The King’s Speech is a classical, Hollywood-friendly film. Technically, director Tom Hooper did not break any walls and the film’s linear plot is hardly anything special. But it is the acting and the witty dialogue that propelled the film to capture the Best Picture Oscar earlier this year.
The film focuses on Britain’s Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth), who was forced to overcome a stutter in order to lead his country through the tumultuous 1930s and World War II. To do this, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) enlists speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to help. Logue is an eccentric, with theories and practices that vary from any other specialist Albert had seen before. Adding urgency to Albert’s need to overcome his stutter is his brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) who abdicates the throne to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson. All the while, Hitler is raising tensions in Europe and the second World War is about to begin. Not only is Logue able to help Albert, now King George VI, overcome his nervousness at the coronation, but Albert is able to give his pre-war speech with little difficulty in the magnificent last act of the film.
Hooper’s film is great because it is so understated and well shot by Danny Cohen. What struck me was Cohen and Hooper’s ability to compose the frame, leaning on amazing visual motifs like few modern films. When Albert and Logue first meet, there are few close-ups of the two. When he cuts to Albert, we see him huddled in the bottom-left corner of the frame, which is overwhelmed by the bleak walls of the room. The film also has a foggy, elegant haze that hangs over it that just gives it a great, unique look.
The acting is also top-notch, since without the stellar line-up, The King’s Speech would hardly be much to talk about. It lacks the technological ‘wow’-factor that many of the other Best Picture nominees (like Inception and The Social Network) had this year. What makes you go ‘wow’ in this film is simply Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Firth is nothing short of amazing. I thought he should have won Best Actor for A Single Man (2009), but seeing his performance evolve over the course of the film’s two hours is just as worthy for the award as his performance in the earlier film. Carter’s performance is witty and comedic, perfect for the lines she is given by David Seidler’s fantastic script. Rush, who also co-produced the film, is able to perfectly complement Firth’s initial uptight demeanor.
Another aspect of the film that I respect is Hooper’s ability to bring royalty to the average viewer’s level. Albert, Elizabeth and the rest of the Royal Family only wear their regalia during ceremonies in the film and this makes it easier to believe that they are just real people put under extraordinary circumstances. The actors' performances also make these characters feel vulnerable and realistic. They aren’t stilted and cardboard, but multi-dimensional and as realistic as it gets.
Some of the recent Best Picture winners have been questionable, but The King’s Speech is a genuine classic. It is not so much a technical marvel as Inception or as artsy as Black Swan, but it is an inspirational story filled with fine performances.