A biopic fit for a king

FILM REVIEW: THE KING’S SPEECH

WHEN Jewish screenwriter David Seidler first read the journals of speech therapist Lionel Logue, which documented the treatment of his most famous patient King George VI, he felt compelled to bring the hitherto unknown slice of British history to light.

Logue’s only surviving son Valentine gave Seidler his blessing to use the documents as the basis for a screenplay, on the proviso he got permission from the Royal Family. The response to Seidler’s request came from the Queen Mother herself, who also agreed, but with a caveat of her own. She requested the film not be made in her lifetime owing to the painful memories it would stir.

Seidler acquiesced, as one does when Her Highness “requests” something of one of her subjects, happy to sit on his treasure for the time being. But Britain’s great fortune was Seidler’s bane, the Queen Mum soldiering on until the ripe old age of 101, nearly three decades after her correspondence with Seidler.

But good things come to those who wait, as they say, and this seems to be the case with The King’s Speech, which led all-comers at the Golden Globes nominations last week with six nods.

Starring Colin Firth as Albert Frederic Arthur George (who went on to become King George VI) and Helena Bonham Carter as Ma’am-in-waiting Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, the film follows Albert as he struggles to overcome a severe stammer – not ideal for a public figure expected to deliver rousing addresses to his subjects.

After countless failed attempts to get his impediment under control, Lady Elizabeth engages the unconventional Australian speech therapist Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Sort of like the Dirty Harry of speech pathology, Logue’s methods are unconventional, but they get results.

He calls the Prince “Berty” and has him swear like a truck driver in an attempt

to break down his mental barriers and subsequently untie his tongue.

When the King dies, Albert’s older brother Edward is installed at the helm of the Dominions of the Commonwealth, but his playboy ways and desire to marry a twice-divorced American see him abdicate soon after, leaving Berty to take the reins.

During the increasingly Freudian sessions, Berty’s tormented childhood is gradually revealed. One of the film’s most affecting scenes comes when he sings (a method to help him annunciate) about absent parents, abusive nannies and relentless ridicule at the hands of his brother.

As you’d expect from Firth and Rush, the performances at the centre of this film are top tier. Firth imbues Berty with a fragility and diffidence that makes the monarch accessible and relatable. Rush is pitch perfect as the eccentric Logue.

The pair has chemistry, making the coming together of royalty and subject, which is played deftly for laughs, ­believable and engaging.

In its weaker moments, The King’s Speech suffers from a lack of stake, a common shortcoming of the Brit-pomp ­oeuvre. The problems depicted in the film are those of a ludicrously privileged few and while this, in and of itself, is interesting, it lacks real-world consequence.

But Seidler’s finely crafted screenplay and predictably sterling performances from Firth and Rush see the film navigate some Rank Organisation moments and peculiar photography to emerge a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining experience.

FILM REVIEW: THE KING’S SPEECH
Reviewed by Adam Kamien
Rating: ****

PHOTO: Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech