- If nothing else, The King's Speech convinced me that Albert (Colin Firth), Duke of York, known colloquially as "Bertie" and who would one day adopt the title of King George VI, had every reason to be absolutely terrified. For one thing, he was royalty in that uncomfortable era when another world war seemed inevitable despite lingering memories of the first one. For another, both the proclivities of his unorthodox brother (Guy Pearce) and the dying wishes of his domineering father (Michael Gambon) pointed to Bertie's own reluctant ascension to the throne. And then there was the focus of this film, namely Bertie's rather severe stuttering problem. In an era when the primary duty of the British monarch was to make speeches, many of which would be broadcast over the radio, a speech impediment must have been truly terrifying indeed.
- Fortunately, Bertie's devoted wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) is never one to give up. In a desperate move, she visits an obscure speech therapist named Logue (Geoffrey Rush) whose electric elevator and phonograph seem almost anachronistic in an underground office that otherwise could have come directly from a Charles Dickens novel. A charismatic Australian who speaks plainly in every sense of the term, Logue is exactly the person to help Bertie, so long as neither the King's pride nor his parade of advisors (including Derek Jacobi and an appropriately jowly Timothy Spall) gets in the way. Who knows, maybe these strange bedfellows could even become friends when all is said and done?
- Before seeing The King's Speech, I was admittedly skeptical that I would enjoy any movie about a stuttering king. While speech impediments have always fascinated me from a scientific point of view, royalty biopics have generally fallen on the opposite end of the interest spectrum. In light of that, I'm pleased to admit that I generally enjoyed this film. Skillfully directed by Tom Hooper (never to be confused with Tobe Hooper), the story, settings, and characters are just engaging enough that one almost forgets how much poetic license must have been taken in concocting this narrative. Much credit is also due to Geoffrey Rush, who is magnificent as a man who always goes with his instincts, even when those instincts are likely to anger a king. As for whether or not The King's Speech deserved its Best Picture/Director Oscars, I have only one comment. When the filmmakers inexplicably play Beethoven over the climactic declaration of war on Germany, I was reminded precisely of a similarly unwise and distracting musical cue in 2011's Oscar-grabbing The Artist. Perhaps it is time to introduce an award category for worst soundtrack decision in an otherwise strong film?
- To be fair, I did discover that the BBC played the first few notes of Beethoven's Fifth in broadcasts during the war. I still think his music was badly used in this film.
