I was reading a while ago an article in Entertainment Weekly by Stephen King. He was talking about the sweet seats in a movie theater. He said when he was growing up everyone wanted to sit in the front row and now everyone wants to sit towards the back. Ever since then I've tried to make myself sit closer. Sat in the second row for 'King's Speech' at the Davis Theater which have these old reclining chairs which made for a really interesting perspective during the movie.
(Spoilers)
The movie opens with Colin Firth as the soon to be King George VI attempting to give a speech at Wembley Stadium his stammer is overwhelming and makes the crowd obviously uneasy. He's unable to finish. This is a movie that I don't think needs a lot of plot description. Basically Firth's wife Elizabeth played by Helena Bonham Carter tracks down an unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, to help Firth with his stammer. The years pass.
The friendship between Firth and Rush develops and the movie plays with the interesting almost foreign(to Americans) social etiquette imposed upon British royalty. His stammer improves as well. Because of his stammer Firth is viewed as somewhat of an outcast and an embarrassment by his family. And you can tell he's embarrassed himself, he's ashamed, but he keeps trying, keeps going back to Rush for help even though every ounce of false pride instilled in him since birth rails against it.
The movie is kind of slow paced, it takes it's time, it doesn't give a whole lot of context in to the Second World War, or at least that's not the focus. The stammer and the friendship are the focus. There's a sub plot with Rush as a struggling actor that is kind of cute and gives some back story but only is satisfying when Firth finally meets his family towards the end of the movie.
To me the movie seemed like one slow paced elaborate set up. Everything was a slow build to the movies title. The title was never spoken. After a falling out with Rush, Firth finds himself the heir to the throne on the brink of war needing to give a speech. He calls on Rush and after being ashamed by his upper class advisers of him, he embraces him. What follows...
The speech scene was by far the most powerful. Not only because of the words which are repeated I believe verbatim but because Rush is in the room miming encouragement. Rush adds such an interesting layer to the scene because not only is Firth saying these words to lift up and support his nation, Firth himself needs to be lifted up and supported which is what Rush does. He mimes and he mouths words, he indicates and he smiles. Firth's struggle and Rush's heart jump off the screen. One of my favorite lines...
Carter: You're the bravest man I know.
If I had a criticism it would be the Carter was boring and one note, almost negligible and Timothy Spall as Churchill was terrible. Guy Pearce was also a disappointment. Him and Carter seemed more plot device than character. That said...
It's starts slow but it ends big.
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