‘King’s Speech’ offers standout performances from Firth,
Rush
A story about a man trying to overcome a stutter hardly seems
like the kind of plot point that will be able to sustain a two-hour
movie, and offer up enough tense moments to make viewers feel that
the story is worth watching.
But screenwriter David Seidler and director Tom Hooper are able
to take just such a story and turn it into an engaging film that is
worthy of the Oscar buzz that has been surrounding it the last few
weeks. Of course, the stuttering subject is a man who would
eventually become King of England, so the filmmakers had that going
for them.
‘King’s Speech’ offers standout performances from Firth, Rush
A story about a man trying to overcome a stutter hardly seems like the kind of plot point that will be able to sustain a two-hour movie, and offer up enough tense moments to make viewers feel that the story is worth watching.
But screenwriter David Seidler and director Tom Hooper are able to take just such a story and turn it into an engaging film that is worthy of the Oscar buzz that has been surrounding it the last few weeks. Of course, the stuttering subject is a man who would eventually become King of England, so the filmmakers had that going for them.
King George VI (Colin Firth), father of the current Queen Mum, started stuttering when he was a boy of 4 or 5. The speech impediment plagued him well into adulthood, and the filmmakers pick up at a time in his life when the ability to speak in public becomes important.
The film starts in the late 1920s, with Prince Albert (his name before the coronation) trying to find a cure for his stammer. His wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), has been pushing him to see specialists who might be able to cure him. He gets recommendations to do such things as smoke cigarettes because it will help relax the larynx and also lower his stress level. One doctor has him shoving marbles into his mouth and then reading from a book, with commands to enunciate. None of the unorthodox treatments work. He has given up.
Despite the way he gets tongue tied, Prince Albert’s father King George V (Michael Gambon) keeps pressuring him to speak in public. His brother Michael, who is heir to the throne, has shrugged off his responsibilities in favor of partying and taking up with married women. A dutiful son, Albert does all the things asked of him even as his anxiety mounts and leaves him unable to get more than a few syllables out at a time.
His wife, Elizabeth, hasn’t given up hope yet. She discovers a speech therapist who she believes might be able to cure her husband. Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) works out of a rundown office without a secretary. When he meets with the new client, who tells him her name is Mrs. Johnson to protect her husband’s identity, Lionel says that he only meets with clients in his office and only if they are willing to follow his rules. After she reveals her husband is part of the royal family, Lionel still insists that the client come to him.
Albert is uncertain the first time he meets with Lionel, and he seems to want something akin to an instant miracle, which Lionel can’t provide. Lionel also tries to get the Prince to reveal things about his childhood and his personal life, which Albert refuses to do. During the first meeting, Lionel insists that they call each other by first name, something that is uncomfortable for a man used to being addressed as “Your Royal Highness.” During their first meeting, Lionel promises he can get Albert to read a passage of Shakespeare without stuttering. The Prince is skeptical, but he tries anyway, with headphones on playing music. Lionel records his speech, but Albert has had enough and decides not to continue with the therapy. Lionel gives him the record as a souvenir.
Many months pass, and eventually Albert puts the record on. He is amazed to hear himself speaking in a clear voice without the awkward pausing and starts he usually has. He returns to Lionel’s office and promises to follow his rules – except he still refuses to talk about his personal life and just wants the therapy to be about the mechanics of his speech.
Lionel obliges, though he still believes they will only be able to go so far without dealing with the issues that led to and exacerbated the stuttering. Soon the movie becomes more about Albert’s trust in Lionel and use of his therapy sessions as a safe haven. Albert opens up about things he has never talked about and lets his guard down around the speech specialist. Eventually Albert is able to open up about his fears for the future and the way he was treated as a child due to his stutter. The movie eventually turns to the a struggle for the throne and leading a country into war for the second time, adding even more pressure on Albert to learn to speak clearly in public.
Rush and Firth bring depth to the roles they play, and they are especially good as a common man and a prince who find they can interact on equal footing. The two actors spend the most time on screen, and the most tense scenes contain the two of them as Albert learns to let down the walls he has built up for most of his life. Bonham Carter offers a compelling turn as the wife of the Prince, and shows that she handle a more contained role than the ones she often has (such as in Tim Burton movies and the “Harry Potter” films.) Michael Chambon and Guy Pearce are strong in their roles, even though their time on screen is limited. Pearce is perfect as the playboy prince who doesn’t really want to stand up and be king.
The movie has already been nominated for seven Golden Globes, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, among other awards. When Oscar nominations are announced later this month, “The King’s Speech” will make the list – and so far it’s the movie I’ve seen from 2010 that most deserves the nod.
