As a Golden Globe nominee and a potential Oscar nominee, I have been looking forward to seeing "The King's Speech" since I first heard of it. The story centers on King George VI as he ascends to the monarchy and how he was coached in the art of public speaking. This is only the surface of the movie and if you dig deeper you will find a much more rich and rewarding experience about how a man is thrust upon the throne.
There is no way to talk about this movie without first mentioning the acting performance put forth by Colin Firth. Mr. Firth is most known for playing the perfect English gentleman that has no problem speaking. Here he must portray someone who does not posses the ability to speak in public. Not only does he successfully add a stutter to his voice and change his accent. But he is also able to display his frustration with the stutter even when he is not speaking. His throws his entire being into this performance and it is worth watching this movie only for this. Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter also give noteworthy roles, but this movie belongs to Colin Firth.
Director Tom Hooper also added a few nice touches to show the differences between the future King and his speaking tutor by using simple shots that show them on different sides of the screen when they do not see eye to eye and then placing them on the same side of the screen once they understand each other. The movie is full of little gems like these that reward any viewers that pay attention to such things.
If the movie has any one flaw, it lies in the script. While telling the story sufficeintly and containing a good deal of smart dialogue, I left the movie feeling that a scene was missing. The entire first half of the classes between King George VI and his teacher focused on what in his childhood caused his stutter and it is never fully discussed or revealed in the second half. After thinking about the movie and dissecting it myself, one can come to the conclusion that the King developes the stutter as a means of being okay with not being King. But with so many possibilities presented by the movie I felt as thought the movie should have addressed this more directly.
"The King's Speech" is definitely one of the best pictures of the years and deserves any accolades it has already received. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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Excellent movie - hope to see it win many Oscars! Colin Firth has done an excellent job portraying the physical and emotional agonies that accompany this complex condition. As a mother of a child (now teen) who stutters, my hope is the movie will raise public awareness about stuttering.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who knew someone who stuttered as a preteen in the early 70's, it's great to see so many different avenues available to help those who face stuttering problems today.'The King's Speech'movie is a godsend as it brings to light the daily struggles faced by stutterers.
ReplyDeleteI am a Stutterer and loved the Movie. I am so happy for people to see the daily struggles for a stutterer and maybe be more understanding toward us. The movie was great!
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I saw the movie and it was great. My friend stutters and has his whole life. We encourage everyone to see the movie. Great acting and very interesting not too mention funny too.
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