The Movie Doctor: Movie Review: "The King's Speech"

Movie Review: “The King’s Speech”

Colin Firth has become one of my favorite actors. After seeing his amazing performance in Tom Ford’s A Single Man I immediately became a fan. So when I heard he was to portray King Goerge VI in a new movie I was beyond excited. Then the trailer came out and I became even more ecstatic about the film. That film was The King’s Speech I watched it today and was blown away.

The King’s Speech is a historical drama which takes place in England in the early 1930’s where the then Duke of York Prince George (Colin Firth) has an immense trouble speaking in public due to his very severe stammer. Through the help of his wife (Helen Boham Carter) and a very special speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffry Rush) he overcomes his stammer and is able to address his country at a very dire time.

This movie is excellent. It is wonderfully directed, beautifully shot, greatly written, and has an amazing cast. The director Tom Hooper is really able to re-create England in the 1930’s and is also able to create an amazing atmosphere by portraying both the awkwardness in George’s problem when speaking, and at the same time create the suspenseful paranoia of that time when Hitler was advancing his forces throughout Europe. Right from the introduction I felt the intensity as George goes to deliver a speech.

I was also extremely impressed by the beautiful cinematography by Danny Cohen. One sequence in particular takes two characters through a park in a misty afternoon ,and it is just beautiful to watch. Something that also surprised me was the beauty of the original score. The film’s composer Alexandre Desplat creates a nice classic sound that goes greatly with the movie.

Something that made the movie special is the amazing cast. Colin Firth outdoes himself as George. His stammering is perfect and he is able to perfectly portray the frustration and fear of Goerge as he steps into the throne. It really is an amazing performance. Personally, I think it’s the best male performance of year. The great Geoffry Rush also joins the cast as the eccentric speech therapist. Being that he is Geoffry Rush I think it’s safe to say that he was excellent as Lionel. The rest of the cast includes Helen Boham Carter as George’s wife Elizabeth, Michael Gambon as King George V, and another surprisingly amazing performance by Guy Pearce as Goerge’s brother Edward.

The movie is just brilliant. The combination of all these components really just take it to another level. It was extremely difficult for me to pick my favorite sequence but as of right now it would have to be King Goerge VI’s final speech in the film. It is the moment that practically the whole movie builds up too. The tension of the story is amazingly conveyed and the result is a great pay off. The direction, Colin Firth’s acting, and the choice of Beethoven music make the scene an amazing experience to watch unfold.

In conclusion, The King’s Speech has to be one of the best of films of the year if not of all time. I can not stress enough how powerful it really is. I highly recommend it.