"THE KING'S SPEECH" One of the Best of the Year

[Carl M. Zapffe]

http://www.catsmeowmoviecritic.com/id351.html

"THE KING'S SPEECH"(2010)...A ...  This is a jewel of a movie about a minor moment in a history writ large by the advent of World War II. It has largely remained forgotten until this film came along to nudge our indistinct memories, and it is surprising that it is resonating the way it is since it is about a long dead British monarch who suffered from a severe case of stuttering. After all, who today is interested in a period historical docudrama when our attention span is measured in nanoseconds and our interest in history rarely goes back beyond the Vietnam War? 

What were they thinking when they gave the green light to this project? Well, what they were thinking was to bring to the silver screen a small cinematic gem which is wonderfully cast and brilliantly acted with each role perfectly portrayed and nuanced. This film is about much more than King George VI overcoming his stuttering affliction. It is really about eternal values such as honor, duty, respect, service, perseverance, overcoming adversity, love of country, love of family, but especially about a very singular friendship between a commoner and the King of Britain. 

We are always looking for heroes, and the unlikely tale of how Albert, the Duke of York and a man who never wanted to be king, ascended to the throne after his brother's abdication touches our hearts. He even had to change his given name from Albert to George because Albert sounded too Germanic. This is the fascinating behind the scenes look at how Albert conquered his affliction and went from a stilted, halting speaker to a beloved King and wartime leader of the British Empire who learned how to speak to his subjects.  

Although born well after the Thirties, I have vague recollections of "Stammerin' Bertie" and more memories of Wallace Warfield Simpson, the divorcée who stole King Edward VIII from the throne to live ever after in shabby splendor and royal isolation at a chateau in France as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Only briefly mentioned in passing in this film is that King Edward VIII had great sympathy for the ideals of the Third Reich and was an ardent admirer of Hitler. Hardly the right man to inspire his nation on to war against the horrific Nazi regime.  

Of course, many movies have been made about the Windsors, and I also recall the spreads featuring them in Life and other magazines. She stuck out in my mind because she hailed from Baltimore, Maryland, which happens to be where I was born. Even more so, the romance of giving up your throne for the woman you love continues to capture our imagination even though the truth of the matter is that they were two silly, small-minded people who deserved each other. Britain was far better off in having them off the world stage. 

Prince Edward of Wales, brilliantly played here by Guy Pearce (who disappears into his role), was the handsome and dashing elder son of King George V and thus the heir to the British throne as the future King Edward VIII. He flew planes, loved the high life, and he socialized incessantly at Sandringham Castle and elsewhere. 

Conversely "Bertie" (Colin Firth), the Duke of York, was quiet and very happily married to Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the Duchess of York. All he ever wanted to do with his life was to continue his career as a naval officer. He was also a doting father to his two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. This is surprising given the fact that he had a very difficult ongoing relationship with his father, King George V (Michael Gambon) after an even more difficult childhood. 

We are shocked and appalled when King George V tells Bertie to stiffen up, and then he tells his son that he expects to be hated by Bertie just as much as he had hated his own father. It comes out later that Albert had suffered from rickets as a child and had his legs in painful splints for a long period of time. This and the constant hazing from his brother brought on his severe case of stuttering which began when he was about five.  

One of the wonderful things to observe in this movie is the loving and supportive relationship enjoyed by Albert and Elizabeth. She was constantly in his corner, and when she observed him giving a garbled speech at a public function she knew that she had to do something. After all, the Duke of York would be giving speeches for the rest of his life. Many professionals were summoned to help, but all proved ineffectual. Let's face it: the level of professionalism for speech therapists then was less than stellar. For example, they advised Albert to smoke cigarettes, as "smoking soothes the throat and the lungs." 

Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, hears about an unorthodox speech therapist working in one of the seedier sections of London, so in desperation she calls upon him masquerading as a wealthy commoner with the nom de plume, "Mrs. Johnson." Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) wins her confidence with his common sense approach, but later he offends the rather stiff and proper Albert with his overt familiarity and his desire to dig into Albert's childhood to ascertain the cause of his affliction. 

However, necessity proves to be the mother of invention, so "Mr. Johnson" puts his reservations aside and continues on with his therapy, which starts to produce positive results. Then King Edward VIII abdicates the throne and the charade of "Mr. Johnson" falls by the wayside. Now as a reluctant King George VI, everything is building up to his address to the nation after Germany invaded Poland and the world is on the brink of war. 

This movie is the story of the working relationship and the growing trust and even friendship between the King of Britain and an oddball speech coach from Australia, all the more unusual for the fact that he was the first and perhaps the only commoner who was ever a personal friend of this King. 

Adding to my delight with this movie are the warm family scenes that Lionel shares with his own family, including his wife Myrtle (Jennifer Ehle) and their two sons. Lionel challenges his sons with games and scenes from theatrical plays to test their memory, and they are so gifted that they know the answers almost before he slips into his roles. (As an aside here, it is a further delight to see Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle back together again, at least in the same movie, after their stunning triumph as Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in the thrilling 1995 BBC production of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice.")

I could not let this review pass without commenting on how close the diction of the characters in this movie are to my memory of the reality from the newsreel clips of the day and television interviews. For example, Colin Firth slips into his role with spot on enunciation and voice inflection, and Timothy Spall does the same in his portrayal of Winston Churchill well before he became Prime Minister. 118 minutes and rated R for some language.

Carl M. Zapffe,

The Cat's Meow Movie Critic

http://www.catsmeowmoviecritic.com