"...I have a voice!"
From the time I heard about this movie, I knew I not only wanted to see it, but that I would have to see it. What's not to love...Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Great Britain history about a monarch, and did I say Colin Firth? I was pleasantly suprised to see that unlike many movies that include this type of storyline, The King's Speech is actually playing at the mainstream movie theatres and showings were easy to find.
The father of the present Queen Elizabeth was a King that I knew a little about - he was the man that stepped in when his brother abdicated the throne for a woman, he died at a fairly young age and his daughter had to return home from a trip to become Queen. I knew he was the King during WW2 and that he was married to the woman I knew as the Queen Mother. So, to discover that he had a stammer was a new bit of information - and I was intrigued to learn more about this man. What I discovered was that I really liked this man...and he died too soon (he was only 52).
The storyline is about a man who is second in line for the British throne who unfortunately suffers from a stammer This is a problem because some of his duties include occasionally giving a speech on behalf of the royals. Although he is the second son, this serious man appears to be the more mature, more responsible son. Possibly a good choice in wives helped to give him the grounding that he needed. I really loved Helena Bonham Carter in her role as Elizabeth - the Queen Mother - and I felt that she is the "hero" of the movie. A strong woman, who was born a "commoner" pursued by His Royal Highness, Albert (Bertie to his family) even after she turned down not only one, but two marriage proposals. The decision to continue asking her shows that he really was an intelligent man, as this marriage was probably the thing that made him. She is the person who stood by his side as he struggled with this horrible stammer, but even more importantly, she found help for him, even after he said no more. Thank goodness she did, for her discovery of Lionel Logue was the turning point in the future Kings' ability to not only give a speech to the British people, but to give hope to them in a time of crisis.
The film is rated R for the language, because Lionel Logue discovers that "Bertie" doesn't stutter when he is cursing - so there is a large amount of cursing, but it isn't done in a way that offends. Actually, the film is quite funny when Lionel and Bertie are together and the two actors (Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth) are the best on-screen duo of the year! Their timing and chemistry together are perfect - they become these two men, that have so little in common, but have such a need for one another.
Gorgeous to watch (Colin Firth in uniform, as well), funny but heartbreaking - we also learn possible explanations for the stammer - this film should not only be a big winner with awards this year, it should be a big winner with the audiences.
