“The King’s Speech” was a 2010 British film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. This historical drama starred Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce. It takes place in London during 1939, as the start of World War II is beginning to shake the United Kingdom.
Colin Firth plays Prince Albert, the Duke of York (known more intimately as Bertie) who is the second in line for the throne after his brother and his father. He has a debilitating speech impediment, and cannot overcome his stammer in order to make the public speeches that are required of a man in his position. His ailing father does little to help him, succumbing to anger rather than encouragement. Bertie’s wife Elizabeth takes him to see a peculiar speech therapist named Lionel Logue. He has unorthodox methods, but he appears to help Bertie by asking personal questions and performing weird exercises. When his father passes, Bertie’s brother Edward is set to be the next King. Unfortunately, Edward’s erratic behavior has placed him in a difficult predicament. He is in love with a woman named Wallis Simpson, who is an
American married woman, and already once divorced. He cannot be king with a divorced wife, so he abdicates the throne. This leaves Bertie in a position he never wanted nor dreamed of. His fear is almost enough to paralyze him, but with the help of his faithful speech therapist Lionel, he becomes King George VI. London has been on the brink of war with Germany, and now to make matters official, King George must make a radio broadcast to reach out to and notify the people of his kingdom. In order to do this, he will have to overcome his stammer and communicate the difficult news, the one thing he dreads the most.
One thing that I loved about this film was the way that the director used camera angles. Especially when it came to Bertie, some shots were taken from above with a sort of fish-eye lens. This not only helped with the appeal of the film, but it made a comment about Bertie’s character. The higher, unusual angles helped to make him appear small and out of place, as he viewed himself. He thinks he is less of a man than his father and his brother, and seems trapped and uncomfortable in his own world of childhood fears. The camera angle reinforces this and communicates this fact to the audience. Another example is the way that the characters were often shown on one side of a shot, instead of directly in the middle. This may seem like a small factor, but I believe that it portrayed the way that Bertie and Lionel in particular weren’t living up to their full potentials. There were allowing themselves to be minor elements in a story that they were meant to stand out in. The shots of them on the sides definitely reinforced this.
Another aspect of this film that has me sold on it is Colin Firth’s acting. He did an excellent job of playing this character who underestimated himself and saw himself as unworthy. He showed this through his body language, his facial expressions, and his speech. He also adapted the stammer so well that one could truly believe that he talked that way. Listening and seeing him struggle with his speech had you wincing in discomfort because it was so realistic. Not only did it produce that effect, but it also encouraged you to root for him, because who doesn’t love to root for the underdog?
It’s safe to say that I loved this film. The acting was superb, the set was very realistic, and the story was charming despite its depressing beginning. It is definitely worth it to see, and I would strongly encourage those who enjoy the historical dramas to watch one of the most inspiring stories of the English monarchy.
Film Review of "The King's Speech"
“The King’s Speech” was a 2010 British film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. This historical drama starred Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce. It takes place in London during 1939, as the start of World War II is beginning to shake the United Kingdom.Colin Firth plays Prince Albert, the Duke of York (known more intimately as Bertie) who is the second in line for the throne after his brother and his father. He has a
debilitating speech impediment, and cannot overcome his stammer in order to make the public speeches that are required of a man in his position. His ailing father does little to help him, succumbing to anger rather than encouragement. Bertie’s wife Elizabeth takes him to see a peculiar speech therapist named Lionel Logue. He has unorthodox methods, but he appears to help Bertie by asking personal questions and performing weird exercises. When his father passes, Bertie’s brother Edward is set to be the next King. Unfortunately, Edward’s erratic behavior has placed him in a difficult predicament. He is in love with a woman named Wallis Simpson, who is an
American married woman, and already once divorced. He cannot be king with a divorced wife, so he abdicates the throne. This leaves Bertie in a position he never wanted nor dreamed of. His fear is almost enough to paralyze him, but with the help of his faithful speech therapist Lionel, he becomes King George VI. London has been on the brink of war with Germany, and now to make matters official, King George must make a radio broadcast to reach out to and notify the people of his kingdom. In order to do this, he will have to overcome his stammer and communicate the difficult news, the one thing he dreads the most.
One thing that I loved about this film was the way that the director used camera angles. Especially when it came to Bertie, some shots were taken from above with a sort of fish-eye lens. This not only helped with the appeal of the film, but it made a comment about Bertie’s character. The higher, unusual angles helped to make him appear small and out of place, as he viewed himself. He thinks he is less of a man than his father and his brother, and seems trapped and uncomfortable in his own world of childhood fears. The camera angle reinforces this and communicates this fact to the audience. Another example is the way that the characters were often shown on one side of a shot, instead of directly in the middle. This may seem like a small factor, but I believe that it portrayed the way that Bertie and Lionel in particular weren’t living up to their full potentials. There were allowing themselves to be minor elements in a story that they were meant to stand out in. The shots of them on the sides definitely reinforced this.
Another aspect of this film that has me sold on it is Colin Firth’s acting. He did an excellent job of playing this character who underestimated himself and saw himself as unworthy. He showed this through his body language, his facial expressions, and his speech. He also adapted the stammer so well that one could truly believe that he talked that way. Listening and seeing him struggle with his speech had you wincing in discomfort because it was so realistic. Not only did it produce that effect, but it also encouraged you to root for him, because who doesn’t love to root for the underdog?
It’s safe to say that I loved this film. The acting was superb, the set was very realistic, and the story was charming despite its depressing beginning. It is definitely worth it to see, and I would strongly encourage those who enjoy the historical dramas to watch one of the most inspiring stories of the English monarchy.