"The King's Speech", directed by Tom Hopper , is less about the life of King George VI/Bertie (Colin Firth) and more about the friendship between him and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). A boy that was often neglected in his upbringing and weakened through mean comments throughout his life amongst his family members and nannies, decides through the help of his strong and supportive wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) to take speech therapy, due to his stammering. Going through embarrassing procedures by certain doctors, the last try to better his speech leads him to the office of Lionel Logue. With no diploma and title Lionel finds a way through knowledge and heart to help Bertie with his stammering, before he becomes king and also while he is a king. He helps the king to find his own voice and throughout the speech challenges the King faces during the war.
Though the movie concentrates on the two characters and their relationship to each other, historical facts are not left out, like the death of King George V (Michael Gambon), the reign and abdication of Bernie's brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), the great depression and the start of the 2nd World War. However, these happenings occur in order to deepen the friendship between Bertie and Lionel. The therapist who at the beginning seemed quiet arrogant becomes more settled throughout time and Bernie less tempered and open. Lionel at some point, becomes more than a therapist who tries to fix Bertie speech, he becomes a true friend/psychologist. Feelings the king of England has and problems he faces and faced are only revealed to us through this friendship to Lionel.
Though Hopper insisted on being as historically accurate as possible, some doubt his accuracy, due to the order of some happenings, others because of the belief that the movie has some emotional exaggerations.
The movie is not a biography of the kings life, its a historical drama, it takes real characters and real happenings and puts them it into a movie context, after all the movie does not go further than the speech King George VI gives, on the war entrance of the UK. Movies are made to exaggerate a little no matter how much the director wants to hold on to real happenings. Aesthetics as well as narrative changes have to be included at times. If we wanted to see real life, a look at our own one is sufficient. At certain points even the greatest among us have boring moments, but depicting them in a movie would simply not make sense. Editing and the elimination of certain scenes and moments of a persons life already exclude historical accuracy. For that not a movie, but a documentary has to be made. However the events and the relationship between King George VI and Lionel is a true historical fact. The drama and emotional moments we encounter are only a further joy for us viewers and should be judged accordingly.
Everyone who wants to watch a movie that combines all trades a good Oscar movie should possess, has to go and watch "The King's Speech". It offers historic accuracy, emotions, great acting, great scenery, great wardrobe, great dialogues, great score and great direction. Colin Firth was at his best just as Geoffrey Rush, both of them match so well on screen that the deep friendship between the characters can not be doubted one moment, and Helena Bonham Carter has more of a quiet color this time, after playing many eccentric characters the last few years, though her quirkiness still shines through at times, which we would not want to have any other way.
It makes sense that the movie was named "The King's Speech", after all that's the part the movie aim at from the beginning. After all this one speech that makes all the difference. The others are the same procedure over and over.
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