"The King's Speech" (2010) - Film about George VI of the United Kingdom


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I can't wait untill it comes to dvd, it sounds like a very good movie. Unfortunally it isn't on at any of the theaters I can go to. I didn't know they used f bombs in the 40's.
 
I'm stoked to see this. I've been checking the past few weeks to see when it opens in Portland and just learned that it's opening Christmas Day! Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until I'm back from my parents' as they live in Central Oregon and I'm sure it's not opening up over there for awhile. But, it's something to look forward to, for sure!
 
I am definitely going to check it out this weekend. I am sure its in the Washington, DC area at one of the smaller independent chains.
 
I read this earlier today and it's really an interesting and excellent read on how the movie came into being. There's also been at least two stories about TKS on Canadian news and how Speech Therapists are hoping TKS will help w/awareness about stuttering the last couple of weeks.

Sigh...I *really* want to see this, but know more than likely I'll have to wait for the DVD. :(
 
I saw this movie last night and if I could describe it a few words, then I would say:
1. Brilliant writing - full of wit, depth and charm.
2. Superb acting - Geoffrey Rush is larger than life; Colin Firth has never been better and Helena is very spot in her very clever portrayal.
3. Excellent direction - the park scene is perfection.

But overall the movie is very uplifting!! GO SEE IT.
 
The movie is not out on Long Island, where I live, but I made a special trip into New York City to see the King's Speech because I've always loved George VI.

I'm not a movie person and so I've never seen anything that Firth and Rush have been in, but I was overwhelmed by their performances, particularly Colin Firth. His portrayal of Bertie was so poignant- he literally inhabited the role to the point where he WAS Bertie.....

This was a movie that made you laugh and cry. What I'm hoping is that Americans (who are notoriously terrible at history) will want to learn more about George VI. They know about Edward the VIII because he gave up the throne for the woman he loved, but while I used to think that was the greatest love story ever, now I think it's just sad and pathetic. While Edward was selfish, his brother was the one who led his country through the war.......and ended up dying young. IMO, his relationship with Queen Elizabeth is a much more satisfying love story (not that that's what the movie's about, of course). Bertie's courage in trying to overcome his stammer is pretty remarkable- I knew about his stammer, but I'd never heard of Lionel Logue before.

I read that this is going to come to Broadway next year and that's a ticket I'm already lining up for.
 
What I'm hoping is that Americans (who are notoriously terrible at history) will want to learn more about George VI.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I think this is true. Last night at dinner, I mentioned that I would be seeing this movie tonight, I discovered that my uncle (who is not at all a stupid or uneducated person; he has a PhD in Statistics) thought George VI reigned, and the movie was therefore set, in the nineteenth century. :rolleyes:
 
Some Americans are terrible at history, not all or for that matter many. Unfortunately, many are disinterested in royal goings on, as they affect little in the world, especially their world. Just a frippery. If it gets any Oscars, it will be all over the place.
 
That just doesn't sound like a winner as far as movies go.

Hey, Iowabelle - bit of ketchup with that hat of yours? :)

On quite a different tack (pardon the digression) - I thought that Madonna's wretched W.E. film, that glorifies Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, would fail, and it looks as though it will. How sweet it is that a film celebrating George VI is gaining critical acclaim.

It has been discussed elsewhere on this forum most probably, that Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII were more than Nazi sympathisers - they were collaborators, actively seeking to be restored to the British throne by the Nazis. I can't say strongly enough, how unpleasant of Madonna to whitewash Edward VIII this way - and how foolish of Abbie Cornish to take the role. Sensible folk like Ewan MacGregor apparently declined to be involved, and the British royal family declined Madonna's requests to use National Heritage estates for the filming.

Sigh - and a footnote: the number of uses of a swearword have meant that The King's Speech has an R rating. The swearword is vital to the story - I'm appalled that American schoolchildren won't see this historical masterpiece.
 
Last edited:
I hope WE fails miserably, but in America, what it will ultimately do is make Edward VIII a sympathetic figure. Because the monarchy is so foreign to us, and most Americans don't understand why a royal family is necessary, the romantic aspect of it all overwhelms. So, most Americans won't understand why someone would have to sacrifice their own personal happiness for the sake of the country. What I hope will happen is that ,since it's clearly a more complicated issue than Madonna is making it out to be (and by no means were the Windsors sympathetic figures), that historians will blast her for the historical inaccuracies.

Back to the King's Speech - probably George VI isn't that well known in America is because he didn't have any real power. So, the huge figure of Winston Churchill looms over all. History books tend to promote the big events, but George VI was beloved not based on any one big thing, but on his overall behavior during the War and afterwards. That's not the kind of thing that gets coverage - it's surely not the kind of thing taught in schools. Plus, he died young and the Queen Mother outlived him for 50 years.

I just saw the movie for the 2nd time and was even more heartbreaking this time. I'd like to think maybe this will put a human face on the royal family - the King really had an unfortunate childhood. I think anyone who has ever had to overcome some sort of stumbling block will identify with the humanity of this movie. Yes, I also think it's ridiculous that it gets an R rating based on a scene that lasts for maybe 3 minutes, if that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think it's reasonable to rate it R, because the rule is one f-word = R. Some parents, for example, might feel very strongly about a 14-year-old hearing that kind of language even briefly, so it's necessary to call it R rather than misleadingly label it something tamer, like PG-13. However, I wish there were a way of making it clear to people that when they say it's "rated R for language," that means one very brief scene, not that the whole movie is filled with profanity. There's definitely a difference - I wouldn't be enthusiastic about watching a movie with the f-word appearing every 10 minutes, but I was fine with its brief use here.

The R rating aside, I don't think it's appropriate for schoolchildren (assuming you mean actual children, not high schoolers). Even if the language were ignored and they rated it G, I wouldn't want my 10-year-old hearing the f-word, just because I wouldn't want him or her exposed to it. IMO, the solution to letting children see it (and I do think it would be a worthwhile movie for them on several levels) would have been to leave the profanity out, or produce an edited version, not just change the rating.

I saw the movie two nights ago and LOVED it - seeing it again this weekend! I thought it was very well done, and I was very impressed with the attention to minor historical details. For example, Elizabeth and Margaret brushing their horses before bed - historically a nightly ritual for the girls.
 
I did think it was odd that they would have George stammer in front of his children - I don't imagine he did that in real life. I guess that's one of the liberties you take as a director. Tom Hooper mentioned that they had to make George stammer even more than he may have done in real life to get the point (that it was devastating to him) across to the moviegoers.

I didn't know that about the brushing of their horses........sweet. I thought the scene where Elizabeth and Margaret curtsied to their father was really poignant ......and this is also straight out of history. Hooper and co. really did their research and it showed. I've been babbling non-stop about this movie to anyone who will listen to me and I'm now completely in love with Colin Firth, lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What do you mean stammer in front of his children? He stammered and he did it in front of anyone to whom his was speaking. It is a riduclous statement, how did you think he controlled it. If he had been able to, he would not have had to go through what he did. And, he cursed, from frustration. Words are words, curses or not. What you see and the lesson is the inner fortitude of Elizabeth and how she helped her husband. That is what should be concentrated on.
 
I don't know whether George VI stammered in front of his children or not, but my best friend in high school had a stutter, and I have to say that Betsypaige is correct to suggest that he might not have. As the movie shows, stuttering is partly a psychological/mental thing. Not that I'm saying "it's all in your head," but there is a mental component - that's why, as Lionel Logue demonstrated in their first session, Bertie didn't stutter when he couldn't hear himself over the music.

My best friend rarely stuttered in front of me or our other friends - her speech was so "normal" that I often forgot she ever stuttered. However, when she spoke to teachers, to my parents, or to other adults, her stammer was significantly worse. I'm sure this isn't the case for all stutterers, but how much my friend stuttered was directly affected by how comfortable she was with the person she was talking to. Based on my experiences with her, I don't think it's at all ridiculous for Betsypaige to suggest that he might not have stammered in front of his children. I did notice that Bertie didn't stutter as much when he was telling the girls the penguin story as he did in other situations, so the movie may have been trying to imply what I observed with my friend.
 
Last edited:
^I agree with your post. I think it's safe to say that he was petrified of speaking in front of an audience, but completely comfortable around Elizabeth and the children. It seems that everyone else, and even his family intimidated him, especially his father, and Edward in particular, was very unkind towards him.

I also agree with Countess, Elizabeth was George's anchor, and her devotion to him was nothing short of extraordinary. However, he had it within himself, as only he could do the work required to rise to the occasion and conquer his fear, and in that regard, the credit goes solely to him! He was a courageous man!
 
What do you mean stammer in front of his children? He stammered and he did it in front of anyone to whom his was speaking. It is a riduclous statement, how did you think he controlled it. If he had been able to, he would not have had to go through what he did. And, he cursed, from frustration. Words are words, curses or not. What you see and the lesson is the inner fortitude of Elizabeth and how she helped her husband. That is what should be concentrated on.

Wow, why are you so angry? He didn't stutter and stammer 100% of the time, 24 hours a day........and that's based on everything I've read. I never said his problem wasn't severe. I think he was extremely courageous in trying to overcome his problem.
 
...but there is a mental component - that's why, as Lionel Logue demonstrated in their first session, Bertie didn't stutter when he couldn't hear himself over the music.
My first thought after that scene with the music was that Bertie couldn't hear himself, so he wasn't self-conscious and therefore he didn't stammer.

No one can ever know everything that goes on in private between a man, his wife and his children, but I think it makes sense to assume that Bertie was very comfortable with his family and that he would have stammered less in front of them (if he did at all) than he did in public. I'm skimming through the Reluctant King again and various other books on George VI and it's not like the authors point out that he stammered every time he spoke. I'm guessing the stammer mostly came out when he had to speak in public.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No he didn't stammer 100% of the day, but the inference was that "they" wouldn't let him stammer in front of his children. He stammed when he stammered. He couldn't control it, until taught how. He might have stammered less in front of his immediate family, but he stammed frequently.
 
No he didn't stammer 100% of the day, but the inference was that "they" wouldn't let him stammer in front of his children. He stammed when he stammered. He couldn't control it, until taught how. He might have stammered less in front of his immediate family, but he stammed frequently.

I understand that and that's a good point. My point was that they weren't sure if he stammered in front of his children, but they went there because it upped the drama quotient (this isn't my opinion; Tom Hooper actually said this). Either way, the movie drove home the point dramatically - Colin Firth's portrayal was really heartbreaking and I will be stunned if he doesn't win the Best Actor Oscar.
 
Just saw the film again and loved it even more. I hope they give it a wider release, the theatre was packed again and everyone applauded once more.
 
I saw this film last night with my sister. It was amazing. We would have sat their and watched a film that was twice as long and found ourselves wishing for a sequel. Makes me want to seek out other films about the Royals.

I didn't realize that Derrick Jacobi was in the movie. Every single actor left me hungering for more.

I saw an interview with Colin Firth and he said he was surprised at the popularity of the movie because "who cares about that era". I, for one, care. Also, I think it really shows us why we *should* care.

I was not in favor of Prince Charles taking the name George as King, but if he does, now I know why!
 
Last edited:
I finally got to see this yesterday and it was a wonderful film. As soon as it had finished I could have very easily sat and watched it again.

I am now looking forward to this coming out on DVD so I can own it.
 
I saw it yesterday and loved it...Colin Firth was amazing as King George VI.
 
Just got back from the theater- it was great and Colin Firth was fantastic. Of course, I am very partial to CF, but I really think it was one of the best performances I've ever seen.
 
Anthony Andrews, who portrayed Edward VIII in "The Woman he Loved", with Jane Seymour, played Stanley Baldwin; that was kind of cool.
 
Anthony Andrews, who portrayed Edward VIII in "The Woman he Loved", with Jane Seymour, played Stanley Baldwin; that was kind of cool.

Actually Edward VIII was played by Guy Pearce.
 
I saw this movie last week and I liked it so much. Colin Firth is amazing. I hope he will win an Oscar.
 
Actually Edward VIII was played by Guy Pearce.

Yes, but Anthony Andrews played Edward VIII in "The Woman he Loved" and he portrayed Stanley Baldwin in the King's Speech.
 
Back
Top Bottom