The timing couldn’t be better for the release of a masterful movie about monarchy. Just as Britain’s likable Prince William and his Kate prepare to marry in April, “The King’s Speech” is delivered today as an inspiring, witty prelude. It amplifies the private struggle and eventual public triumph of Will’s great-grandpa, who would become King George VI.
With the help of an iconoclastic Australian speech therapist and a spirited wife (Helena Bonham Carter) — the future Queen Mum of the current Queen Elizabeth — a shy heir unapparent (Colin Firth) really did overcome a speech impediment. And he did it just in time to survive the age of broadcast media, to preserve a crown amid unprecedented scandal, and to provide symbolic strength to an empire soon forced into world war.
Though it is a character-focused period piece of the 1920s and ’30s about royalty set in another country, director Tom Hooper (HBO’s “John Adams”) and a pitch-perfect cast make it a delightful crowd-pleaser. Yet they never dumb it down.
| IF YOU GO |
| ‘The King’s Speech’ |
| » Rating: 5 out of 5 stars |
| » Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter |
| » Director: Tom Hooper |
| » Rated R for some language. |
| » Running time: 111 minutes |
In fact, “The King’s Speech” garnered the most nods on Tuesday when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its Golden Globes award nominations. The seven nominations were for best picture, best actor in a drama (Firth), best supporting actress (Carter), best supporting actor (Rush), best director, best screenplay and best score.
The MPAA’s ratings board has committed a travesty by branding it with an “R” (over one hilarious scene in which a tirade of swearing serves as a therapeutic exercise). To the contrary, “Speech” idealizes with great taste and makes personal and accessible a noteworthy sidebar to modern history. It’s just the thing that could make some precocious middle or high schooler excited about the study of history or the art of fine film.
According to the script by David Seidler, when the stuttering George (Colin Firth) was still Duke of York, he had a disastrous debut on radio, which was becoming dominant. As his father King George V (Michael Gambon) died and his older brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) assumed the throne, unwilling to give up his twice-divorced American mistress Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), George knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to assume a responsibility he never wanted.
Enter the commoner Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). George at first resists the no-nonsense Aussie, who used unconventional techniques and had little reverence for monarchy. But the unlikely pair would eventually form a working relationship and friendship that would ready George to be a proper, eloquent king.
The journey there is a joy thanks especially to Firth, who gives the tour de force of a career. He carefully navigates the speech impediment while maintaining the titled royal bearing and still congenial personality of a compelling protagonist. A playful Carter and forceful Rush provide Oscar-worthy support in one of the best films of 2010.
