Review: THE KING’S SPEECH

THE KING’S SPEECH is a film starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. The film is directed by Tom Hooper, based on an original screenplay written by David Seidler. At the death of King George V (Michael Gambon) and the subsequent abdication of his brother, King Edward the VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) becomes King of England.

Bertie has not been trained to be king but an even bigger problem faces him; he is plagued by a debilitating stammer and is unable to address the kingdom in a radio broadcast at this crucial time of impending war with Germany. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) goes in search of a solution. They try numerous speech therapists, but all are failures – until she discovers Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist with unorthodox methods to help stammerers obtain their voice. With Lionel’s help and his methods of therapy, Bertie finds his voice and transforms into the kingdom’s much needed leader.

The friendship that develops between these two men is a lifelong one. The film is brilliant – the frustration and embarrassment that Bertie feels every time he has to perform in public conveyed first in a radio address with the technicians hanging on to his every halting word to a stadium filled with people looking anywhere but at the struggling speaker. Colin Firth is fantastic in this role showing both the decorum and humanity surrounding Bertie’s position as King. The verbal banter between Bertie and Lionel is heartbreaking and humorous. The film does a great job in illustrating both the public and the private sides of a royal life.

The playful interchanges between the King and his daughters are contrasted with the harsh and critical interplays that Bertie has with his father, King George V, before his death. Helena Bonham Carter is loving, royal, supportive and kind in her role. She is fantastic in showing the pain that she feels towards her husband’s affliction and her unrelenting desire to find a solution. THE KING’S SPEECH is a great testament to the relationship that this family had together and probably what helped bolster up their country during the war. It is well worth the time and you will probably see me in the middle of the theater for a second viewing.

5 out of 5 stars.