The King's Speech

In prewar England, Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) is afflicted by a speech impediment that renders him a stuttering mess in front of an audience. As his father, King George V (Michael Gambon), is aging, and his brother, David (Guy Pearce), is too smitten with a scandalous American socialite to exercise his royal duties, Albert is terrified that he may one day end up on the throne. To remedy this, his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (Helena Bonham Carter) seeks the services of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a failed Australian actor-turned-speech therapist. Though the temperamental prince clashes frequently with Logue over the latter’s unorthodox methods, progress is made and the two become friends.

As The Queen proved a few short years ago, critics and moviegoers alike can’t resist a good film that pries into the guarded lives of the royal family. In The King’s Speech, the emphasis is on good. Oscar winner Colin Firth handles his difficult role superbly, transforming a future king (the epitome of prestige) into a sympathetic underdog, a competent naval officer thrust unwillingly onto the thrown. He nails not only the stutter, but the frustration, fear, and fatherly benevolence as well. Carter and the chameleon like Rush match him at every turn; as the future Queen Mother, the former is plucky and resolute, and as the quirky, irrepressible Logue, the latter never misses a beat. Pearce (several years younger than Firth and an Australian) feels miscast, but he does his best to make the future King Edward VIII a weak, irresponsible bastard.

Directed by Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech is well-shot, with a convincing period feel. The script comes courtesy of David Seidler, himself a stutterer. Though Logue’s actual notes were incorporated, there is some obvious dramatization and fictionalization at play. It’s highly doubtful, for instance, that the titular speech drew cheering crowds outside the palace, but were this rendered as it happened, it would have made for a very flat conclusion.

Even without the royal intrigue, The King’s Speech makes for a compelling study in overcoming adversity. The fact that being able to address his people allows the king to go toe-to-toe with the notoriously well-spoken Hitler ups the stakes and makes this all the more rewarding.

8.25/10