The King's Speech
Find your voice.
Film Director Tom Hooper is a unique artist, a man who takes obscure stories from the dusty draws of English History and moulds them into masterpieces, his recent successes include a remarkable biography of the football club manager Brian Clough and the first transgender woman Lili Elbe. He likes to focus on incredibly inspiring and uplifting stories, showing underdogs over-coming adversity. The 2010 epic, The Kings Speech is the most striking example of this genre of film and by far Tom Hooper’s greatest achievement. The movie shows the story of King George VI, (Colin Firth), and how he managed to overcome a 30 year stammer to lead Britain with confidence into the impending horrors of the Second World War. In many ways the star of the film is the humble & witty working-class therapist/aspiring actor, Lionel Logue, (Geoffrey Rush), who takes a personal & individualistic approach to patients as opposed to the uselessly outdated methods which were used by George’s, (or as he is frequently called in the film), Bertie’s previous therapists.
The Kings Speech didn’t just sweep the 2011 awards, winning Best Picture at both the BAFTA’s and Oscars, it also topped many of the film critics lists at the end of year, arguably a far harder achievement. One of the unforeseen achievements of the film, is how it made the Royal Family of the day seem less stiff and more human, Bertie had a relatable problem, which consumed him, something that everyday folk around the World immediately connected with, which made the film so incredibly popular. The superb performances from Firth and Rush, who both worked so majestically together on screen, were beautifully complemented by Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, who despite only being in the film for about a half-hour, gives an equally out-standing performance. Danny Cohen’s exquisite cinematography and brisk and sharp editing gives the film a faster and more consistent pace than it would otherwise had. Although there are one or two moments in the second act which do drag slightly on, nevertheless, this stunningly well-made period piece is for me the defining film of our generation on the Royal Family and without doubt one of the best films of the last 15 years.
10/10 – Calum Roberts
