'The King's Speech' Review



I am going to give this move 5 Stars. I wanted to make this clear to start with as I feel it deserves them more than all of the other films I have reviewed so far put together. I quite simply loved this movie, and could not pick any faults in it. The story is surprisingly engaging, and often gripping, the performances are exquisite and the picture itself is beautifully shot, and therefore worthy of a great deal of artistic merit. Quite simply, I loved this film.

Director Tom Hooper will propel himself into the big leagues with this picture, as his work on it is top notch. A focused vision clearly leads this film throughout the two hour run time with everything in the film feeling not only relevant, but necessary. The performances he has gotten from his cast are altogether fantastic, with every cast member, even the ones playing smaller parts, giving it their all. Hooper's picture is also visually stunning, and the cinematography needs a great deal of credit for this. Every scene in the film has been photographed to create the most interesting outcome, with parts being shot from unusual angles which ultimately create a greater aesthetic to the film. And the editing also deserves great merit for the way in which scenes and shots have been threaded together throughout this picture.

Now onto the all round superb performances. Starting with Colin Firth in the lead role, a performance which he simply must win awards for. Playing so many different sides to a complex character, Firth brings heart, frustration, sadness, pain and yearning to this character, and provides superb depth to each side. Playing a character that can barely speak and show the effect of this impairment takes huge skill, and Firth delivers a flawless performance. We are taken on a journey in this movie, and we feel everything that Firth's character feels, feeling sympathy for him during the moments where he can barely get a word out, feeling nervous with him when he is made to speak in front of large audiences, and also feeling the triumph when he and the speech therapist make breakthroughs. Firth proved himself in last years emotionally charged 'A Single Man' and has perhaps even bettered this in 'The King's Speech'.

The always fantastic Helena Bonham Carter delivers another pitch perfect performance as the Queen Mum-to-be, playing a strong character who is massively devoted to her husband. Bonham Carter is probably the most versatile actress around just now, and could quite frankly play anything. In this she creates both touching and hysterically funny moments. Geoffrey Rush is also superb in this as Lionel Logue, the 'controversial' speech therapist. Rush is wickedly funny in this role, playing a fearless character who says everything he shouldn't to a monarch. The chemistry between Rush and Firth is superb and this makes for onscreen magic as the two create so many unforgettable scenes together. Even all of the smaller parts are played hugely well, notably Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill (a role which he nails).

The writing in this film is brilliant, with screenwriter David Seidler successfully creating both a witty and dramatic script, with parts filled with energy which the actors can excel in and ultimately feed of each other to create the best outcome. The language used is well utilised and thought out, with a precision which is always evident in both pace of the speech and the emotion within.

I expected this film to be good but I was blown away by just how good it was,  I was constantly engaged and in awe of the performances, cinematography and writing. The Score to the movie was also terrifically used to emphasise the mood of the moment. This movie was both surprisingly gripping, given the subject matter and even more surprisingly, absolutely hilarious at times, especially thanks to Rush's character. I plead with people to not to read the title and categorise this movie as a typical period piece, along with those so boring they can send you off to sleep, this movie is filled with heart and is an absolute pleasure to watch.  This is about as uplifting as cinema can get and therefore I urge everyone to go and see it, it fills you with such joy, and for anyone who appreciates quality cinema this film is simply unmissable. I hope this movie wins BIG during awards season.

Verdict:
5 Stars