The King of this biographical movie refers to England’s George VI, the father of the current Queen Elizabeth. “Bertie”, as he was known to his family, was the younger brother of the Prince of Wales. As the Duke of York, his public engagements were more limited than his elder brother, so the fact that he had a severe stammer was not critically important, although it was distressing to him personally.
After the death of their father, Berite’s brother ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. Within a year he abdicated in order to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. So on the eve of World War II, Bertie unexpectedly became King George.
Bertie had been to numerous speech therapists and was not optimistic when his wife introduced him to Lionel Logue, an unorthodox and uncredentialed Australian practicing speech therapy in London. While Bertie’s stammer never disappeared entirely, it improved significantly with Logue’s assistance.
The King’s Speech chronicles the story of the working relationship between Bertie and Logue, and the friendship that eventually developed between them.
Colin Firth is splendid as Bertie. He seems better suited to a more serious movie such as this than Mamma Mia or Bridget Jones. And I am not a big fan fan of Helena Bonham Carter. But she was also very good in her role as Elizabeth, Bertie’s wife.
The King’s Speech is serious, but not depressing or dark. There are many humorous moments, but it is not comedic. And I loved the clothes!
La Bibliofille 