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Hitchens notes that King George "even after the Nazi armies had struck deep north into Scandinavia and clear across the low countries to France, did not wish to accept Chamberlain's resignation." The King had desired the "arch-appeaser" [[E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]] from the unelected [[House of Lords]], wrote in his diary "that he couldn't get used to the idea of Churchill as prime minister" and went so far as to tell Halifax that he wished he had been the one chosen. Hitchens sums up his dislike of the movie's treatment of history saying "Almost the entire moral capital of this rather odd little [[House of Windsor|German dynasty]] is invested in the post-fabricated myth of its participation in '[[Battle of Britain|Britain's finest hour]].' In fact, had it been up to them, the finest hour would never have taken place. So this is not a detail but a major desecration of the historical record - now apparently gliding unopposed towards a baptism by Oscar."<ref name="Hitch"/>
Hitchens notes that King George "even after the Nazi armies had struck deep north into Scandinavia and clear across the low countries to France, did not wish to accept Chamberlain's resignation." The King had desired the "arch-appeaser" [[E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]] from the unelected [[House of Lords]], wrote in his diary "that he couldn't get used to the idea of Churchill as prime minister" and went so far as to tell Halifax that he wished he had been the one chosen. Hitchens sums up his dislike of the movie's treatment of history saying "Almost the entire moral capital of this rather odd little [[House of Windsor|German dynasty]] is invested in the post-fabricated myth of its participation in '[[Battle of Britain|Britain's finest hour]].' In fact, had it been up to them, the finest hour would never have taken place. So this is not a detail but a major desecration of the historical record - now apparently gliding unopposed towards a baptism by Oscar."<ref name="Hitch"/>

In an interview with [[BBC Radio Leicester]], Lionel Logue's grandson, Robert Logue, doubted some elements of the film's depiction of the speech therapist, stating "I don't think he ever swore in front of the king and he certainly never called him Bertie".<ref>{{cite news| title=Lionel Logue 'never swore in front of King George VI' | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leicester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9377000/9377098.stm | newspaper=[[BBC Radio Leicester]] | date=27 January 2011 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref>


== Release ==
== Release ==

Revision as of 15:40, 27 January 2011

For the formal speech delivered by a monarch, see Speech from the throne. For the 2009 radio play on the same topic by Mark Burgess, see A King's Speech.
The King's Speech
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTom Hooper
Written byDavid Seidler
Produced byIain Canning
Emile Sherman
Gareth Unwin
Geoffrey Rush
StarringColin Firth
Geoffrey Rush
Helena Bonham Carter
CinematographyDanny Cohen
Edited byTariq Anwar
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed byThe Weinstein Company (USA)
Momentum Pictures (UK)
Release dates
  • 10 December 2010 (2010-12-10) (United States)
  • 7 January 2011 (2011-01-07) (United Kingdom)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film UK
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$108,755,690

The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. The film won the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award.[1]

The film stars Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue, who helped George VI overcome a stammer. Filming commenced in the United Kingdom in November 2009. The film was given a limited release in the United States on 26 November 2010[2] before giving it a wide release on 10 December 2010 and it was given general release across the UK on 7 January 2011. It received 12 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Actor (Firth), Director (Hooper) and Original Screenplay (Seidler).

Plot

The film opens as The Prince Albert, Duke of York, son of King George V, prepares to speak at the closing of the 1925 Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, with his wife Elizabeth by his side. His stammering speech visibly unsettles the thousands of listeners in the audience. Albert seeks to overcome his speech impediment, seeing one therapist who suggests smoking as a throat relaxant and reading with seven sterilized marbles in his mouth, claiming the practice cured Demosthenes of his stammer. After nearly choking, he vows to cease any further attempts at rehabilitation.

Behind his back, the Duchess of York meets with Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist now living in London, and persuades her husband to attempt Logue's radical treatments. In their first session, Logue insists on calling the Duke "Bertie" (a pet name used by Albert's family). He insists that Albert not smoke in his presence and wagers Albert one shilling that he can make him read without a stammer. He convinces Albert to read Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy, while listening to the overture from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro on headphones. Logue records Albert's reading, but convinced that he has stammered throughout, Albert leaves in a huff. Logue offers him the recording as a keepsake.

As George V makes his first Christmas address, the king explains to his son that radio has required monarchs to become skilled actors, but at the same time the king's bullying manner towards his son is apparent. After this humiliation, Albert puts on Logue's recording and is astonished to hear an unbroken recitation of Shakespeare in his own voice. He returns to Logue, who insists on daily coaching sessions. Logue works with Albert on muscle relaxation and breath control, while simultaneously probing the psychological roots of his stammer. Over the course of the film, Albert reveals some of the pressures of his childhood: his strict father; the repression of his natural left-handedness; a painful treatment with metal splints for his knock-knees; and a nanny who favoured his elder brother, deliberately pinching Albert at the daily presentations, unsettling him and making him cry, so his parents would allot less time to him and more of their attention to Edward. As the treatment progresses, the two become friends and confidants.

When George V dies, his elder son Edward (known as David to his family) inherits the throne as King Edward VIII, but he appears to place his feelings for American socialite Wallis Simpson ahead of his responsibilities as king. While visiting Edward VIII at Balmoral Castle, the Duke and Duchess of York are horrified at Wallis's presumptuousness, and Albert confronts Edward on the dereliction of his duties. Albert is astonished when Edward reveals his intention to marry Wallis once she is divorced from her second husband. Albert points out that Edward cannot retain the throne and marry a divorced woman. Edward accuses Albert of a medieval-style plot to usurp his throne, citing Albert's speech lessons as an attempt to ready himself for power. Albert is tongue-tied at the accusation, and Edward cruelly resurrects his childhood taunt of "B-B-Bertie".

At his next lesson, the encounter has so incensed Albert that it is all he can talk about. In an attempt to console him, Logue insists that Albert could indeed be king. Albert's temper flares, and he cruelly mocks Logue's failed acting career and humble origins, causing a rift in their friendship which is only repaired after Edward has abdicated the throne. Now King George VI, Albert needs Logue's help and travels to his home to apologize. Their professional relationship becomes public during his coronation, when he insists that Logue be seated in the King's box. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, initiates an investigation into Logue which reveals that he is not accredited in speech therapy. This prompts another confrontation between the King and Logue, in which Logue slumps in King Edward's Chair. The King's furious, but clear and authoritative, roaring at Lionel's gesture leads him to realize that he is just as worthy of the throne as his brother or any of the other kings before him.

Upon the 1939 declaration of war with Germany, George VI is given a three-page speech to read over the radio. He summons Logue to Buckingham Palace. With only forty minutes to rehearse, the King runs through all of the techniques he has learned, which include copious amounts of swearing and body movements. When the broadcast draws near, the King and Logue move through the ceremonial rooms of the palace to a tiny studio. The King delivers his speech as if to Logue, who coaches him through every moment. The many pauses necessitated to prevent his stammer sound convincingly dramatic, and the speech is a success. George VI poses for a staged photo at his desk, where he pretends to read the speech. As Logue watches, the King steps onto the balcony of the palace with his family, where thousands of people assembled for the speech applaud him.

A final text explains that, during the many speeches King George VI gave during World War II, Logue was always present. Furthermore, Logue was inducted into the Royal Victorian Order for his service to the King and the two remained friends for the rest of their lives.

Cast

Production

A man and woman standing side by side
Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter on location for filming The King's Speech

The King's Speech started life as a screenplay, when US-based British writer David Seidler (born 1937) decided to plunge himself into creative work after being diagnosed with cancer. Seidler had himself developed a stammer as a child, due, he believes, to the emotional trauma of the war, which had included the murder of his grandparents during the holocaust. As a child, Seidler was inspired on finding out that King George VI had overcome a stutter. “Here was a stutterer who was a king and had to give radio speeches where everyone was listening to every syllable he uttered, and yet did so with passion and intensity,” Seidler, now 73, recalled. “I personally knew what a strain that could be, and in my mind he became a very brave man, indeed. It was pointed out to me that here was a fellow stammerer, and look what he was able to achieve, so perhaps there was a future for me.”[3] Seidler’s childhood fascination with the king eventually led him, many years later, to write “The King’s Speech". After completing the script and finding himself in remission, he showed it to his wife. She liked the script, but thought it was too caught up in the technical language of film, and suggested he re-write it as a play, in order to force him to focus on the characters. Seidler scrapped his original screenplay and wrote a play from scratch based on his research. After he had completed it, he decided he quite liked it and sent it to a few people for feedback.[4]

In early 2006, one of the people Seidler sent his play to asked if they could forward it to producer Joan Lane, at the London based production company Wild Thyme. Lane saw the script as a potential screen drama as well as stage play, showed it to film colleague Simon Egan at Bedlam Productions and Egan recorded the first rehearsed read-through. With a view to mounting a stage production, Wild Thyme sent the script to Geoffrey Rush for his interest, simultaneously championing film director Tom Hooper for any future screen adaptation; and Bedlam Productions passed the script to Iain Canning at See-Saw Films. Although there had been interest in a stage production in London's West End, the film production with its stellar cast took precedence. Producer Gareth Unwin of Bedlam Productions read the play and thought it would make a good feature film.[5] The UK Film Council awarded the production £1 million in June 2009. A script read-through was held on 11 November, ahead of the beginning of filming on 13 November. Principal photography, scheduled to last seven weeks, concluded on 17 January.[6][7]

On 25 November, Rush and Derek Jacobi took part in filming at the Pullens buildings in Southwark.[8] On 26 November, a week's filming began at Ely Cathedral.[9] Scenes featuring Firth, Rush and Jacobi were shot there.[10] Other locations include Cumberland Lodge, Lancaster House, Harley Street, Knebworth [(Hatfield House)], Queen Street Mill Textile Museum in Burnley, and Battersea Power Station.[11] The opening scene, set at the closing ceremony of the 1925 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, was filmed on location at Elland Road, home of Leeds United and Odsal Stadium, home of Bradford Bulls. Elland Road was used for the speech elements of the prince stammering his way through his first public address, and Odsal Stadium was selected because of its resemblance to Wembley Stadium in 1925. [12] [13] An open casting call for extras was put out ahead of an expected filming date of 16 December 2009.[14][15] Elstree Studios provided soundstages for some interior filming.[8][16]

The final cut of the film was completed on 31 August 2010.[17]

Historical accuracy

According to screenwriter David Seidler, director Tom Hooper insisted on being as historically accurate as possible, the two of them working together for four months to get the best from the script, and ensure its authenticity.[4] According to a BBC interview with Lionel Logue's grandson, the film team became aware of a diary containing Logue's original notes on his treatment of the duke only some nine weeks prior to shooting.[18] They then went back and re-worked the script to reflect what was in the notes.[4] Hooper said that some of the film's most memorable lines were direct quotes from Logue's notes.[19]

Nonetheless, issues have been raised about the film's accuracy. Professor Cathy Schultz, for example, points out that, for dramatic reasons, the film-makers tightened the chronology of the events shown, so that they appeared to take place over just a few years. The Duke of York, in fact, began to work with Lionel Logue in October 1926, ten years before the abdication crisis.[20]

More seriously, Christopher Hitchens has also attacked the political aspects of the film's plot as "riddled with gross falsifications of history". Although Winston Churchill supported the Hitler-sympathising Edward VIII as long as he could, he is portrayed in the film as strongly favouring abdication in favour of George VI. According to Hitchens, "The private letters and diaries of the royal family demonstrate a continued, consistent allegiance to the policy of appeasement [of the Nazis] and to the personality of [Neville] Chamberlain." The film, however, consistently implies the opposite, especially in the final scene portraying "Churchill and the king at Buckingham Palace and a speech of unity and resistance being readied for delivery".[21]

Hitchens also points out that after Neville Chamberlain agreed to grant Hitler the majority of Czechoslovakia "he was greeted by a royal escort in full uniform and invited to drive straight to Buckingham Palace...Chamberlain was then paraded on the palace balcony, saluted by royalty in front of cheering crowds." This was done before Chamberlain appeared before Parliament to justify his actions "by ancient custom the royal assent is given to measures after they have passed through both Houses of Parliament. ...by acting as they did to grant pre-emptive favor to Chamberlain, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter to you) [as John Grigg put it] 'committed the most unconstitutional act by a British Sovereign in the present century [the 1900s].'"[21]

Hitchens notes that King George "even after the Nazi armies had struck deep north into Scandinavia and clear across the low countries to France, did not wish to accept Chamberlain's resignation." The King had desired the "arch-appeaser" Lord Halifax from the unelected House of Lords, wrote in his diary "that he couldn't get used to the idea of Churchill as prime minister" and went so far as to tell Halifax that he wished he had been the one chosen. Hitchens sums up his dislike of the movie's treatment of history saying "Almost the entire moral capital of this rather odd little German dynasty is invested in the post-fabricated myth of its participation in 'Britain's finest hour.' In fact, had it been up to them, the finest hour would never have taken place. So this is not a detail but a major desecration of the historical record - now apparently gliding unopposed towards a baptism by Oscar."[21]

In an interview with BBC Radio Leicester, Lionel Logue's grandson, Robert Logue, doubted some elements of the film's depiction of the speech therapist, stating "I don't think he ever swore in front of the king and he certainly never called him Bertie".[22]

Release

The film experienced several ratings controversies due to scenes where Logue encourages use of profanities by the King to relieve stress caused by his stammering. In the United Kingdom, it was originally rated 15 by the British Board of Film Classification. It was lowered to a 12A rating upon appeal.[23] In the United States, it was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some language". This rating was not appealed.[24]

The film is distributed by Transmission in Australia and by Momentum Pictures in the United Kingdom.[6] The Weinstein Company is the distributor in North America, Germany, France, Benelux, Scandinavia, China, Hong Kong and Latin America.[25]

The official US poster was released on 2 December 2010.[26]

The film had its world premiere on 4 September 2010 at the Telluride Film Festival in the United States.[17] At its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was met with a standing ovation.[27] The TIFF release of The King's Speech fell on Firth's 50th birthday and was called the "best 50th birthday gift".[28] The film won the People's Choice Award at the festival.[29]

Reception

Box office

In the UK and Ireland, the film became box office number one, and took in £3,510,000 in its opening weekend from 395 cinemas.[30]

In the United States The King's Speech opened with $355,450 in four theatres, averaging $88,863 per theatre. It holds the record for the highest per theatre gross of 2010.[31] It was widened to 700 screens on Christmas Day, and 1,543 screens on January 14, 2011. It made $7.8 million in North America during the New Year's Day weekend, and $11.3 million during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend.[32]

In Australia, the film opened on Boxing Day 2010 and made more than $6,281,686 in the first two weeks, according to figures collected by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia. The executive director of Palace Cinemas, Benjamin Zeccola, said customer feedback on the film was spectacular. "It's our No.1 for all the period, all throughout the country. ... I think this is more successful than Slumdog Millionaire and a more uplifting film. It's a good example of a film that started out in the independent cinemas and then spread to the mainstream cinemas."[33]

Critical response

The King's Speech has received critical acclaim.[34][35][36][37][38] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 96% based on reviews from 184 critics, with an average score of 8.7/10. The critical consensus is: "Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King's Speech, a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama."[39]

Empire gave the film five stars out of five, commenting, "You’ll be lost for words."[40] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave four stars out of five, stating, "Tom Hooper's richly enjoyable and handsomely produced movie... is a massively confident crowd-pleaser."[41] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film four stars out of four, commenting that "what we have here is a superior historical drama and a powerful personal one." In his review, he specifically addressed its R rating, calling it "utterly inexplicable".[42]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of accolades received by The King's Speech

References

  1. ^ "Firth movie lands Toronto Film Festival prize". BBC News. 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  2. ^ Fleming, Mike (24 March 2010). "Weinstein Buys U.S. Distribution Rights To John Wells' Sundance Hit 'Company Men'". Deadline. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  3. ^ Screenwriter’s stammer inspires ‘Speech’November 23, 2010, By Naomi Pfefferman, Jewish Journal
  4. ^ a b c http://creativescreenwritingmagazine.blogspot.com Interview with David Seidler
  5. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (19 January 2010). "A majestic opportunity as glory beckons for King Colin the Firth". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b Cooper, Sarah (13 November 2009). "New cast announced as The King's Speech starts shooting". ScreenDaily.com. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  7. ^ "The King's Speech". Screenbase. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  8. ^ a b Greenwood100 (November 2009). "The King's Speech". Flickr.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Staff (25 November 2009). "Cathedral starring again in blockbuster". Cambridge News. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  10. ^ Staff (4 December 2009). "The King's Speech: Colin Firth and Bonham Carter in Ely". BBC Cambridgeshire. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  11. ^ "The King's Speech". UK Film Council. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  12. ^ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Firth-is-lost-for-words.6678334.jp
  13. ^ http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Dummies-line-terraces-of-Elland.6683357.jp
  14. ^ Staff (13 November 2009). "Your chance to be an extra in a film". Bradford Bulls. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  15. ^ Staff (7 November 2009). "Film auditions begin at the Grattan Stadium". Bradford Bulls. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  16. ^ Staff (November 2009). "It's Party Time @ Elstree Studios". Elstree Studios. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  17. ^ a b Hoyle, Ben (9 September 2010). "Story of the King who was lost for words is an Oscar favourite". The Times. London: Times Newspapers. p. 23.
  18. ^ BBC: "Finding the real King's Speech" (interview with Logue's grandson), 4 January 2011. Accessed on Jan 8, 2011 at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12116320.
  19. ^ Wotzke, Anders (December 12, 2010). "Interview: THE KING'S SPEECH director Tom Hooper". Cut Print Review.
  20. ^ Schultz, Cathy. History in the Movies. January 4, 2011. Accessed on January 10, 2011 at: http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110104/NEWS0107/101040314/1020&nav_category=
  21. ^ a b c Hitchens, Christopher (24 January 2011). "Churchill Didn't Say That". Slate.
  22. ^ "Lionel Logue 'never swore in front of King George VI'". BBC Radio Leicester. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  23. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/kings-speech-15-rating
  24. ^ http://www.vancouversun.com/news/King+Speech+slapped+with+ratings+agency/3838795/story.html
  25. ^ Staff (2 September 2009). "The Weinstein Company Acquires The King's Speech". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  26. ^ "New Poster for 'The King's Speech' Keeps it Simple". The Film Stage. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  27. ^ Friedman, Roger (September 11, 2010). "Colin Firth Gets Best 50th Birthday Gift". Showbiz 411. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  28. ^ "Colin Firth Gets Best 50th Birthday Gift". Showbiz 411. 2010-09-11. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  29. ^ "Firth movie lands Toronto Film Festival prize". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  30. ^ "The King's Speech rules box office". The Press Association. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  31. ^ "Arthouse Audit: 'King's Speech' Has Royal Debut". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  32. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=kingsspeech.htm
  33. ^ Kwek, Glenda (2010-01-06). "Stutterly marvellous: why we clamour for the stammer story". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  34. ^ James R. Holland, "Movie Review: The King's Speech", California Chronicle, 4 January 2010, at California Chronicle website. Accessed 4 January 2010.
  35. ^ Lisa Kennedy, "Movie review: 'The King's Speech' is, in a word, excellent", The Denver Post, 24 December 2010, at The Denver Post website. Accessed 4 January 2010.
  36. ^ "Film Reviews 2010: The King's Speech", Catholic Church in Australia, n.d. Found at Catholic Church in Australia website. Accessed 4 January 2010.
  37. ^ "The King's Speech: set report," The Telegraph, n.d. Found at The Telegraph website. Accessed 4 January 2010.
  38. ^ Rubin Safaya, "The King’s Speech", 17 December 2010, at www.cinemalogue.com website, Accessed 4 January 2010.
  39. ^ "The King's Speech Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  40. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137037
  41. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/21/kings-speech-review-colin-firth
  42. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101215/REVIEWS/101219985/1023

Sources

Further reading/viewing

External links

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