The King's Speech

2010

1h 58m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

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The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Directors

Tom Hooper

Writers

David Seidler(writer by)

Stars

Colin Firth

Geoffrey Rush

Helena Bonham Carter

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King George VI

Lionel Logue

Queen Elizabeth

King Edward VIII

Winston Churchill

King George V

Myrtle Logue

Archbishop Cosmo Lang

Princess Elizabeth

Princess Margaret

Private Secretary

Equerry

Wallis Simpson

Chauffeur

BBC Radio Announcer

Robert Wood

BBC Technician

Dr. Blandine Bentham

Directors

Tom Hooper

Writers

David Seidler(writer by)

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Review

Featured review

7/10

Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth make for quite a pairing in this touching drama of King George VI and his speech impediment. Being called upon for public speaking only increased the anxiety of the then Duke of York (Firth) and so his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) decided that there had to be a better way to treat her husband than sticking an handful of marbles in this mouth. She, as "Mrs. Johnson" sets up a chat with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) and he, having no idea who she really is, only agrees to see him if he comes to his consulting room. Unfamiliar with the backchat, but impressed by his independent mindedness, TRH duly arrive and once Logue gets over the shock, he begins to deal with his new, cash-are, client in a polite but hardly deferential fashion. Gradually we see that progress is being made. Not just with the confidence of the Prince at speechifying, but also with his attitude and behaviour in general. He likes Logue, Logue likes him and thanks to some airfix kits, quite a bit of the old Anglo-Saxon and all under the discreet but potent supervision of the Duchess, the young man comes better prepared for what is to come next - after the Abdication Crisis, that is... There's a great rapport between the two men here as this speculative story offers us a plausible and engaging look at just how tough and unforgiving society was to those who stammered - regardless of their rank. Rush also juggles Logue's role of a career man with that of a loving family man well as well as a budding Thespian entertainingly too. Astutely, Tom Hooper leaves the vast majority of the film to just those two men. HBC adds a touch of diversion now and again and Sir Derek Jacobi weighs in as the outwardly rather unsympathetic Archbishop Lang but for the most part it's just them. It's history, we know what actually happened but over these two hours we do get a sense of beginning to know a little of the man beneath the crown and of his honest and forthright advisor and of why they might have become firm friends. No gimmicks, no CGI - just a solid script, some great production design and two strong performances.

Geronimo196701 Apr, 2024