What's so interesting about watching a stammering British royal in the 1930s learning to speak well? As it turns out, plenty.
In "The King's Speech," Colin Firth is Albert, a stuttering prince (Duke of York) on an accidental ascend to the throne. All available options exhausted, his wife (Helena Bonham Carter), finds Australian-born Lionel Louge (Geoffrey Rush), an unorthodox speech therapist who operates out of a humble family quarter, to "cure" her husband. Carter shows her softer side with a delicate piquancy in her role as Duchess of York and future queen mother.
Lionel, who later is found to have questionable qualifications, becomes Albert's private teacher and confidante. His unconventional method demands that they are on equal level, Albert simply referred as 'Bertie' (his nickname) and Lionel 'Louge' (without a "doctor" salutation). It's interesting to note that the stutterer does not stammer when he talks to himself, curses out, sings along, or reads aloud with a noisy background.
With the death of King George V (Michael Gambon), oldest son David (Guy Pearce), is crowned as King Edward VIII. Edward's relationship with a twice-divorced American commoner Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), and with whom he intends to marry, raises serious eyebrows of the parliament and church institution since he is the head of the church. Edward chooses love and abdicates his throne. Bound by duty and honor to serve the country, younger brother Albert is crowned as King George VI (father of future Queen Elizabeth II).
Since childhood, feeling the reject of his nanny, receiving negative reinforcements from his father, and living in the shadow of a self-assured brother and heir to the throne, self-doubter, naval officer Albert has been stuttering virtually all his life. He has all the right words in his brain but is just unable to orally communicate them. Firth's delivery, conveying his frustration, anger and fear over his handicap, and the extreme embarrassment it causes, is truly heartfelt.
While a prince may get by without much public speaking, for a king, it's not an option. Impeccable speech gives voice to the face of a nation. This is especially amplified where leaders are expected to do public addresses that reach far and wide, courtesy of new technological apparatus, such as microphone or radio. Speech impediment would far lessen the ability to lead, particularly in times of unrest. With the distressing rise of Hitler and impending world war, people look up to its leader to speak with a credible and assuring voice, and hang on to every word.
With a running time of two hours, the story surprisingly maintains its momentum, although the standout scenes are clear. When Lionel's wife (Jennifer Ehle) finds out about who his husband's student really is, it's hilariously memorable. When Lionel tricks Albert to record and listen to his own voice, it's a real 'aha' moment. Firth encapsulates Albert's deepest pathos in a single scene where he breaks down in front of his wife over his upcoming coronation and reality of being king is sinking in. The first appearance before the parliament where Albert feels small and every man before him appears to loom large, is another shining moment. The accession ceremony rehearsal at Westminster Abbey is a must-see. Last but not least, the premiere of the pause-filled wartime speech is a must-hear.
Firth gives an imperially admirable performance throughout and Rush is not much less regal. Lionel believes with sincerity and certainty that Prince Albert, King George VI is on the brink of becoming a "bloody good" king. The upclose, personal interactions between Firth and Rush are majestic. The quick-liners between them, stammer and all, flow mirthfully. Their unlikely rapport turns into a lifelong trust and friendship.
Once in a while comes a film that inspires and moves you, but rarely one that tells a story about a dry subject, which on the surface, as unrelatable as it gets since it involves a privileged royal family. Respectably applause-worthy, "The King's Speech" illustrates the power of storytelling. Hail to the king!
As we ring in the new year, I'm looking back to the last decade and putting together a list of memorable movies.
These movies are not necessarily the best from professional critics' standpoint, although some certainly are. But they're epic, revolutionary, controversial, profound, serious, witty, smart, sweet, whimsical, sleek, adventurous, or brainless fun. Whatever it was, it left an imprint in my mind long after leaving the theater.
I've been asked why I love movies (or TVs) so much. Because it's such an immersive experience for me.
Where else can I be transported into different worlds - real or imaginary, past, present or future - filled with stories, characters and creatures that I may never encounter in real life? Through the lens of motion pictures, I feel magically enchanted, visually provoked, intellectually stimulated, emotionally touched, intensely scared, courageously inspired, instantly uplifted, immensely amazed and amused.
As a friendly disclaimer, for sure there are great movies left out because either I didn't get around to watch them somehow, I honestly forgot about them, they're purposely left out due to the imposed limit per year, or if part of the series, they may be represented in other years (although in some cases, there are certainly movies in the series with far lesser quality and not memorable). I'm also a "geek" at heart, so a number of these movies may not have the same appeal to a broader audience.
Below is a flashback to the last 10 years in films: (five each year in alphabetical order)
2010 - Black Swan, Inception, Red, Shutter Island, The Social Network
2009 - 2012, Avatar, Surrogates, Up, Up in the Air
2008 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, Wanted
2007 - Gone Baby Gone, Live Free or Die Hard, Michael Clayton, Mr. Brooks, Stardust
2006 - 300, Blood Diamond, The Departed, The Illusionist, Superman Returns
2005 - Batman Begins, Brokeback Mountain, The Constant Gardener, Red Eye, Sin City
2004 - The Aviator, The Bourne Supremacy, Crash, Finding Neverland, The Notebook
2003 - The Italian Job, Mystic River, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Runaway Jury, X2
2002 - Catch Me If You Can, Equilibrium, Femme Fatale, Spiderman, Tuck Everlasting
2001 - Blow, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Moulan Rouge, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spy Kids
