The King’s Speech

A rich man getting over a speech impediment doesn’t sound like a particularly impressive feat, at least not one that should have audiences and the academy in such a buzz. However, if you think about how public speaking is one of people’s biggest fears and listening to a bad public speaker is one of the most painful experiences, it starts to make a little more sense. Oh and did I not mention it? The protagonist is the King of England. Now you can see why such a premise might become a national issue.

For those who are not up to date on the history of the British monarch (what do they teach you these days?) the film is set in the late 1930s in the years running up to World War 2.  George V (played superbly by Michael Gambon) is reaching the end of his reign due to failing health, but his heir is causing a constitutional crisis. The then King Edward VIII wants to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, but since he is head of the Church of England, which does not recognize divorce, it would be considered an immoral marriage This causes the famous change in the course of history that sees King Edward VIII abdicate the throne and Prince Albert, Bertie to his family (played by Colin Firth), become King George VI. However, the poor prince was never meant to become king and has a serious stammer that stops him from making any sort of inspiring public addresses, so there is little confidence in his being able to lead the country. To get over the stuttering Bertie goes to radical speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), and while all this is happening Hitler is slowly gaining more power in Europe.

The relationship between Bertie and Lionel is the key component to the film and is an easy and moving one to watch. The great dynamic between the two men comes from the great difference in social standing and the unseen class divide that this creates. At first the two act very awkward around each other with Lionel treating Bertie like any normal client, even going as far as to use his familial nickname, which of course infuriates the prince.  But as the barriers start to come down a real, touching friendship develops that lifts the movie up to another level. This friendship feels much deeper than the usual Hollywood ‘bromance’, in fact using such a term to describe it is an insult to its unique perfection.  The relationship causes many of the unexpected funny moments in the film that had the entire packed audience laughing in their seats. For instance seeing a prince of England, as well as a national treasure, roll around on the floor or swear worse than a drunk Essex lad has everyone in stitches.

Firth and Rush both play their parts brilliantly (I think I may soon run out of complimentary adjectives). Firth is perfect as a regal prince, in control of his emotions to reflect what is expected of him, but also able to show a vulnerable side that tugs at the heartstrings. Firth handles the emotional side of Bertie’s character, the pain and torment he had growing up in the royal household, and with exceptional skill shows just enough to seduce the audience without making it all feel like a melodrama. Rush equally stands out in the film and is on par with Firth in his supporting role. It is a shame that he likely won’t get as much recognition as Firth, but he provides a lot of the comedy and insights into the royal character. This is probably one of Rush’s best performances to date.

The film outside this friendship is filled with great actors, all amazing in their own right. Michael Gambon, as already stated, is very good as no nonsense George V while Timothy Spall plays a convincing Winston Churchill. Australian Guy Pearce is also very good as King Edward VIII, choosing to come across as shirking his responsibility rather than giving up the thrown purely for love. However, the actor who really stands out in a supporting role is Helena Bonham Carter, who for once is playing a serious and non-quirky role and is exceptionally good at it. You can certainly imagine her Queen Mother being both supportive, but also full of all the royal diva stories that have come out over the years.

The rest of the film, the costumes, the music, the locations are all equally stunning, but in the end what really matters in this film is the exceptional acting talent at its core. All the surface factors could be cheap, tacky and falling apart and the film would still be exceptional due to its cast. The only slight problem I had, and it is so slight that I almost forgot to mention it, is how the film tries to be smart by making slight references to future events. For instance Lionel tells Bertie that smoking is a disgusting habit and will one day kill him, which is a reference to the fact that King George VI died young due to throat cancer. There are a few others, such as references to Hitler and also princess Elizabeth, but as I said it is an almost forgettable fault that I mention to simply fulfill the role as ‘critic’.

The film has all that the academy council could possible want; a period piece by one with experience a great historic backdrop; class boundary issues; and conquering ones personal demons-it is a shoe in for Oscar gold. But for the audience all that really matters is the incredible acting at the heart of the film that has each character appear deep and also stand out from the crowd.  This is certainly a film that is on a pedestal and all others should aspire to be like.

Degree: 1st

This film is practiaclley perfect in everyway. A great start to 2011 and one that deserves all

the hype and awards that it is receiving

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Since I know everyone seems to love everything to do with Harry Potter I have been trolling the internet to find some more clips to sedate the hunger for it. Here is a very sweet clip I found that not only has a few new scenes, but also interviews with the cast and crew as well as a montage of all the old films. It is amazing how young they all use to look!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It is finally here, the end to a movie saga that has spanned most of our adolescence. With the books finishing a few years ago, the last two films are the final parts of the Harry Potter franchise.

It is hard to tell from the advert whether it will be a good film, since often the adverts can be very misleading. In fact most of the time I feel the adverts for Harry Potter make the films look a lot more exciting that they actually are. Saying that I remember reading the book and thinking it would make a very good film so it might be that the final parts are the jewels in the crown. There has clearly been a lot of work done on the special effects and action scenes-which were the best bit of the past few films.

The first part of the final book is out 19th November while the second part is out on the 15th July 2011. It is quite difficult to tell which scenes come from which part of the movie, but I have heard a rumor that the first movie will be do with all the bits before Hogwarts and the second one will be all set in Hogwarts.

The Queen 2-Back in the crown?

Well this is more of a prequel than a sequel, but the joke still stands-come the 7th January 2011 there will be another film based on the royal family and their effect on the country.

The film is set during the Second World War, during the reign of George VI (Colin Firth). Due to the adbication of his brother the king has only recently come to the position he was never meant to have. As his country goes to war he must be the voice of the nation and so he must also get rid of the stammer that has plagued him all his life; for that his wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), better known as the Queen’s mum, send him to speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush). ‘The Queen’ got Dame Helen Mirren her only academy award so hopefully this will do the same for Colin Firth.