THE KING'S SPEECH

Pepe's View:

Based on a true story of Lionel Logue, (played superbly by Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist with no formal training in the field and how he successfully assisted the King of England, George VI , (played superbly again by Colin Firth) overcome a speech impairment so that he could successfully speak to the population by radio as war with Germany was declared.  The movie is full of humour as Logue deals with a very sceptical George VI and eventually becomes his friend and confidant.  It was Logue's belief that stammering, especially when there is no physical problem evident, is the direct result of the stammerers upbringing.  The fact that "Bertie" was terrified of his bullying father and in the constant shadow of his elder brother Edward becomes very evident as the film progresses and I wondered how factual this aspect was.
The minor characters are all wonderfully portrayed and developed and along with some excellent cinematography and editing this film is a delight.  It is interesting, humorous, clever and above all based on fact.  It deserves to do well in the awards but being British, with no big name Hollywood actor present, I know it will miss out.

My Score:  8.5/10



Ma's View:

It was with great anticipation that we set out to see this movie on Boxing Day – not a good choice of day as everyone else was at the movies too! Two of my favourite actors, Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth together in the one movie were the cause of my anticipation and it was warranted, even though the movie turned out to be a little on the long side.

Based on historical events, the movie depicts the anguish of the stuttering Prince Albert (Bertie), at the unexpected prospect of becoming king upon his brother’s abdication and being faced with the necessity of making public speeches. Complicating his dilemma is the advent of radio and the requirement to provide leadership and encouragement to his people in wartime. Colin Firth is able to capture all the pain, frustration and embarrassment of a man who has much of import to say and the will to say it but not the means.  His guide and mentor and in this was the irreverant Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, (Rush) who has no official qualifications and whose methods are original to say the least.  The development of the friendship between these two men from such different levels of society is central to the film's success and there are many ups and downs and wry humour along the way.

Director Tom Hooper has perfectly captured the historical context aided by such greats as Michael Gambon (George V), Derek Jacobi (Archbishop), while Guy Pearce is perfect as the bored, affected playboy Edward and Helena Bonham-Carter is delightful as the future Queen Mother.

No wonder it is up for Oscar contention!

My score:  8.5/10