Review: The King's Speech (Hooper, 2010)
December 12th 2010 05:00
The King’s Speech (Hooper, 2010)
Written December 11, 2010
The King’s Speech is a sweeping epic tale essentially about learning who you are and reaching your full potential. This is a universal tale, but here we are treated to the specific true story of King George VI (Colin Firth). Tom Hooper’s film opens at the inaugural speech of King George V at the exhibition games in 1925. He’s asked his son, then Prince Albert, to give a speech. It’s revealed the Prince stammers terribly and cannot continue. We abruptly flash forward to 1934 to find the Prince receiving elocution lessons ala My Fair Lady, complete with marbles in his mouth. The Prince and his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) have attempted to rectify the impediment, to no avail. Albert begs his wife to stop with the doctors and speech therapists. Instead, she visits an unorthodox therapist named Lionel Logue(Geoffery Rush) and enlists his help.
Alexandre Desplat’s score is grand scale and fitting. The film’s cinematography is gorgeously muted, filmed in light cool colors, and largely orange and brown lighting amongst mist and drear. The use of set pieces is largely minimal. Lionel’s room is sparse, with a couch and a wall – a perfect contrast to a Prince’s normal inhabitance. Hooper frames Firth against a speckled wall and a ratty couch with captivating beauty and ease.
Firth’s performance is masterful and unrestrained. His character’s disability requires patience from the audience and constant awareness of his limitations. However, Firth never once has to convince viewers he is an actor portraying a real-life person who had a speech impediment. It’s as engrained and natural as breathing when watching. He’s simply fascinating. The King’s Speech features two additionally strong performances at its core, from Bonham Carter and Rush. Bonham Carter steals nearly every scene she’s in. The dialogue written for her is fantastic and her character is strong, not just a woman taking a backseat to her husband. Rush is charismatic and the film’s Everyman.
The climax of The King’s Speech itself is tense; not because we don’t know where the film is going (if you’re looking for unpredictability, you’re watching the wrong film) but because it’s anticipatory. In cinema, we’re used to being tension caused by people in danger. This tension is different – it’s due to intrigue and fascination. For the majority of the film, the tone is kept on an even keel with bits of drama and conflict infused. The only hurdles to overcome here are internal; essentially, the film is the monolith structure.
The King’s Speech is a well-crafted film with fantastic performances. However, it’s also a film that fits into a certain “box” in terms of Awards season and therefore tends to get overblown in its acclaim. Will The King’s Speech completely blow your mind? Will you leave the theater feeling you’ve experienced something you never have before? The answer to both of these questions is no. But will you feel satisfied? Will you have experienced something enjoyable? Yes. There’s a difference between something well-made and something that exceeds your expectations, causing you to have a cinematic experience unlike any other. The King’s Speech is decisively the former.
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