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I was looking forward to seeing The King's Speech all year and now it is finally here! I must admit that I did actually enjoy it more than I was expecting to. It is a beautiful story that is truly inspiring and surprisingly a film that can and will make its audiences cry like it almost made me cry. Admittedly, I never really knew very much about King George VI until I saw this but he has really opened my eyes and has shown me that it is indeed Great Britain. I would naturally call The King's Speech an underdog story because Britain goes from bad to worse and then George picks this country up and fights! The film also demonstrated the passion and the pride that this country has and it is so great!
I must also admit that there were some moments in The King's Speech that were pretty damn funny so yeah, this film did have its light-hearted and friendly moments aswell. I tell you what this reminded me of (not regarding the story but how the audience feel about leader of country and country itself) is Clint Eastwood's Invictus because that film demonstrated how great South Africa became because of one man. As far as awards go, this isn't the first time that a historical film involving kings and queens has been a contender for Best Picture. Let's not forget Elizabeth, A Man For All Seasons, The Private Life Of Henry VIII, The Queen and a few others but this easily surpasses all of them and I am not even sure whether any other historical film will be able to beat this one! I think most of them fail because the acting is rather weak on occasions and I just fail to feel any emotion or anything realistic about them. I mean, there are some historical royalty films that can be too complex for its audiences depending on the viewer(s) but this is quite possibly the easiest royalty story that I think I have watched.
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
It is simple an outstanding cast! British actors Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi and Australian actor Geoffrey Rush join together in front of the screen and show the nation and the world how great Britain was back then and that there is still hope for a Great Britain. All of the actors had a lot on their shoulders going into this film especially Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter as George and Elizabeth. Colin Firth was absolutely outstanding! It was unfortunate that he didn't win Best Leading Actor last year for A Single Man but I think he'll win it this time round. If not Colin Firth, it'll go to James Franco in 127 Hours. It goes to show that despite George VI didn't have full confidence publicly of being a king but he had the heart of one and he was and still is a fine example of great men in this country and Colin Firth showed that! I was on the journey with George and felt like a proud Englishman all the way through it. Firth's performance as King George VI is definitely one of the best male performances that I think I have ever watched. In the past, Geoffrey Rush has played supporting roles in quite a few historical films about history and films set in a historical era like this such as Shakespeare In Love, Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Twelfth Night but his performance as Lionel Logue was just brilliant! I thought that the bond between Rush as Logue and Firth as George was like a firm hold from the very start to the very end and together, they both build a friendship that makes Britain strong in a dark time. Geoffrey Rush also made me laugh on occasions and he should get his rightly deserved Oscar nomination too.
I was curious about Helena Bonham Carter playing Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon aka the Queen Mother seeing as Helena is perhaps the most unique and peculiar of all actresses and she's in a relationship and got children with the most unique and peculiar of all directors: Tim Burton. Anyway, I think she did an absolutely fantastic job and she made Elizabeth like a real hero because she was the one who went to Lionel Logue first for him to treat her husband George VI. I mean, yeah she did look like Elizabeth when she was younger, obviously, but she also looks like she would actually make a good Queen herself. To be honest, all three actors deserve their Oscar wins for their roles in this film. Other good performances from Guy Pearce as Edward VIII, Michael Gambon as George V, Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill and Sir Derek Jacobi as Cosmo Gordon Lang (Archbishop of Canterbury).
Tom Hooper is a director who is the early stages of his career making feature films but he has almost reached the top already. He previously directed The Damned United which was a success but not like this one. He deserves all the credit that he put into this film and he had a lot on his shoulders as well seeing as he controls all what is going on on-set. Screenwriter David Seidler apparently had stuttering problems as a child as well so that is another key point that makes this film just so great! His script was solid, genuine, heartfelt and at times, hilarious! However, it will be tough for him to beat Chris Nolan's script in Inception though.
Overall, The King's Speech is an absolutely magnificent film that is definitely one of the most moving and inspiring films that I have seen in a long time. It has made me feel proud to be English. As far as I'm concerned, despite The Social Network is the favourite for Best Picture and as brilliant as it is, The King's Speech along with Toy Story 3, Inception, Black Swan and 127 Hours, it completely swept it away! Her Majesty would be proud of this film and all of the actor's and maker's dedications towards the film. She may knight Colin Firth and maybe even Helena Bonham Carter for portraying her parents so amazingly! A masterpiece in every way and I would call it a tear-jerking film. I was just left speechless at the end of the film in the cinema.
10/10
