Saturday, April 09, 2016

The King's Speech

The King's Speech (2010) covers the period of time between the future King George VI seeking help overcoming his stammer and the abdication of his brother and his subsequent coronation. It's an interesting film. It does deviate a bit from the actual history, but it's a movie after all. Colin Firth plays the king, and Geoffrey Rush is the therapist. Helena Bonham Carter is Elizabeth. Derek Jacobi, who is wonderful in whatever he is in, plays an archbishop here. Timothy Spall is miscast (in my opinion, of course, and what do I know?) as Churchill.

My one major complaint was the Winston Churchill actor. I mean how hard could it have been to get a good Churchill? He's not seen or heard much, though, so it's a minor quibble. But still...

trailer:



Slate opens with this: "The King's Speech is an extremely well-made film with a seductive human interest plot, very prettily calculated to appeal to the smarter filmgoer and the latent Anglophile. But it perpetrates a gross falsification of history".

The NYT has a mixed review. Rolling Stone gives it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and calls it "a crowning achievement powered by a dream cast". The Guardian describes it as "a richly enjoyable drama".

Roger Ebert gives it a full 4 stars. Rotten Tomatoes has a 95% critics rating.

8 comments:

  1. I remember this movie, and I liked it. I think I need to rewatch it to see the Winston Churchill part. Thanks for the reminder. :)

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    1. It's a very small part. I'd think Churchill impersonators would be a dime a dozen in Britain and could've done a better job than an actual actor no matter how good the actor is. But that's just me. I don't recall reading a single review that faulted him.

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  2. I remember when that movie came out, and knew I wanted to see it. But of course, it is not yet on network tv, so I'll have to wait a bit longer. I was even more interested in it when I made Kathy's Kings and Queens altered book, but of course, couldn't find where to watch it (SIGH).

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    1. We rarely see movies in the theater. We used to rent a lot of movies, but now we often find them used for not much more than the rental fees used to be. But we do end up waiting a long time after the initial release.

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  3. I really liked this movie. I don't remember not liking Churchill though, but now I'm curious...

    I love this observation from the Roger Ebert review: "Here we have long corridors, (...) rooms that seem peculiarly oblong. I suspect he may be evoking the narrow, constricting walls of Albert's throat as he struggles to get words out."

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    1. I love it when the cinematography and direction serve to deepen the experience. Artists all, aren't they! :)

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  4. I liked this movie much. I am a big fan of Firth and it was fun to see Jennifer Ehle as the voice coach´s wife, too, they were a classic couple after all, in Pride & Predjucice in 1995. I didn´t mind Spall as Churchill, I am terribly fond of him, too, I guess... ;-)

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    1. I generally like Spall. He's good in a variety of parts. My dislike of him here is probably an "it's just me" problem.

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