First Hit: Great acting, wonderful story, and well worth the time.
This is a story about a man who had a stutter and was also King of England. Sound a boring? This is what I originally thought until I saw the film.
This film is an excellent drama about a man overcoming his inner demons because he was crowned to lead his nation during the beginning of WWII. His father, King George V, began using radio broadcasts to speak to the nation about the important issues of the day and also his annual Christmas address.
He implored his sons to use the radio to speak to the nation as well. The film begins with Prince Albert (played by Colin Firth), is supposed to give an opening speech to a large group of people. However, he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth and the disappointment of the listeners and the Prince himself is heartbreaking.
He and his wife, Lady Elizabeth, (played by Helena Bonham Carter) try to find a speech therapist to assist the Prince in his public speaking. She comes across Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush) a peculiar man who tells her no matter who the client is, he only treats them in his barren office and in his way. When he finds out it is Prince Albert, he tells them both, he will not address Albert as “Prince” and he will not require or ask for any special compensation to treat him.
In fact Logue calls the Prince “Bertie” the name his family calls him. The dynamics and the power of this film lies in the fine acting. The ability of these actors to give this excellent script life is amazing.
Firth is extraordinary as Albert and watching him evolve to King George VI was absolutely amazing. This is an Oscar Nomination performance. Rush gives an amazing performance as Logue. He pushes, prods in a way that provides humor, openness and questions which evoke deep feelings in every audience member. Bonham-Carter is fabulous as Queen Elizabeth. David Seidler wrote an excellent script. Tom Hooper directed these actors with a masterful hand evoking the most from the script.
Overall: A truly Oscar worthy film and set of performances.