83. The King's Speech (2010)

Plot Intro

England, 1936. Prince Albert aka “Bertie” (Colin Firth) and his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) get an unexpected promotion when Albert’s father, King George V (Michael Gambon) dies, and his elder brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pierce) abdicates from the throne. But pubic speaking is Albert’s ultimate fear, because he suffers from a pronounced stammer. So he and Elizabeth employ an Australian, unconventional speech therapist called Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to help him out, as war approaches and the UK desperately cries out for a leader…

Doug says...

This is a beautifully subtle film, which is saying a lot more than one might originally think. On first glance it’s a fairly simple story about a man who unexpectedly became king and had to deal with public speaking while having a bad stammer. 

If this was it, then this would be an undeserving winner. But actually there’s a great deal more going on. Bertie is a cripplingly shy man, bullied by his nurses, beaten out of his natural left-handedness, and always in the shadow of his wittier, more handsome, more dashing older brother. Colin Firth captures him in a fantastic performance; handling the contradictions within the man with ease. There’s an entitlement to the way he walks into the room, moving without pause - but then when offered a seat he sits at the end of the sofa, tucking himself into the corner. The camera often pictures him at the edge of the frame, or uncomfortably close up. He flaps around being a penguin with his daughters, and then expects formality from everyone around him, even chastising his brother for crying when their father dies. 

Geoffrey Rush is here to ensure it’s not the Firth show however. Rush matches Firth in power, skill and poise throughout. When Lionel says ‘he hasn’t seen me,’ in response to the Queen’s despair - we feel his assuredness. And thanks to the awful doctors we’ve already seen (stuffing your mouth full of marbles and trying not to choke?!), his sensible, now-widespread methods are wonderful to watch. Not to mention he’s an unpredictable, exciting force encouraging the King to shout ‘fuck’ and roll around on the floor while yelling nursery rhymes. No wonder Derek Jacobi’s unpleasant Archbishop is wary. 

And here’s why the film - for me - is exceptional. Recently I saw a play about mental health, where the main character felt suicidal, attempted suicide, and then eventually committed suicide. It was obvious and oddly irresponsible, and I left wishing that the writer had actually shown us someone trying to survive. Oddly, this film satisfies that desire for me. This is a film of a man in an impossible situation, forced to do public speaking despite not being able to speak publicly. It would be easy for him to just turn away, and abdicate as his brother did before him. But these sessions - as well as being real vocal techniques (hello breathing exercises) - are a form of therapy. 

This is a film about therapy. It is a film about how embracing new techniques can help people conquer things they previously thought would never be defeated. Director Tom Hooper uses framing and angles that really highlight this - some of the odd shots weirdly echo 2018’s The Favourite (albeit less bizarre), and every member of the cast is really pulling their weight. A little shout out to Helena Bonham Carter too who gives one of her more restrained performances and shines for it. I’m personally excited to see her in The Crown as Princess Margaret, in a post-Burton era for her. 

It’s beautiful to look at, with foggy London scenes, great empty palaces, and a terrifying Mary of Teck. Also there’s loads of corgis. Win. 

Highlight 

The script is a gorgeously understated and truthful work. My favourite scene comes near the beginning when one of Lionel’s students - a small boy - comes out to greet the Royals. Firth’s reaction to seeing the boy dealing with his own stammer and Bonham Carter’s concern for both of them is just beautifully done. 

Lowlight

I’m not a massive fan of Lionel and Bertie’s falling out scene in the park. It makes sense structurally but it feels like an unnecessary tension point. 

Mark 

10/10

Paul says...

A major, patriotic hit in 2010, The King’s Speech defeated, amongst others, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Inception, The Social Network and Toy Story 3 to the crown. Another strong year indeed, but with a very worthy winner, The King’s Speech is a brilliant start to our final decade.

Firth, Rush and Bonham-Carter do carry the film. Firth is peak-Firth in his adorably vulnerable social-awkwardness but with an outstanding impersonation of King George VI’s voice. Rush’s comic timing makes him incredibly likeable, and Bonham-Carter’s having a whale of a time with her various one-liners and understated strength. But the side characters also add to this. Guy Pierce’s insecure King Edward, Michael Gambon’s cantankerous King George V, Derek Jacobi’s snobbish Archbishop of Canterbury, and even Eve Best who barely gets ten lines as try-hard Wallis Simpson makes the most of her limited time on screen. 

But what I thoroughly enjoyed were the many, minuscule directorial touches. Tom Hooper’s award-winning camera work is frenetic and suffocating during Bertie’s excruciating speech that starts the film, then slowly becomes steadier and more serene as he makes peace with his psychological issues and gains more control of his stammer. Images and models of war planes in Logan’s office foreshadow the trials that Bertie has to come, and make his speech therapy all the more imperative. And the use of Beethoven’s Allegretto from his 7th Symphony, which employs a “musical stammer”, during Bertie’s 1939 speech to the nation, provides a perfect beat to Bertie’s speech rhythm, as well as symbolising the nation’s slow and ponderous march into warfare. An extremely powerful and unconventional finale, unlike The Darkest Hour’s clumsy attempts at inspirational patriotism. 

Doug is right that this is a film about therapy, but I also saw it as a film about massive social change and how to deal with it. The first scene between King George V and his son Bertie shows the King alluding to his upbringing and values, and there is also a fascinating scene in which Bertie explains to Logan his difficult childhood and lack of contact with the real world. We must remember that both of these kings are the ones that took us through World Wars, and therefore saw sweeping political, social and economic change across their country and others. Another similarity is that neither of them were raised to be king from birth. Bertie’s elder brother was heir until he abdicated, while King George V had an elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, who died suddenly at the age of 28, a decade before even Queen Victoria passed away. 

So both kings were thrown into their roles with less preparation than they should have had. Add to that, their upbringing was designed to emulate the ultra-perfect, regal values of Queen Victoria, but with the wars and global rise in pro-republican sentiment, they have struggled to marry their lifestyle with the world’s. While George V descended into unpleasantness and frustration, Bertie manages to find a status quo through unconventional speech therapy. If any film advocates the way in which the British royal family have kept themselves relevant, this is it. 

Yes, this is a stirring film, and a superb addition to the Best Pictures canon. I remember not fully appreciating it on its first release, but Netflix’s The Crown has managed to harbour a greater appreciation for 20th century history. I’m looking forward to the new series even more than I was before!

Highlight

The way in which Helena Bonham Carter pronounces “controversial” (“controver-sssssseal”) 

Lowlight

Like Doug, I felt the subplot in which Bertie and Logan have a falling out during Bertie’s first few months as king to slow the film’s pace, and it felt very contrived.

Mark

9/10

Fun Fact!
The King's Speech actually has a few links to the seminal 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth obviously played Darcy, but eagle-eyed viewers will spot David Bamber as a snooty theatre director - who played the odious Mr Collins. And of course, Logan's wife is played by none other than Jennifer 'Lizzie Bennett' Ehle. Fans of the Jane Austen adaptation will have been delighted to see Firth and Ehle in the same scene, albeit for a few seconds!