December 28, 2010 -- There have been a seemingly infinite number of movies detailing every political, psychological, marital, sexual and intestinal problem ever suffered by any member of the British royal family. Now, it is stuttering. What's next? The heartbreak of psoriasis, dandruff? O.K., enough quibbling over class-driven priorities. This is actually one of the year's best films, featuring two great performances by two great actors. It shows us that even a worthy member of the English royal family can be mistreated.

Colin Firth (“A Single Man”) stars as King George VI of England (an earlier king with intestinal problems, King George III was the subject of “The Madness of King George.” See, I wasn't making this stuff up). The story starts when he was still known as Prince Albert of York (his birth name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, known to the family informally as “Bertie”). He was occasionally called upon to speak at public events. His terrible stuttering (technically, stammering) problem caused him to become nearly speechless on those occasions. He consulted with a number of doctors, but the problem persisted. He was, in essence, a private man with regular public humiliations.

Just as Bertie had given up all hope of ever conquering his stuttering problem. His wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (played by Helena Bonham Carter of the “Harry Potter” movies) found out about a speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffry Rush of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies) who has great success solving stuttering using very unconventional methods. She manages to persuade Bertie to see this man, but kept his true identity secret from Logue for some time. Both Logue and Bertie are stubborn and they don't hit it off right away, but Logue tricks Bertie into making a recording which convinces Bertie that this man just might be able to help him where so many others have failed.

Logue and Bertie have a very uneasy relationship. Logue, in essence, acts as a psychologist, probing to find the root of Bertie's stuttering problem. Bertie resists psychoanalysis, so Logue operates under the guise of more superficial kinds of speech and breathing exercises, all the while seeking to find the psychological root of the Bertie's problems. This can only work if he becomes a friend and confidant of Bertie. This takes a lot of time. The pressure mounts on Bertie when he unexpectedly ascends to the throne upon his older brother's abdication (his brother is played by Guy Pearce of “The Time Machine”).

At about this same time, World War II is starting. In his new role as King George VI, he is expected to inspire the public with a speech when England is pulled into war. Although he has made great progress with his speech problems, the severe anxiety caused by the importance of this speech threatens to undo the king. He summons Logue to help him in his hour of need. Although this is played as a drama is is almost equally a comedy of manners. There are a lot of good comic lines in the film as well as some sight gags.

The movie is driven by a great script and the two great performances by Firth and Rush. Firth, probably best known for his pitch-perfect performance as Mr. Darcy in the best adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice,” gives a similar kind of performance here as yet another stubborn and prideful man. In “The King's Speech,” however, he also has a hidden inferiority complex (rooted in a difficult childhood and the kind of treatment which one would not expect an heir to the throne to be subjected to). Rush, best known for his award-winning performances in “Quills,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “Shine” is more of a chameleon, and he gives yet another great performance here showing yet another side of his multifaceted personality. This film rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2010 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
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