Review: The King's Speech

The King's Speech - (12A)

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

50 years old is generally considered to be a time when an actor considers more background roles, perhaps as the father to a young starlet, or the wise mentor to a heroic action figure. Not so for Colin Firth! After years of dancing around the edge of the limelight, and despite his iconic turn as Mr Darcy - the one your wife, mum and Grandmum all fancy - Mr Firth has seemed doomed to never be a leading man. That is, until now, his 50th birthday, and the release of the critically acclaimed A Single Man, propelling our thoroughly English gentleman to the top of many Director's go-to lists.

The King's Speech promises to solidify this status, as Firth encapsulates perfectly the thoroughly English true story of King George VI, the stammering king who is reluctantly thrown into power on the eve of war, after his brother abdicates the throne to marry a divorced woman (tisk tisk). Trained in elocution by the equally wonderful Geoffrey Rush, it is the inspiring and deeply relatable struggle of one man overcoming his inner-demons to be the king his nation needs him to be.

The opening scene, as Firth stands before a crowd, his microphone booming every floundering failure of speech, his faithful wife - a muted, but well-judged performance from the not-always thoroughly English Helena Bonham Carter - watching on in agony and empathy, is perfectly paralleled by the soaring triumph of the final act. The nuances and depth that Firth discovers in such a tragically isolated and emotionally stunted character, ensure that every expression, every stumbled verb, and every glorious outburst of anger, have the impact of a thousand, more traditionally rousing, eloquent discourses.

The King's Speech stands apart from the classic period drama in both it's exceptional casting (Timothy Spall's Churchill is the only duff note in the film, seeming to be more at place in a pantomime) and it's effortless blend of elegant story telling and humor, with one key, and deeply moving scene, featuring swearing that even the most censorious will revel in. Rarely has a film personified such an inspiring central tale of glorious overcoming, alongside a wealth of rich, fully-developed supporting characters.

And of course, it is thoroughly English, which can never be a bad thing.

Rating: 5/5