The King's Speech

Film Review by Alastair Roy | 02 Jan 2011
Film title: The King's Speech
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Release date: 7 Jan
Certificate: 12A

 

Just when you think Academy Award nominee Firth is out of costume dramas, they pull him back in. Here he dons the crown of stammering king-to-be George, whose failings as a public speaker are brought home by newfangled contraption radio. Desperate, George and wife Liz (Bonham Carter) turn to Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Those expecting a lesson in the fineries of elocution may be surprised by Logue’s unorthodox methods. He encourages singing and swearing, stripping away class and emotional guards to get George talking and in the process an unlikely bromance forms between royal and commoner – performed pitch perfectly by both. Shits and giggles are put on hold, however, when war kicks off with Germany. An address to the nation is called for, and the now King George VI must face his old foe the microphone. A fascinating insight into an untold piece of history, The King’s Speech is warm-hearted and funny when it could have been frightfully dull. [Alastair Roy]

 

http://www.kingsspeech.com/