The King's Speech Review

As one of the big contenders for a plethora of awards this season, The King’s Speech has had a lot of buzz and talk circulating around it. But this can sometimes hinder a film, its expectations raised sky high and then dropping when the audience finally clambers into their cinema seat and realises it was all hot air. Thankfully, The King’s Speech is not one of these, not in the slightest. And let me raise those expectations even higher for you, because it is an utterly brilliant, moving and oddly intense piece of cinema that inspires, enthrals and most importantly, makes you proud to be British.

Charting the rise of King George VI and his constant battle with his stammer, The King’s Speech on paper sounds like an odd film that could, in the wrong hands, come across as somewhat dull. In Tom Hooper’s skilful hands and with Colin Firth at the helm of the role as King George VI, it becomes wonderfully intriguing and captures your attention immediately.

The main draw of the film is the unlikely friendship that gradually forms between King George VI and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). It is a slow moving friendship that is sometimes hampered by the sudden angry outbursts of King George, or Bertie as he is referred to by family and Logue, his patience worn thin through a life time of being unheard. But it is a beautifully depicted friendship that weaves throughout the film gracefully, the world of Logue, an everyday out spoken ‘commoner’ forcefully meshing with the ravishingly wealthy yet uptight world of the Royals.

The film not only gives us insight into the true story of this friendship but also the family dramas of the Royal family. We find Bertie’s older brother David inheriting the throne yet dismissing his duty for his love of a (shock horror) twice-divorced American, causing scandal amongst the Royal family. With World War II approaching and an almost medieval family feud erupting, Bertie eventually finds himself ascending to the throne, with the daunting duty of fulfilling a wartime speech to Britain looming ahead. Ultimately, the climax of the film comes down to Bertie’s delivery of his speech, a speech that will hold him up as the symbol of British pride, a speech that must gather the strands of his country together and put up a verbal front against Nazi Germany. For the brief minutes of his speech, he must become Britain. No pressure then…

It is shocking how incredibly intense this climax becomes, with various close-ups of Firth’s perpetually struggling face as he fights his way through the English language, dicing up the footage as it cuts between different groups of the British public. It is a technique used throughout the film to great effect; Firth’s shirts are always buttoned up as high as possible, contorting his entire body and character into this expression of red faced and clucking frustration, pulling the audience into the world of sympathising bystander, unable to help. He does a brilliant job of realistically portraying this rather violent stammer, not once falling into a parody and always shifting skins like a snake between roles of family man and reluctant ruler, wrapped within boyhood phobias imparted to him through the sins of his father. In short, he is a human being, abundant in contradictions and mistakes while also having to stand as the figurehead of a nation. All I can say is look up Oscar winner in the Dictionary; you’ll see a picture of Colin Firth right there. His performance is simply fantastic.

The supporting cast is perfect, with Helena Bonham Carter jostling through her role as the late Queen Mother in her prime; in a hilarious montage of speech training techniques, she sits on her husband’s chest as he breathes in and out - and is clearly having fun. Believe it or not, the Royals can actually have fun. Geoffrey Rush is entertaining also, storming through his role as out spoken colonial Australian who refuses to give into the initial ‘mightier than thou’ attitude of King George VI.

David Seidler’s script patiently allows each character to breathe, with Tom Hooper’s camera drawing all the attention to the characters while simultaneously licking up every gorgeous detail within each environment. Logue’s brown toned work space is pitted against the dripping luxury of Buckingham Palace, the production design of each location speaking volumes, with the golds of the Palace almost swallowing Firth up in their dominant splendour, while Logue’s paper stripped yet uniquely coloured walls give him room to breathe and control the space.

The King’s Speech has quietly crept into the world’s subconscious, a tale singing inspirational triumph while also championing friendships that can be found in the oddest of places. It is a remarkable piece of cinema that neither bores nor underwhelms and keeps an emotional attachment throughout, certain scenes involving Firth’s realisation of his duty lasting mere minutes but managing to evolve into powerhouse moments of emotion.

More British than dipping one of the Queen’s corgis into a vat of marmite and sending it off down the Thames on a union jack, The King’s Speech is the film to be championing this year as the award season beckons, the British takeover of the Oscars 2011 is imminent.

5/5