Movies about the British monarchy are a tricky subject. They are usually quick to convince the audience that monarchs are also human beings, no matter what. Of course nobody ever makes a movie about the fact that they spend heaps of tax money on random goods, parties and useless fox hunting equipment. So yes the Kings speech is one of these movies.But it still managed to move me on a very profound level.
Firth plays King George VI, who, to overcome his stutter, is introduced to Lionel Logue, an unorthodox speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The two men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates, the new king relies on Logue to help him make a radio broadcast at the beginning of World War II.
The acting is truly superb, splendid performances from Firth, Rush and Bonham-Carter and Guy Pearce. They all worked hard and yet they deliver their lines with such ease, Geoffrey Rush is something else all together : he's more a magician than an actor, his performance is funny, witty and sometimes very innocent. Rush has the rare ability to change his face from funny to tragic without doing much in a matter of a minute. He managed to add a touch of Shakespearian magic to Pirates of the Caribbean. Without him the story would have lacked a serious undercurrent of deep emotions. The chemistry between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is breathtaking. Rush's character is so upfront and unafraid, he's the teacher so take it or leave it, he makes his own rules and stands firmly by them.
Firth is equally amazing, but after his performance in Single Man I wasn't very surprised that he managed to improve his acting even more so. You can truly see and feel how he struggles, mentally and physically to speak without stammering. Bonham-Carter as the Queen Mum is the ever patient, kind and loving wife, who has a lot of character and knows how to deal with the rather unusual teacher of her husband. So with all these amazing performances you can be forgiven for really liking the film.
Firth's King has a temper which is excused by psychological problems, he can understandably get quite frustrated. But these movies about the monarchy can do a lot if damage to historical accuracy, people can quickly forget that monarchies are of a certain dictatorial evilness. The series "The Tudors" is another tricky subject, the evil king is far too hot. Are the British trying to idealize their monarchy with subtle hints that we are all human beings? Even if we can believe such a worrying conspiracy the King's Speech is still amazing and has deserved all it's four oscars. The cinematography by Danny Cohen too is fantastic and contributes greatly to the claustrophobic intimidating feeling of the new technology towards the King. The scene where the microphone reflects cruely his struggling to address the nation is both tense and electrifying at the same time. So all together an amazing film which perhaps kind of refuses to underline and accept the fact that King Edward VIII was a Nazi sympathizer and King George was not.
