The King’s Speech tells the story of England’s monarch, George VI (Colin Firth) who overcame his debilitating stammer with the help of an Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
George has an horrible stammer and cannot ever seem to deliver a speech although this is all that is required of him as royalty. We are shown that he’s worked with countless doctors to no avail.
George VI’s wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) finds Lionel Logue and suggests he may be their last hope. Lionel is a strange character who insists on addressing George by his nickname “Bertie”. He shows him that he can truly speak without stammering and they begin to work together.
Bertie finds courage through this work. In Logue, Bertie obtains a savior and a true friend. They speak about his childhood and we find out that as a young man Bertie was treated terribly by his family and nanny. It’s only when Logue begins to suggest that Bertie can be great and could be king himself that we see a conflict between the two.
Bertie is second in line to the throne after his brother David (Guy Pearce). David briefly takes the throne until a scandal occurs that gives the monarchy to Bertie. This helps to reconcile Bertie and Logue and leads to Bertie making a speech that inspires the nation in the beginning of WWII.
The film is mostly about the dialogue and interplay of the characters. Colin Firth’s George VI conveys both an enormous sadness and hope. Geoffrey Rush does an excellent job as a caring teacher and friend. The supporting cast is superb, with Helena Bonham Carter as the loving wife and future queen. We even get a few historical nods with Timothy Spall doing a spot on Winston Churchill. The dialogue is witty, clever and at times hilarious.
**** Four Stars
Director – Tom Hooper
Filmic Brevity 