UK/Australia – See Saw Films/Bedlam Productions (On general release from 7 January 2011)
Rating: *****
To put it simply, this is the British film industry doing what it does best. Colin Firth leads a frankly wonderful cast in the story of King George VI’s struggle with a speech impediment and unexpected accession to the throne. Director Tom Hooper’s well-judged film turns a historical biopic about the British monarchy into a wonderful human story about a real man struggling with a role he never wanted.
In the opening scenes, we are immediately drawn in to the then Duke of York’s inner shame about his speech impediment, sharing the embarrassment with the massed crowds at Wembley Stadium hearing him attempt to deliver a speech. We also see his wife, the future Queen Mother (Helena Bonham-Carter), looking on with a real sense of pain for what her husband is going through.
What makes this film work is the chemistry between the cast, particularly Firth and his speech therapist ‘call me Lionel’ played by Geoffrey Rush. David Seidler’s wonderfully sharp and witty script provides fantastic foundations for scenes which can at times be both laugh-out-loud funny yet wonderfully touching.
Playing a character with a speech impediment is no mean feat – it would be so easy to fall into Ronnie Barker-style caricature. Colin Firth’s delivery is spot-on, at the same time conveying perfectly his sense of duty combined with impotence.
The supporting cast has no weak links. Michael Gambon’s King George V and Timothy Spall’s Churchill are particular treats, and Guy Pearce is superbly cast as the playboy King Edward VIII. But Firth and Rush deserve the plaudits currently raining upon them; hopefully Firth will finally get the Oscar he surely should have been given last year.
Running at nearly two hours, the film never drags – and even manages to develop a real sense of tension right up to the credits. Even the most ardent republican couldn’t fail to be moved by a story well told, that is never at risk of straying into the saccharine territory that could so easily tempt a less talented production team.
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