BY BROOKE KING, Lions’ Pride Entertainment Editor
While being far from a dry, slow-witted British film, The King’s Speech is a remarkable new take on a historical film. Besides, who doesn’t like a royal curse tantrum that would make even the Queen Mum blush?
The story takes place right before World War II in 1925, where Prince Albert (Collin Firth) is giving a speech for the British Empire Expedition in which his words fail him from nerves and he begins to stammer his entire speech. His wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), though heartfelt and compassionate, takes it upon herself to help her royal husband overcome his speech impediment.
After a stressful and embarrassing session with a speech therapist, Prince Albert refuses to see another doctor until Elizabeth coerces him to see one last doctor. At the aversion of another exhausting session of therapy, His Highness recluses into a snobbish prince, refusing to cooperate with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist whose wildly eccentric methods of curing Prince Albert of his speech problem includes treating each speech session more like therapy. At one point, Logue calls Prince Albert “Bertie,” to which the Prince’s reaction is priceless.
When Albert’s brother Edward abdicates the throne, creating a royal no-no, Edward runs off to marry an American harlot named Wallis Simpson (Eve Best). The once Prince Albert, who assuredly thought he would never have to be king, is thrust into the public spotlight.
The uncanny friendship of a king and a commoner shows the dramatic and hilarious series of historical events that unfurls throughout the film. From the coronation speech preparation scene, where Logue purposely sits in Saint Edwards chair to enrage the soon to be king, to the now crowned King of England’s first wartime speech; the film brings to a head one of the most listened to broadcasts of BBC radio. King George VI’s infamous speech that he gave, announcing that Britain was now at war with Nazi Germany, depicted the poise and prestige of a nation on the brink of war.
The film has received 12 Oscar nominations and Firth has already received a Golden Globe Award for his acting in the film. Though this film oozes with British national pride, the acting performances and uncanny British wit infused throughout the film, creates an impressive array of dramatic ambiance that makes this film one of the best of this year.
