28 Jan The King’s Speech
The King’s Speech, WWII Movie starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush
(2010) Each month a group of ladies from my neighborhood meets at a nearby theater for what we call “Movies n’ More.” “More” means dinner afterward … sometimes we discuss the movie, and sometimes we are happy to just discuss.
Last night, to my delight, we saw what I shall call a World War II movie: “The King’s Speech” starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. With twelve nominations, I predict many oscars to come.
Even though I knew the substance of the story from seeing the trailers and the pre-publicity I loved every minute of it. So wonderfully British. Perhaps not historically perfect, I have read, but close enough. After King George V died at the age of 70 his eldest son Edward became King Edward VIII. That lasted for less than a year because he was determined to marry his mistress Wallis Simpson, and it became necessary for him to make a choice.
He abdicated, and his younger brother Albert (Albert Frederick Arthur George) became King George VI. The year was 1936. Hitler was ruling Germany, and it was clear that Britain needed strong leadership.
The focus of the story is “Bertie’s” struggles to control his stuttering, an affliction he had suffered with since the age of four or five. Once he was pushed into the sovereignty, he knew that he needed to “talk” to his subjects via radio broadcasts in a way that would show that strong leadership.
The close relationship he had with his speech therapist, Lionel Logue, was fascinating. The King admitted that it was the first time he had talked with anyone outside his royal circle.
At the end of the movie, I stood up and cheered.
This morning as I was reading more about the royal family, I found a documentary that was shown on television in Great Britain in 1995: “Edward VII The Traitor King.” This carefully researched film outlines Edward’s continued associations with the Nazis before and during the war. You can watch it (in 11 parts) either on YouTube or here.
There were many reasons to cheer the day that Albert Frederick Arthur George became King. Edward just might have given his country away to Hitler.
January 22, 2011, article: England’s Nazi King and related article on the documentary Britain’s Nazi King.
February 27, 2011: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Actor!
The King’s Speech at amazon.com
No Comments