The King’s Speech makes the king
Prince Albert was a terrible speaker, too. He stammered constantly. How was a Prince supposed to overcome this condition and lead a nation against Hitler?
By Mike Shames
When we think about the opening days of the Second World War, we think of Blitzkriegs and Hitler–it can’t be denied, he was one hell of an orator. But who speaks for the other side? Who was the voice of the British people and its empire?
King George VI, a man who was never destined to be king. After all, wireless radio was a new thing and the would-be king was not very articulate.
Prince Albert was a terrible speaker, too. He stammered constantly. How was a Prince supposed to overcome this condition and lead a nation against Hitler?
This is the subject of “The Kings Speech” directed by Tom Hooper. It follows the king and his wife as they employ an Australian speech therapist with some rather unusual methods. They start when Prince Albert or “Bertie” is the Duke of York and not expecting to inherit the throne. As the movie progresses, it becomes imperative for the Prince to overcome his stammer and be able to lead his country and empire through it’s greatest struggle.
The movie is a splendid blend of historical insight (with some liberties taken for the sake of entertainment), humour, friendship, and drama. The movie is based on actual events. Geoffrey Rush portrays Lionel Logue; the man who helped King George VI with his stammer and received the Royal Victorian Order for his services. Colin Firth plays Prince Albert. Helena Bonham Carter rounds out the all-star cast as the wife of Prince Albert, Elizabeth. At the moment this film has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
This role for Carter is a welcome break from Tim Burton. I’m not saying Tim Burton is a bad director, to the contrary- he is my favourite director. Carter herself is a wonderful actress in every role she undertakes, including the roles given to her by Burton. But other than Harry Potter movies and Burton films it seems she hasn’t been doing much variety. In “The Kings Speech” she is superb as Elizabeth; a concerned wife of a man unable to perform the tasks he doesn’t want, but has no escape from. She is caring, supportive and most of all patiently positive. It is she who makes the Prince see Lionel Logue, and aides in the therapy too. Carter is totally believable as this quietly determined woman. Carter brings out Elizabeth’s strength and love for her husband perfectly
Colin Firth is also excellent as Prince Albert or “Bertie”. Bertie isn’t very confident throughout the movie. This seems difficult to play for such a confident actor, but Firth nails the role, bringing the nervousness and fear into full view. Of course Bertie is trying to hide all of that, although poorly. This allows for some rather humorous scenes between Firth and Rush. As Rush’s character tries to bring Bertie to grips with the deeper reasons for the stammering, he pokes fun, makes bets with and challenges the Prince. This behaviour is more common among equals and drive the Prince mad. However Bertie is determined to overcome his difficulty and sticks with Logue. Firth makes every scene believable and makes you love the Prince even more.
The only complaint I have with this movie is it’s length. It does hold you for the entire duration, but at times it’s. Also the movie has a predictable end, but that is a problem of all historical dramas that are based on actual people and events. It, on the whole, was highly enjoyable. A welcome break from the graphic driven, high speed, thrill rides choking with special effects.