Written by: David Seidler
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall
Rating: [3.5/5]
In order to properly lead, those in positions of authority must possess a prerequisite of abilities in order for people to have faith in them. They can have their deficiencies but the skill of public speaking remains paramount, especially in moments where they must address their constituents. The King’s Speech delves into a tale of a royal trying to keep things together mentally as he struggles with his speech, making for a tidy inspirational tale with some great moments of victorious joy.
Struggling with his stammer while speaking and having seen multiple certified specialists, Prince Albert’s (Colin Firth) next approach set up by his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), involves someone outside of the norm in Australian Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). As the unconventional methods begin to have a positive effect, Albert must deal with the issues of the throne and who will ascend to it.
While being a more than competent film, The King’s Speech will forever continue to languish as one of those Best Picture winners that has aged terribly. Those where it has its qualities but nowhere near the competition it took on. We’ve seen this happen aplenty with films like How Green Was My Valley beating out Citizen Kane or the more contemporary example of CODA beating out many superior films that came out in 2021. This film unfortunately beat out one of the greatest films of the 21st century in The Social Network for Best Picture, and Tom Hooper denied David Fincher a much deserved Best Director prize. All elements out of its control but still very much part of its legacy.
Despite this weight it carries over its head, The King’s Speech exhibits a handsomeness to it that appealed to the Academy and overall works quite well. We have this pressure building within Albert in his attempts to fix himself and we have the wily Lionel trying to force him to figure it out. Obviously other methods have not delivered the desired result and therefore Lionel provides something a bit different and it starts to make a difference. These scenes shared between the pair make for the best moments the film has to offer, seeing as Lionel does his best to provide the proper service without having this reverence for him as a royal and giving him some special treatment. It really displays just how well Geoffrey Rush did as Lionel in making these scenes the highlight.
In the background of this speech therapy for Albert we have the whole issue of the ascension and as a second son, the only way he will step in as the next King will come from an abdication by his older brother or his death. Given the title of the film we can assume one of those instances will occur but with the reality of him having to step up at some point of this film, it does speak to the pressures that comes with leadership. These monarchs did not get into their position because of an election where they convinced others but rather through a birthright. He cannot be voted out of his position by the people because he cannot properly give a speech other than an all out revolution, which members of parliament would prefer to avoid. It really speaks to the appearance of strength that remains paramount for a sovereign leader to display, even if those behind the scenes know the truth. This, unsurprisingly, puts plenty of pressure on Albert to get this right, especially with the advent of the technology like radios that will have addresses broadcast right into the homes of the people of England. We feel this pressure throughout the film and those scenes where this fear emanates from the face of Albert displays the finer moments of what Colin Firth does with the character, including all the yelling he does out of frustration.
A wonderfully rousing film that both seeks to inspire and provide some good broad entertainment as well. The King’s Speech has a strong cast of English staples from Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, and several more. Getting those moments of triumphs and when Albert manages to say things properly with the weight of this situation on its shoulder just gets the job done just as movies should. While carrying around the weight of beating out far superior films for Best Picture, it still warrants its own respect.
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