hour film the screenplay by David Seidler has a couple of subplots involving King Edward's abdication and the ascent of Hitler in Germany and director Hooper develops the subplots very well .
No surprise there then, since it is rare for a commercial feature film to portray historical events with any degree of verisimilitude.I think that Colin Firth is badly miscast as George, and though he struggles hard with the role he fails to convince chiefly because he is physically so wrong - too tall, too good-looking and altogether too commanding a physical presence.
Some of the other parts, however, are well played and a delight, especially Geoffrey Rush who is brilliant as Dr Logue (though I confess I have no idea what he was actually like), and it is interesting to see Ramona Marquez, so amazing in "Outnumbered" as Princess Margaret Rose.But much more important than the miscastings, is the general tone of the film and its misrepresentations of the political and social realities of the time.
It is also to be doubted how familiar Geoffrey Rush would be with his king in 1930's England with its rigid class system.The performances are however superb, flawless and dazzling with Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth hitting exactly the right tone.
This was a truly delightful film to watch, supported by a powerful cast and for many people this film will be like an enjoyable course in English History for Dummies as the history and drama of King George's brother abdicating the throne and Adolf Hitler threatening to plunge Europe into a Second World War unfold in a very personal story of struggle.by Shane Kester.
So he can not, as far as I am concerned, be awarded for the overall success of this movie (I'm talking about aesthetics, not the Oscars) but rather, the actors.The people in "The King's Speech" make good acting look easy.
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.
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..
It's so hard when you're seeing a movie after it's been hyped as much as "The King's Speech" has and been nominated for 12 Academy Awards to boot not to have expectations of greatness....and be somewhat disappointed when greatness fails to materialize.That said, "The King's Speech" is a perfectly well-made and mostly entertaining film about King George VI and his efforts to overcome a stutter that threatened to hurt his image as ruler of his kingdom.
The delivery of that speech is the film's best moment; the rest of the movie is tasteful and intelligent, but not overly inspired.I could have done without the "Ordinary People" therapy moments between George and his speech therapist (played in the film's best performance by Geoffrey Rush), in which we learn that George's problem results from a troubled childhood and the pressures placed upon him by dear old poppa.
At the time I saw this, I was reading David Halberstam's "The Fifties," which talks at length about the very same kind of transition between radio and television in the late 1940s, so I found that part of the film especially of interest.Colin Firth is quite good as George, and Helena Bonham Carter doesn't get much to do (but does what she does get to do well enough) as the Queen Mum.Grade: B+.
I enjoyed this film but apart from Geoffrey Rush's fine acting and some amusing snippets of dialogue, it did not strike me as an Oscar contender.The film covers the period between the end of the reign of George V and the early days of George VI (Colin Firth).Firth plays Prince Albert ("Bertie" who later took the name of George on his coronation) as a character demanding our sympathy.
The last ten minutes alone may win him his long-awaited Oscar.Geoffrey Rush may also run away with a little golden statue this year: he is by turns funny, wry, and sympathetic as Lionel Logue, and his scenes with Firth are invariably the highlights of the film.
I enjoyed the relationship between the excellent Geoffrey Rush and Firth, even if it's a reversal of My Fair Lady, the commoner advising the posho on speech.Then Michael Gambdon's King George V is wheeled out to deliver the most awful leaden-footed exposition, all about how Germany is in enthral to the Nazis and how Bertie's feckless brother is involved with this Wallis woman.
They make you be interested in something you wouldn't have been, have you not seen the movie about that person or about a thing.The stammer that King George VI had is undoubtedly performed with a great power by Colin.
In the spirit of his contemporary, Peter Morgan (writer of The Queen, Frost/Nixon and other great films), and also The Social Network, Seidler takes what would seemingly be a very trivial anecdote – King George VI of England's speech therapy sessions – and manages to create a genuinely compelling and fascinating drama out of it.
Another important element that enriches the dynamics of the film is Alexandre Desplat's beautiful, understated score, which combines his own compositions with fantastic pieces of classical music that really work well to enhance the emotions of the story.In costume dramas, the acting is often just as if not more prominent than the cinematography, costume and set design, and The King's Speech is no exception.
At the center of the film are two monumental performances from two of the greatest actors working today: Colin Firth, whom I still believe deserved the Oscar last year for his sublime turn in Tom Ford's A Single Man, and whom I believe deserves the Oscar this year for his equally sublime performance as King George VI.
Rounding out the supporting cast are wonderful performances from Helena Bonham-Carter as the king's loving wife (and future Queen Mother), and Guy Pearce as King George's snooty, outrageous brother who is more obsessed with his married American socialite girlfriend than with actually doing a good job as monarch.
It is a wonderful ensemble that works fantastically well together, and results in some of the best performances of the year.Although I would rank it up there with the likes of The Remains of the Day and Atonement, The King's Speech is also set apart from those movies for one important reason: It is funny, and certainly much funnier than I expected it to be.
But The King's Speech is just that: A wildly enjoyable piece of entertainment, with a heart, a fantastic story and script, and beautiful production values, music and cinematography easily make this one of the best films of the year..
From the great libraries of war movies like Ice Cold in Alex, through modern day classics such as Chariots of Fire, The Kings Speech will take its place proudly at the top table.To Colin Firth, winning the Oscar is somewhat incidental.
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.
Director Tom Hooper who was responsible for fine work in the recent John Adams mini-series, takes the story of Prince Albert in a much different direction than one might think by reading history books.Collin Firth does a masterful job of portraying Prince Albert, who falls directly into the role of King after the death of his father George V (Michael Gambon) and abdication of the throne by his brother Edward (Guy Pearce) when he, for some reason, just has to marry the love of his life - a thrice divorced woman named Wallis Simpson (Eve Best).
The guts of this story is the relationship between King George and his peculiar speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
I have not seen yet all the films nominated to the Oscar, but the excellent Colin Firth is really awesome in the role of King George VI.
The idea for the film came about after Seidler read about how King George VI (Firth) overcame his stammer after a friendship was formed with his voice coach Lionel Logue (Rush).
There are so many levels and angles one could use to describe this movie.One could take pity on a man for whom most of the world would believe had it "comfortable" - particularly in the background of the Great Depression - but one learns early that "Mr. Johnson" had his own deep problems and unlike most of us had to alternative but to face them head on.When I saw his 2 young daughters history suddenly came alive for me, realizing that they were Elizabeth and Margaret.There is some dry British humor when the speech therapist asks "Mrs. Johnson" if her husband can avoid speaking engagements.History comes alive in this movie that is entertaining, educational and inspirational.I left the theater believing George VI was a man who had a terrible handicap to overcome and through humility and guts, did so while leading Britain through her most terrible period.This is easily the best movie I have seen in some years..
Although it's often called the most feared human task, public speaking is, nevertheless, a talent we expect of all modern leaders.In "The King's Speech", the British Duke of York, Albert (Colin Firth), is about to become the King of England (King George VI) at a time when the people who shared his destiny were the eloquent Winston Churchill, Franklin D.
His personal bravery was well developed in the brilliant portrayal by actor Firth.What makes "The King's Speech" a great movie is the magnificent acting and casting, supported by a superb story about the salient qualities of leadership.
The events in the film were moved up to the time just before Edward abdicates, making the important speech of King George VI at the beginning of World War II.
The film is poignant, with some great touches of humor and fantastic performances, and the dramatic license makes Albert's plight all the more desperate.Colin Firth is magnificent as Albert/King George VI.
A great film takes a struggle and a person you think you might not care about, and makes both seem as intimate to you as your own life.Colin Firth, in "The King's Speech," gives one of the best performances I've ever seen.
The King's Speech is an impressive movie from start to finish, where we see newly crowned King George VI (Colin Firth) attempting to cure his stammer problem by seeking the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
Colin Firth did a great job in portraying King George VI, as did Helena Bonham Carter portraying his wife, Queen Elizabeth.
Basically set in the 1920s and 30s, this tells the story of how King George VI (Colin Firth) who had a stammering problem when speaking receives help from an Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush)to control his stammering so he can do speeches, whilst his supported by his wife Queen Elizabeth (Helen Bonham Carter).
It used to get really embarrassing watching the king struggle with the words while people raised placards saying "God save the king" albeit Lionel assists him to get his fluency and works wonder eventually.The drama is well depicted and well assisted by some great performances by Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter.