It is seldom that a movie comes along that knocks me off my feet. I'm kind of a movie snob, but I did blog not too long ago about enjoying Shawshank Redemption and An Education. Last night Kyle and I went out for a date and saw The King's Speech.
Wow.
I can't say enough good about this movie. It is proof that quality film does not require millions of dollars spent on explosions, car chases and over-the-top special effects. This film is solely based on character. It's not even about plot. It delves so deeply yet respectfully into the lives of the main characters provoking in the viewer deep interest, compassion, searing pain and elation. The dialogue captivates. Quality direction and perfect soundtrack enhnce its beauty.
Casting? Superb. Colin Firth plays King George the VI, a tormented man who believes himself unworthy of his title. Having grown up with a stammer, he has no self-confidence and has spent much of his life playing second fiddle to older brother Edward who abdicated the throne to King George so he could marry a twice-divorced American. Firth expertly portrays a man devastated upon the realization that he is about to be saddled with the burden of running the country on the brink of war with Hitler, and feeling entirely unworthy of the charge. Yet King George VI does not shirk what he knows to be his duty. He endeavors to find a way to learn to speak to his subjects.
Helena Bonham Carter plays his devoted, witty wife and though a tad haughty, she clearly cherishes her husband and wants him to overcome his speech impediment so he can see himself as the man she sees him as. And so she visits a Mr. Logue - superbly acted by Geoffrey Rush. She's a bit out of her element in a dodgier part of town and trying to operate the elevator in Mr. Logue's building, but she persists in her endeavor to find someone who can help her husband. She pretends to be Mrs. Johnson, wanting absolute anonymity. She tells Mr. Logue that her husband is in public speaking but has a stammer. Mr. Logue humorously suggests he find a new job. She returns with the fact that that is not a possibility. He wonders aloud if her husband is an indentured servant, and she replies, "Yes, sort of!" She eventually reveals the truth of who she and her husband are, and requests that Mr. Logue come confidentially to their home to treat her husband, but he refuses, saying "My castle, my rules". His clearly operates on his own terms, and the viewer immediately warms to him at his ability to stand up, though respectfully, to the Duchess.
Bertie, (King George, to family), had already proclaimed to be done with the speech therapists. He was at his wits end with ridiculous attempts to speak more clearly. Bertie wants treatment on his terms and Mr. Logue sticks with his motto of "My castle, my rules". The first appointment ends badly, but before leaving, Mr. Logue records Bertie reading a passage from Hamlet while listening to music so he can't hear himself speak. Bertie throws down the headphones and storms out, refusing to play anymore games. But Mr. Logue hands him the record for a "souvenir".
Some time later, curiosity gets the better of Bertie, and he listens to the record. To his amazement, and that of the Duchess who is eavesdropping, he hears himself speak clearly. He soon returns to Mr. Logue's.
They still proceed in a battle of wills, of sorts. Bertie and the Duchess insist that their privacy be respected and that treatment consist only of "mechanical" aspects, while Mr. Logue knows that there is more than mechanics behind the King's impediment. Slowly he will draw Bertie out of his shell, but there are a few tense moments before the two when Bertie suspects that Logue is prying too deep or taking too much liberty.
A friendship develops between the two and their sessions are filled with humor. Bertie insists that they be on a first name basis, and though it doesn't go over well at first, the viewer understands that Logue has a purpose in this. Through one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I've witnessed in film, Bertie describes the abusive childhood he had at the hands of a harsh nanny. Sometimes having to sing the lines because it is to difficult to speak them, he unveils the deeply-seated anguish that is behind his stutter. Logue begins the endeavor of building Bertie's self-esteem, which leads to a brief falling-out between the two.
As it becomes closer to the coronation of Bertie after Edward abdicates, he again requests Logue's tutelage, and though he isn't completely able to apologize, (as royalty doesn't apologize)one gets the impression that his reaching out to Logue was in and of itself an apology. Logue, too, apologizes. Throughout it all, Firth portrays the suffering King George experienced flawlessly. It is always present, sometimes hitting the viewer with a punch to the stomach, sometimes subtly, but it's always there.
In Westminster Abbey, Logue and Bertie rehearse for the coronation. The Archbishop of Canterbury is distrustful of Logue and is disrespectful of him. Bertie sticks up for Logue and tells the Archbishop that he wants Logue to be seated in the Royal box where family sits. He later learns that Logue has no credentials and is no doctor, which Logue never professed to be but it was taken for granted apparently. This leads to yet another temporary fracture between the two.
Tension mounts as the King must prepare a speech to engage the country in the ensuing war, doublly overwhelming to the King who must speak and can't. Again he turns to the man who has helped him so much. Logue stands in front of Bertie for the duration of the nine minute speech to "rally the troops". Logue has designed a small room of comfort and familiarity and has the "evil eye" of the red recording light turned off to relieve Bertie from the stress of performing under pressure. And touchingly, he tells Bertie to speak just to him - as a friend - something Bertie has never had. This moment reinforces the importance of Logue's earlier demand of being on even footing. King George VI gives a brilliantly moving speech set to a splendid version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 II. It's poignant, moving, and the viewer wants to cheer for Bertie. After he finishes Logue humorously points out that he still stammered on the W's and Bertie fires back that he had to do it so they would "know it was me". For the first time, Logue refers to Bertie as "your majesty", showing respect to the man who finally has found his voice.
This film cries perseverance. It commands one to do their duty. It requires one to work hard. It shows triumph over diversity. It shows that no matter how afraid we are, and what terrors we have faced, they can be overcome. We can become our best self no matter what we've endured. King George's speech isn't perfect. It's halting and has a few stammers. But it's his personal best and far more representative of the man he is and has become. His strength is portrayed in every word.
The task to motivate a country into war would not be easy under any circumstances. For King George VI, it was terrifying. Imagine having to face your darkest fears under the most difficult circumstances. Yet he succeeds beautifully.
On a final note, this film has an R rating due to language, but the language is used only in two circumstances in the context of speech therapy. I would not hesitate to take a teenager to see this film merely because of its R rating. It's message is well worth it.
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