I went for the movie with a fair amount of reluctance. I expected it to be dramatic and aesthetic, but not really engaging. The King’s Speech surprised me and surpassed the expectations I had of the Oscar winning movie.
Casting, Screenplay, Direction and Storytelling – they got all four right. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, who play the stammering King George VI and the rather radical speech therapist Lionel Logue respectively, carried the story on their shoulders very efficiently. Every other character did their piece in an unobstructive manner. The movie in short is about triumph –triumph of an unexpected friendship between the king and his speech therapist, the triumph of king’s voice over his stammer and the triumph of perseverance built into almost every single character.
An ordinary theme such as a king getting over his stammer is garnished with a fine sense of narration and an even better sense of story development. From the mouth of possible clichés, this story blossoms, allowing the two prime characters to come to life. A vulnerable yet haughty king succumbing to the radical and unconventional ways of an irreverent yet capable speech therapist is a predictable story with an unpredictable storytelling method.
By the end of the movie, the king’s and Lionel’s victory becomes important to their viewers, which in itself is a testimony to their splendid performances. It is slow in parts, which allows in a strange way, the time that the story is set to sink in. What comes through without a stutter is the screenplay and timing. The flowing lines punched in with wit and brilliance takes the crown in the King’s Speech. It’s an excellent film with a fine story.
Rating : 8.5/10
Some of the shots are really taken well, where the King gives his first war speech and the way the light from the radio bulb reflects on his face, just added a lot of character.. Must watch and truly Oscar deserving.
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