Set during the build up to World War Two, The King’s Speech is an entertaining look at the relationship between England’s Prince Albert the Duke of York (later known as King Henry VI) and his speech therapist Lionel Logue. Nervous at the prospect that he might one day need to take the throne and at the behest of his wife Elizabeth, the Duke reluctantly undertakes speech therapy with the unorthodox Logue in order to treat his chronic stutter.
As war with Germany looms, the Duke’s brother King Edward VIII is forced to abdicate the throne because of his intention to marry a divorced socialite. As a result, the Duke must become King Henry VI and overcome his speech impediment in order to lead his empire during the dire times that lay ahead.
Perhaps The King’s Speech’s greatest asset is its script by David Seidler; tightly written and packed with humour and suspense. The quick exchanges between Albert and Logue are particularly effective, as Logue‘s unorthodox, demanding treatment confounds his highness. The film’s humour is varied, ranging from the subtle (the king joking that he needed to include at least one stutter in a speech so that the audience know who he is) to more blatant and puerile humour (an exercise where Albert continuously swears to test whether he will stutter or not).
The countdown to war serves as an effective device to give this film its narrative purpose and tension; the King will be required to give a rousing speech to inspire his nation in their hardest times, but must battle the clock to overcome his stutter. This suspense makes The King’s Speech feel at points like a terse Hollywood thriller.
Colin Firth wins Golden Globe
The King’s Speech features the ensemble cast of Colin Firth as Prince Albert (later King George VI), Geoffrey Rush as Logue, Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth and Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII. They have accomplished a rare feat in that they manage to make a film that primarily consists of talk interesting.
Colin Firth has already been awarded a Golden Globe for his performance as King Henry VI. Here, his penchant for playing characters that appear regal yet vulnerable is on full display yet again, with his portrayal of Albert as a reluctant, frail leader who must harness great inner strength. While Firth occasionally loses the accent he developed for the character, his performance is polished.
Geoffrey Rush’s Lionel Logue is the perfect foil to Firth’s Albert. An impeccable sense of comedic timing is on display as he and Firth play off each other perfectly. Rush’s Logue manages to come across as both funny and compassionate when he and the future king engage in verbal jousting and he has surely earned himself an Academy nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In her portrayal of the eventual Queen Elizabeth, Helena Bonham Carter demonstrates her versatility. Her role as the wife struggling to support her monarch husband is a far cry from eccentric roles such as Marla Singer in Fight Club and Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter Series.
Guy Pearce rolls out the Australian contingent, playing the abdicating King Edward with a mixture of playboy pomp and menace when he bullies his younger brother and eventual successor.
An Academy Award Contender
While brilliant, The King’s Speech is not perfect. A confrontation that occurs between Logue and Albert halfway through the film comes across as tacked-on to create more tension in a film already brimming with it. A perhaps apocryphal aside where Winston Churchill encourages the King by outlining his own struggles with oratory similarly sticks out as an unnecessary insertion.
These (very) minor flaws aside, the film is a rare combination of a well written script realised through polished performances by accomplished actors.
Given the contemporary debates surrounding the function of the royal family (such as whether or not Australia should become a republic), The King’s Speech will no doubt be used to serve the arguments of monarchists and republicans alike. Logue affronts the sovereignty of royalty by insisting on equality, maddening the future king by insistence on calling him ‘Bertie.’ After his coronation, and with war approaching, King George struggles with the limits of his power.
To use this film to argue (for or against) the need for the monarchy, however, would altogether miss the point; The King’s Speech is primarily a character-based story about the relationship between a monarch and one of his closest confidantes. As such, this is a film that can be enjoyed by anyone and is highly recommended.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Jonathan Foye - Jonathan Foye is an Australian freelance journalist and a PhD candidate at the University of Western Sydney. His work has been featured ...
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