Colin Firth as King George VI
Michelle Doyle,
Culture Editor-
Given the build up and hype surrounding The King’s Speech, I was expecting the reviews I had read to be nothing short of hyperbolic, and to be hugely underwhelmed by the tale of a stuttering Prince-to-be-King. Unfortunately for my inner sceptic however, The King’s Speech is a five-star film with a simple yet engaging story line, excellent casting, and an ending that will leave the viewer in a nail-biting knot of agony as the radio broadcast to the empire looms.
Starring Colin Firth as King George VI (referred to throughout as Bertie) alongside Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, the film follows the uptight Bertie who fears there is no cure for his debilitating stammer. Insecure and anxious, Bertie’s reluctant succession to the throne, following his brother’s abdication in order to marry, is met with a plague of insecurities that dog him throughout. On hand however is unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) who peppers the role with colour and humour, bringing the all-important gelling agent to the movie: friendship.
As the film unravels and the friendship forges, it is clear that the pair couldn’t be better suited. Bertie is a victim of his impediment, tip-toeing in apprehensive fear from one public appearance to the next. His teacher Logue is a World War One veteran who aided shell-shocked victims in regaining the voices they had lost through the injuries of war. Occupying the role both characters need to mature and develop and to eventually give that ultimate speech that gives the film its name, The King’s Speech succeeds by manipulating a would-be mundane period drama with believable character portrayals and an emotionally gripping story line, one which evades the too-long-too-short bullet that ripples throughout so many movies.
Whether historically accurate I am not sure, but there is no doubt that this is a richly enjoyable as well as occasionally funny drama, that by way of a stammer offers a confident and stunning rendition of a period in history that, to my knowledge, has never been brought to the big screen before.
Without a doubt: brilliant
