The King's Speech: A Review

May 7th 2011 09:19

Winner of four of the 2011 Oscar awards, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, "The King's Speech" was a film that was on my mind ever since it became 'mainstream.'

I picked up the Bluray Disc (BD) from JB Hifi last weekend and only just managed to watch it; what with impeding work and relationship commitments. I didn't expect much from the film, and certainly did not know what to expect. I managed to catch excerpts of the real King's Speech over ABC earlier in the week though - and watching that documentary before the film probably gave me a more balanced view of the whole story.

Where do we even begin with the review?

Colin Firth delivers a truly stunning performance, every enounciation, every twitch and every deliberate mistake is extremely interesting to watch. His on-screen chemistry, masked by the properness of the relationship portrayed between 'Bertie' and Logan (Geoffrey Rush), with Rush himself was nothing short of believable. The empty spaces portrayed in some of the scenes purposefully drew out the relationship between the two.

The cinematography and location where scenes where shot also quickly transports the viewer into the royal space. Having watched the Royal Wedding last week, the glimpses of Buckingham Palace in the film only served to make the film much more real.

And because I was in the comfort of my own home, I could Wikipedia the story as it was playing as well - further consolidating my experience on the screen and in my mind as well. The weight of the speech was truly felt when you know the background story in a little bit more detail.

The script is beautifully written and to be honest, the movie is pretty much all about Colin Firth. Geoffrey Rush stays on the sidelines well, just how it was when Logan formed the relationship with the King as per recorded in the history books.

I would imagine this would be a good film if you like literature and the romantic idea of the royal family and its corresponding history. Couple that with a genuine interest in WWII and politics, and you would find yourself falling head over heels for this movie. For the "simpler" folk - expect an amazing story of how a classic anti-hero survives the odds, and you will be happy.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

DM

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