Review - The King's Speech

The King’s Speech
Starring
Colin Firth
Geoffrey Rush
Helena Bonham Carter

Introduction
Most
Oscar nominated films seem predictable in the sense that they are Oscar
material. A lot of times, a movie doesn’t seem worth it either.
However, King’s Speech definitely deserves its nominations as it truly a
piece of filmmaking art. Despite certain expectations I had about the
film, namely it being an “actor’s” film, I was pleasantly surprised by
other filmmaking treats that comprised the movie.

Acting
This
one’s pretty much a given. This movie has a fantastic cast that really
engross you into the characters of the movie. For the duration of the
film, they’re not actors, they’re characters, real people. Their
performances so beautifully crafted that it’s near impossible to see
Captain Barbossa in the performance of Lionel Logue. The two leading
characters really do lead the movie as the majority of the movie takes
place with only Prince Albert and Lionel Logue and they really drive the
movie.

Colin Firth was an actor that I have known about, but
never actually seen before in any movie, so watching his performance of
the stuttering Prince Albert is a very good way to start watching him.
His performance of a humble, yet fearful man who is ultimately made the
King of England during a time of impending war is astounding. The vocal
elements such as the stuttering are very natural, it really was like he
was tripping over the words and not faking it. But beyond just the
stuttering, he embodied the character very well and to see the character
grow throughout the movie is something rarely seen in film these days.
Unlike in most British dramas, this movie does not feel like it was
acted out on stage and then put on film. The acting makes it almost
seem like everything was really happening, that the characters were real
and that the cameras were just there at the right time to record the
most strategic elements to the story.

Geoffrey Rush is one of
those actors who becomes the role so much so that the other roles the
actor has played, seem like they were performed by another man. Lionel
Logue is a bright, common man who has the Duke of York show up for vocal
lessons. Taking him on using somewhat unorthodox methods, Rush pulls
off a comedic, yet natural performance. He doesn’t appear as comic
relief to the movie, though his methods are comical, he appears like a
normal man who is simply trying to improve the King’s speech. Geoffrey
Rush plays a father who is also trying to get into acting some
Shakespeare for theatre, but runs a bit short on his luck. Despite him
being down about this, he is very much a father figure, not just to his
kids, but in a way, to Albert as well and shows Albert what it’s like to
have somebody by your side looking out for you.

The quirky wife
to Prince Albert, played by Helena Bonham Carter doesn’t have all too
many scenes in the movie, especially compared to Firth and Rush, however
she lights up every one of her scenes with a certain radiance that
almost makes you pleased when she is on screen. Despite being regal,
she has a certain attitude about her, that mixed with her mildly comic
moments and her loving persona towards Albert, make her a very well
blended character. Carter talks just the right way, again pulling off a
highly believable character but definitely has a very good sense of
timing and intonation. She is a very compassionate woman, yet knows not
when to let people walk over her or her husband and she watches out for
him. Carter does this nothing short of brilliantly making her a very
fun character to watch.

As for the supporting cast, they all did a
marvelous job. From King George the Fifth to Winston Churchill, they
appear as more than just historical icons being portrayed by people
playing up to common historical knowledge, but they appear again as real
people, well played that allows you to get attached to them as if they
were any other character.

Cinematography
Here
is where the real surprise was for me. This movie is one of the best
directed films I’ve seen in a very long time. I was not expecting such
playfulness with shot angles and sizes that it made the movie a visual
treat to watch and not just an actor’s treat. The director used the
camera to convey messages and emotions simply with how the movie was
shot, part of what makes this movie art. The different feelings you
get, allowing you to connect with the characters simply because a shot
makes a scene look intimidating, allowing you to feel as the character
does. From what I could tell, there weren’t too many errors such as
jump cuts, meaning the film was well storyboarded and crafted before it
even got to the filming stage.
As for editing, the movie is all about
timing, when to talk, when not to talk etc and it doesn’t fall short on
the editing. Each shot is cut at the right time, mixed and blended
with a sense of timing that help makes the movie a well told story.
Everything done in the film was to further the story and development of
character and the mechanics of the film work to achieve this goal as
much as the acting and writing do.
Again, a key element of this movie
is timing and what better thing than music to do such a task. Though
the soundtrack is somewhat minimal and definitely British, having a
blend of classical and soundtrack style music, it has its purpose. The
key moment in the film (it’s climax) is made that much so by the
brilliant score that goes with it. The timing, the enunciation of the
music, makes it a memorable scene, one that grips you with a multitude
of emotions, that makes you hopeful and yet fearful at the same time

Story
The
next most surprising thing about the movie was how engrossing the story
was. The story literally has you going through it, wondering what’s
going to happen next. At first glance, the movie is two guys that talk
in a room throughout the film, this is not true. Beyond just the story
of what’s happening in the King’s life and the events that lead him to
be King, there is the looming threat of World War II about to begin. Of
course having some familiarity with the history of WWII makes it almost
like you are leading up to the penultimate episode in a television
series, in which all the dark little hints that were thrown your way
over the course of the series, have finally come to life, revealing the
ultimate threat, the greatest challenge, that which is yet to come.
However,
on top of that, this movie is a play on life, on what holds so many
people back from achieving greatness from within themselves. But part
of what makes this a brilliant story, is how these messages don’t make
the film sappy, or make you feel bad about your own life. Now it also
doesn’t seem to be a completely “inspirational” movie like The Blind
Side or anything. They key element to this movie is naturalism and the
story is where it begins and ends.

Conclusion
As
I stated before, a film definitely worth the nominations and wins it
has been receiving. I will definitely own this movie when it becomes
available for purchase and is an excellent representation of what
happens when all the elements of film come together in unity, to further
the purpose of the film, making it a very enjoyable experience.

10/10

Hmmm, I guess I'll have to watch this, then.

I think I shall also post my other reviews, but this was a very well done film

Well, if it meets your standards, certainly.

Like I knew it was an "actor's" film, so I was expecting that, but that's sort of all I was expecting, so to find that the cinematography, editing and all that was really good, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed