Directed by Tom Hooper. Starring Collin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter.
83rd Oscars - 8 Nominations and 4 Won: Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler), Best Actor Leading Role (Collin Firth)
Several months ago, The King's Speech won Best Picture, along with a number of other awards, at the 83rd Oscar Ceremony. Some people were disappointed in this winning -- let me say right off that I was not one of them. Sure, there's the argument that Inception was a more interesting film, the kind the Academy needs to branch out and start awarding (I agree with that). And, sure, The Social Network was more a film "for my generation" (I also think that's right)... But The King's Speech is a solid, well-made, well-acted, well-done film, well worth praising. I'm writing this after viewing it a second time, since it's now on DVD, so I can safely say I see its merits.
I mean, what's not to like? It's a feel-good, underdog tale, a slice of history and a biopic, starring two talented and - until recently - wildly underrated actors, and an actress who is such a surprising chameleon that she can play the Queen's Mother at the same time she's filming Harry Potter! Several months out, I think lot of the negative comments regarding this winning Big Picture distill into one argument: it is too Oscary. In other words, the Academy rewards too many pictures of this nature - stories of someone overcoming hardship, battling something (in this case, a speech defect), and rising above your problems to triumph in the public sphere. (Seriously, glance at a list of Best Picture winners. So many of them fit this formula).
So, yes, this film is a bit predictable - at least, predictable as a winner. The biggest complaint about the 83rd Oscar Ceremony was that the whole night was a bore; the biggest surprise was Kirk Douglas's presentation of the Best Supporting Actress category. (For the record, I still enjoyed the show, but I always get carried away by the glitz and glamour!) If you share this viewpoint, I encourage you to try looking at it another way: in The King's Speech, these filmmakers managed to make gold (literally) out of a tried and true filmic setup.... They managed to take something that's been done and done again, and still do it well! Any-who... In my opinion, The King's Speech makes a good addition to the Best Picture category. *steps off soapbox*
On a personal note, I really loved this film - both times watching it! Reading/watching ANYTHING about British history is one of my favorite pastimes, and it was interesting to learn about a king I knew little about, other than his relationship to Elizabeth II. I've already said that I adore Geoffrey Rush in my Pirates review... And so I enjoyed watching him take on, shall we say, a more substantial performance. Rush is delightfully eccentric and - for all that Collin Firth manages that st-st-stammer quite well - darn near carries the film. (It's a pity Rush didn't carry away a trophy as well). Speaking of Firth, he manages a transformation INTO Bertie, the second son who never wanted to be King. He is a man who must find his own inner strength in order to show said strength to his nation in a time of great hardship. He really brings this man to life. The film is emotional, yet uplifting. It carries you away yet somehow manages to speak to your own life. Bravo!
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