On the day I write this review, The King's Speech has received 14 BAFTA award nominations including best film. It's up against some stiff competition including Inception, 127 Hours and True Grit but the true story of King George VI is worthy of the prestigious company. It's the little known tale of Prince Albert who suffered from a debilitating stutter, not only affecting his official duties but his personal interactions too (keeping his children's bedtime stories necessarily short). As Albert, who later succeeds his brother to be King of Britain and the Empire, struggles with a solution for his woes, he meet Lionel Logue, an unorthodox Australian Speech therapist.
It's a wonderfully absorbing film that works on several levels. It's a coming of age tale as Albert, or Bertie as his close family call him, not only learns to live with his disability, but to embrace the responsibilities of a King. It's also a 'bromance'...a story of friendship between two men from different classes, upbringing and countries who gradually become equals as the film progresses and it's a fascinating document of history from an unusual perspective. Both the scandal of Edward and Mrs Simpson, plus the rise of Hitler and the start of World War II form the framework for the narrative, with everything culminating in the King's speech of the title where Bertie must address the Nation ,via radio, regarding the declaration of War.
Colin Firth is suburb as the beleaguered Prince/King and is worthy of all the accolades currently coming his way. However, good as he is the role is utter Oscar-bait being about a person dealing with a disability (see Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man or Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump). Still it's an emotionally complex role which is handled superbly by Firth. However I think more should be made of the excellent contribution of Geoffery Rush as Logue, a man that is as common as you or I, yet has to make the King do ridiculous things in order to manage his condition and convince him to treat him as an equal...all done with charm, humour, dignity and a quiet, understated assertiveness. Oh, and Helena Bonham Carter is great too as The Queen Mother...in her youth, obviously.
Technically the film is flawless. The photography is surprisingly beautiful, the production design rich and textured and Tom Hooper is a very fine director. He's great at framing shots to communicate the standing of the two men, both in the eyes of society and each other. Hooper often places the characters on opposite sides of the screen to show Bertie and Logue's differing opinions and the placing of objects in the composition, like the radio microphone for example (which takes on an antagonists status) is placed to the fore of the frame.
A great story that deftly balances the larger world narrative of Kings and War with the smaller story about friendship. Jolly good, wot wot!
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