The King's Speech (2010)

4.5/5 -- A flawless film, only tarnished slightly by its flawed history.


Colin Firth gives a career defining performance as King George VI.

Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: David Seidler (screenplay)
Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter

The King’s Speech is the (almost) true story of King George VI’s ascension and his struggle with a crippling fear of public speaking. After trying various methods to cure King George VI’s (Colin Firth) stammer, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) takes him to see Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) who uses some unconventional methods to allow him to speak more liberally. This film is as much a study of the changing relationship between King ‘Bertie’ and his servant as it is a story about a man overcoming a personal social obstacle that has a profound impact on his life and, as monarch, his job.

This is a brilliant film, it is original, engaging and perfectly paced; it is moving but at the same time is laugh-out-loud funny. It’s superbly acted and wonderfully shot. Tom Hooper’s clever direction allows the audience to always be aware of the historical context of the scene, while at the same time keeping them engaged. The effect is to modernise the story - we are not constantly aware that we are watching a historical drama set in a time that most of us will not have experienced (thus distancing us from the film), rather we feel a part of Bertie and Lionel’s world.

As you would expect given the cast, the film’s acting is excellent across the board. I have to admit, I’m not always Colin Firth’s greatest fan, I feel his role selection is sometimes questionable and he doesn’t have a huge range, but this role is perfect for him and he acts it faultlessly. He thoroughly deserves his Academy Award. Geoffrey Rush is a perfect foil, although I felt his portrayal of Lionel Logue was perhaps a bit too modern, and Helena Bonham Carter is, as ever, wonderfully understated.

I really want to give this film 5/5, and certainly as a piece of cinema it deserves that, but historically, unfortunately the film doesn’t tell the whole story. Firstly, I find it near impossible to believe that Bertie and Lionel held quite as close a relationship as the film purports and certainly I think there is a stunning lack of deference between King George VI and the press and politicians of the 20’s and 30’s, his subjects, lest we forget. More importantly, Churchill’s role in the whole affair is bizarrely rewritten to make him appear a close friend of Bertie, when really he was a supporter of his pro-Hitler older brother Edward VIII. Yes, Churchill was a war hero and yes American history teaches he can do no wrong, but David Seidler missed an opportunity to portray a more complicated and interesting character in, what can generously be called, his distorted caricature of Churchill.