King George (Firth) steels himself for a round of imperial troubleshooting.
The red light flashes four times. Silence echoes across the nation. The world waits in suspense as King George VI steps forward to speak, fearing the worst.
Directed by Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech” brings history to life through the supreme performances of actors Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffery Rush, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce and Eve Best.
When the movie opens, Prince Albert, or the Duke of York (Colin Firth), is practically sweating bullets as he prepares to step forward and make a speech for the British Exhibition in 1925. As a life-long sufferer of stammering, Albert fears the podium above all and finds difficulty getting a few syllables out before he’s overcome with stammering. With nothing but the best in mind, Albert’s wife, Lady Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), made it her mission to help her husband in overcoming his stammer by finding the best speech therapist money could buy.
At the suggestion of others, Elizabeth seeks out the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffery Rush),
Fast-forward eleven years to 1936. The reign of King George V (Michael Gambon) has died and his reign has come to an end. His oldest son, Prince David, or the Duke of Windsor (Guy Pearce) succeeded him for the throne as King Edward VIII.
But conflicts arise when King Edward refuses to cut off relations with a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), even though the church does not recognize marriage to a divorced person and he is, as King, head of the church. Confident that his happiness can only continue if he marries Wallis, King Edward stepped down from the throne to pursue his own happiness, rather than the protection of his nation, which is on the brink of entering war with Germany.
David’s abdication causes great distress to Albert for many reasons. His brother’s obvious irresponsibility is disturbing, but not quite as disturbing as the fact that as King, Albert would be required to speak publicly for his nation.
Through the course of many sessions, the use of unorthodox therapy techniques and angry tirades from the King (all complete with continual swearing), Lionel helps Albert find his way past his stammering and through his first wartime speech. After this triumph, Lionel continues as Albert’s therapist for the entirety of his reign and the two of them form an unbreakable friendship.
“The King’s Speech” made its initial debut on just four screens November 2010 for just four days and opened to the rest of USA December 2010. It received twelve Oscar Nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Colin Firth, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Geoffery Rush and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Helena Bonham Carter.
This film received an R rating for profanity.
-by Courtney Unander
