The King's Speech

2010. Dir: Tom Hooper. Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce and Timothy Spall. ●●●●○



January was, as it is every year, a very tough month. In all I made it to the cinema 10 times but there were three films I managed to miss that I really should have made the effort for, so over the next few months (during the dark dismal days that is summer programming) I will be revisiting the gaps. First up is Tom Hooper's royal family biopic The King's Speech, a delightful combination of period stylings, technical brilliance and a warming relationship between an odd couple which nevertheless fails to be more than the sum of it's parts.



On the off-chance that you've spent the last 12 months under a rock and let the Best Picture Oscar winner wash over you completely the film follows the Duke of York cum King George VI (Colin Firth) attempts to deal with his crippling stammer which the aid of hammy actor turned speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). The ups and downs between these two wildly divergent characters, the former a buttoned up, quick tempered monarch in waiting and the later a smugly relaxed Aussie chancer, is set against the tumultuous historical background of the 1930's including the abdication of his brother Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) and the rise of Nazism, culminating in George's first wartime speech - hence the title.

That the film succeeds largely lies with it's two leads. Colin Firth gives an exemplary performance, completely inhabiting the role without over playing the disability. Geoffrey Rush is also superb, attacking the tough supportive role with gusto perfectly balancing the eccentricities with the genuine concern for his patient. The humorous exchanges in Logue's study reflecting the shifting acceptances of each others world and the battling egos both needing control of the sessions.

If this relationship hadn't worked as well then the entire film would've juddered to a halt, but thankfully Firth and Rush have created a fully realised on-screen male friendship dynamic that rivals Redford and Newman in The Sting.

Elsewhere in the cast Helena Bonham Carter and Jennifer Ehle give sterling support as the spouses of our bromantic leads, but beyond that most of the performances seemed out of place. Guy Pearce is one-note and awfully affected whilst Timothy Spall's Churchill seems more like a caricature than a impersonation.

Indeed the various historical events in the background often seem forced or glossed over. Old King dies, check, Brother abdicates, check, war is announced, check. All of these occasions drift by, glibly handled but largely irrelevant to the main storyline, that of a therapist helping a troubled man to find his voice. The irrelevance (along with the indeterminable montages during the titular speech) ultimately belittle the historical context, as if Hitler was purely defeated by George's resilience toward a microphone.

Technically the film is a marvel, so much so it's difficult to argue with any of the production team's stunning haul of five "technical" oscar nominations. Danny Cohen's cinematography in particular is worthy of high praise framing the characters in particular and plot-relevant ways throughout and placing the audience firmly within the world of the movie. Eve Stewart and Judy Farr also contribute greatly thanks to their gorgeous production and set design.

Tom Hooper's greatest achievement as a director is making us forget we're essentially watching two guys in a room together, ultimately this feels much more expansive in spite of majority of the film taking place in the gloom of pre-war interiors.

The King's Speech is a film that everyone can and should enjoy, featuring beautiful work both in front and behind the camera, I just wish it had a little more to say.