The King's Speech

Colin Firth bloody well deserves an Oscar.

I mean, for an Englishman to pass for a German requires serious acting talent, don't you think?

I am not a big fan of the inbred lot from Hanover that has been occupying the English throne since 1714. As Captain Blackadder said to Captain Darling when the latter claimed to be as British as Queen Victoria: 'So you're father is a German, you're half German and you're married to a German?'

I think that sums up not only my feelings about the British royals but that of many of the Brits as well.

So Albert Saxe-Coburg's well known speech impediment deserves a movie does it? Despite ER II's best efforts, I hardly think the Royals would ever be considered an asset to England. Considering the fact that one of the fruits of the car-wreck that was the union of Big Ears and Porcelain Doll is about to marry a slapper from the home counties and the tabloids are full of little else (unless it's the Express about his mother's “mysterious” death), I'd rather not bother with the Windsors nee Saxe-Coburgs.

Yes, did you know they changed their names from Saxe-Coburg to Windsor in 1917 because it sounded too German?

So, a story about how one of the Windsors got over a personal failing and became 'normal' again is hardly likely to be something I would get excited over. I mean, I'm a republican for for a reason and pomp and circumstances do not interest me.

Or so I thought.

It seems I am mistaken. It is not about the splash and splendor of royal pageantry but a deep dark side of the family. We forget, like every family, even the British Royals have their foray away from the light. Like every other family, they too have secrets.

If you made a movie about a poor orphan English boy at the turn of the 20^th Century who had to were braces on his feet and was punished for being left handed, we would attribute part of his misfortune to the rigid class system. But when the crème de la crème of English society does not escape the prevailing prejudices of the day, you begin to realize that when a rigid society wants to spread the misery about, it can be surprisingly democratic.

When we first meet him, Albert Windsor seemed to have achieved his life's goal. After an honorable service in the Royal Navy during the First World War, he had settled down to quiet domesticity with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She had turned him down twice, but apparently was own over by his persistent love. When asked by the King to deliver a speech at the Empire Exhibition, the young Duke of York fails miserably due to an overpowering propensity to stutter.

The Duchess, played to perfection by a subdued Helena Bonham Carter, tries her best to find a cure for her husband. After going through many demonstrations of quackery, she comes across Lionel Logue, an Australian. Logue, played impeccably by Geoffrey Rush, is a speech therapist in Harley Street who has gained a reputation treating shell-shocked soldiers and helping them be able to speak again. After an initial bout of skepticism, Albert decides to give Logue a try.

Thus begins the friendship that defines the entire movie. The relationship between Logue and the Prince is rather a complicated one. The prince is not used to others taking liberty in his presence. Logue would not let any tradition of deference come between him and his patient. He plays not just the speech therapist but also amateur psychiatrist, helping the prince deal with his inner demons that manifest themselves by robbing him of his voice. Rush's Logue is free of social constraint and refuses to cow tow to conventions. Colin Firth's Prince Albert on the other hand, is a conflicted figure: not the sort to shirk his duties, he is, however, paralyzed by the shadow cast by his overbearing father and more socially adept brother.

George V, played regally by Michael Gambon, has dominated the lives of his sons, especially that of Albert. He is not very optimistic of the prospect of David, the Prince of Wales, becoming king. He'd rather much see Albert and “Lilibet”, as young Princess Elizabeth was known as, succeed him. He had left an indelible impression on Albert who is never away from his father's presence.

Guy Pierce's portrayal of Edward VIII is pitch perfect, down to his mimicry of Edward's abdication speech. Although limited in screen time, he nevertheless delivers a whirlwind performance, portraying a monarch who would have blended rather well with the hard partying crowd of the Roaring Twenties. He seems to share their predilection for irresponsible and self destructive behavior as well, as the abdication crisis illustrates.

The problem, from the point of view of Albert, is this: if he becomes king then his inability to speak in public would undermine the people's faith in the monarchy. Deeply aware of a sense of duty and public service, he does not want to plunge the country into crisis, not when another war with Germany is looming. Conversely his brother effortlessly and without compunction engineers a constitutional crisis for the sake of marrying a woman he loves, thrusting Albert to the throne.

Eventually, Albert, now King George VI, overcomes his speech problem with the steady help of Logue.

The final moment of crisis comes when faced with war with Germany, the King must deliver the speech that would unite the nation and give them courage and hope. How would this shy and retiring man convince his Depression weary countrymen to face down the looming threat of fascism and prevail?

The seemingly innocuous story of a man born to privilege getting over a speech impediment quickly becomes a story about the struggle of a nation's soul. Would royal convention doom a man's sense of obligation to his nation and prevent him from doing his duty? How can a prince, an apparent better in a society of rigid class system, learn from a commoner? How can a commoner show the prince that his people are not afraid of him but are worth his esteem?

The strength of the script is obvious in it s tautness. Social attitudes in historical context becomes fodder for humor. The cast delivers a performance that is both visceral and memorable at once.

As I said, give Colin Firth the Oscar and be done with it.