 |
| Russian title: “The King Speaks!” |
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Written by: David Seidler
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Pre-Conceived Notions: I’ve always wondered how hard it is for actors to play stutterers. I mean, it must be pretty easy at first, but once you get into a speech pattern—any kind of speech pattern—it must be difficult to snap out of it. If I had to play a stutterer, I’d be stuttering away for at least a couple days after the part was over.
This is going to be a very interesting experience for me because I really don’t know a lot about the history of the British monarchy. Colin Firth plays Elizabeth II’s father? Grandfather? One of the two. I should be more up on my kings and queens than I am. But I’m good on the future monarchs of the UK. It’ll be Charles, William, and then George. Easy peasy. Actually, Charles is going to be 80 years old before he gets to be King if Elizabeth doesn’t stop not dying.
Why I Haven't Seen This Film: I haven’t seen a lot of Oscar-nominated films, actually. My list is chalk-full of them, so hopefully I’ll have a good opinion on the Academy’s choices after this whole project finishes up.
1 hour, 48 minutes later…: This movie made me realize how much I didn’t know about the Royal Family. I never knew Edward VIII abdicated to George VI. No clue. We didn’t really get into World History in school. Just the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
Anyway, I really enjoy watching these movies that get inside what it’s like to be a Royal. I was an RA for 2 years, so I know what it’s like to work at a job that is 24/7, and you can never escape it because you live it constantly. That was 2 years of my life. For the Royal Family, it’s their entire life. All of the ceremony, and the protocol, and the customs—and being under a global microscope on top of that—every single day. In some ways, it must feel really constricting. I can see why Harry likes to let loose with hookers every once in a while. It’s like me going back home to my family to veg out and not having to worry about getting woken up at all hours in the morning. Okay. It’s not like that at all, but you see my point. This is what makes the relationship between the King and Logue so touching. Because of all the ceremony that immures his existence, the King never really had a true friend that he could open up to and talk about things with outside of his family. The stammering was really sort of secondary to the thread of their relationship.
I never saw footage of George VI, so I can’t really comment on Colin Firth’s physical performance, but I was alive for the last 20 years of the Queen Mum’s life, and I thought Helena Bonham Carter’s physicality as that character was spot on. The way she carried herself was quirky and regal all at the same time, and really fit the mental image I have of the Queen Mum. I get down on actors on here that I think give the same performance in every single film they’re in, but now it’s time to do the opposite: Bonham Carter is one of those chameleons of the screen; she inhabits her character 110%, and for that reason it’s always great to watch her work.
Final Thoughts: Another whole pizza. This time with British ingredients, like bangers and mash. Maybe just the bangers this time. I don’t think mashed potato pizza would be that appetizing. Splendid acting on top of a splendid story not a lot of people were aware of before this movie came out. If you haven’t seen this film, rent it or stream it yesterday.
No comments:
Post a Comment