The King's Speech Review

Article first published as Review: The King's Speech (2010) on Technorati.

Movie: The King's Speech

Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

Rating: 4.5/5

Awards: Colin Firth (Best Actor, Golden Globes)

Colin Firth simply mesmerizes the audience with his supreme acting in the historical saga The King's Speech. The film revolves around changes in expectations from a king brought about by the invention of a radio. It is a story of a prince who is loyal to his father, George V, and his elder brother, the king's successor.

Prince Albert, played by Colin Firth, has a speech impediment causing him to stammer. In an age where radio has just been invented, royalty has an extended duty of communicating with the people, a task impossible for Albert.

He meets a therapist named Lionel played by Geoffrey Rush and is unsure of his ability to help. With the king's demise and his elder brother's refusal to take the throne under astonishing circumstances, Albert becomes the king!

The King's Speech is about the speech of a king in a time of war. It is about a stammerer's most important words that could mean the difference between the rise and fall of an empire. It is about a therapist who had no credentials but was confident that a man who couldn't talk could be a king and could deliver a reassuring speech to a country terrified by Hitler.

The acting is amazing. Colin Firth is outstanding and gives a great portrayal of a man who exerts control over everyone and everything in England barring his own tongue. Geoffrey Rush is outstanding with Lionel the actor/therapist who is adamant about making "Berty" (Prince Albert) a king who could deliver a speech.

All in all, anything more would be a spoiler as the film is a must-see and can only be enjoyed if interpreted by an individual in his own perspective. To me it is a masterpiece and deserves glory at the Oscars!