Rating: *****
If this was a film about a person with a stammer, it does not tug at the heart strings strongly enough. If it was a sweeping period piece, it isn’t grand enough. Because it does not squarely fall into any of these two genres, it’s not merely a good movie. It’s a great one.
Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in the lead roles are beyond compare. Firth plays the Duke of York. His position demands that he address the public at occasions. At times like these, a stammer is a tough thing to have. He chokes on words, flaps his lips, but the voice does not reach the mike. This is demonstrated in an excellent opening sequence where we see the Duke staring at his speech with horror. This is contrasted against the elaborate preparations of the announcer who, ironically, will just deliver the introduction.
His wife, a brief but impactful Helena Bonham Carter, pushes him to visit a speech therapist, Rush. Now this therapist is quite a character himself. Besides his unconventional means to treat patients, he insists on calling the Duke by this first name, an act that could have him arrested! But he shall have it no way but his own. He also is a struggling Shakespearean actor, looking for a break whose chances are fading with each successive day. The Duke goes on to become the King George VI and the second World War is on the anvil. As the monarch, he needs to make a rousing speech to guide England into the war.
Firth’ does not overdo the stammer. The moment you make a handicap look like acting, you have lost your audience. The stammer is combined with a quick temper; this is when the bottled words come out in a rapid spurt. It’s a genuine treat to watch Firth squirming, with the rage reaching the eyes followed by an outburst. I would give him an Oscar just for this.
And now onto Geoffrey Rush. An acerbic wit and a condescending attitude towards royalty. His character, Lionel Logue is Australian. That should explain the attitude. But he is single minded when it comes to treating his patients. Rush seamlessly moves through the various dimensions of his character – the dedicated speech therapist, the bad actor or the wife-fearing husband.
Tom Hooper does not let the opulence that goes along with every period drama, get out of hand. In fact, a large part of the film has been shot inside Logue’s office, with the impeccably dressed Duke standing out against the background of peeling walls. When minor characters too find their moment in the sun, you know the director has paid attention to detail.
It is no surprise then that The King’s Speech has garnered more Oscar wins than any other film this year (except for Inception, which won in the technical categories). It scores in every department.
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