The King's Speech: Hopeful and compelling historical drama

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

As the world collectively awaits the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton, people might want to ponder, as the motion picture The King's Speech indirectly reminds all, that if David, the first of three sons of King George V, had not abdicated the throne, the course of history, as it is today, would have been different.

However, the writer of The King's Speech, David Seidler's, objective was not to focus on Prince David's colourful love life, but instead, on the impact it had on his younger brother, Albert, the Duke of York (played by Colin Firth). And in doing so, writer and director, Tom Hooper, along with their team of talented crew and cast, have created a non-intrusive plot captivating in style, and an unpretentious dramatic work of history presented with some dry British humour.

This was the case on Saturday at the Palace Cineplex (one of the cinemas in Jamaica showing the movie) located at the Sovereign Centre in Liguanea, St Andrew.

Spanning a 14-year period, the movie begins with words of information to the audience, a technique used throughout the film to indicate a change in year. It is followed by a disastrous speech given by a stuttering Albert to close the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium in 1925. The speech was broadcast throughout the United Kingdom and beyond.

The plot moves quickly to a Pygmalion moment when a hired speech therapist has Albert putting several marbles in his mouth before giving him a passage to read. He was asked to leave the house. Horrified by what she had heard earlier and now sees, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, searched and found an unorthodox Australian speech therapist from a not-so-glamorous part of London. His name is Lionel Logue. He is also an aspiring actor. The role is played by one of the co-producers, Geoffrey Rush.

After several entertaining encounters, Logue laid down the ground rules for subsequent meetings. One of these rules was that they would address each other by first names. With some entertaining banter, the prince conforms to the rules. As the two continue to meet, at times reluctantly, Logue, who epitomises distinctive British dry humour, gives some remarkable instructions with a straight face. The king carries them out with just as much humour.

Later, the plot continues to the rehearsal of the soon-to-be-new king, George VI's inaugural speech, and concludes with the final speech - an address to the British Empire in September 1939. For each speech, Logue is there to support and guide him, but not without some humour.

The king's last speech is not without error, and he is quick to point out to Logue, who draws attention to the mistakes, that at least everyone would have known that it was he who gave the speech and not him.

The effects of stuttering

Against the backdrop of the death of King George V, David's marriage for love to Wallace Spencer and Hitler's imminent war, the writer - who suffered from a similar speech defect - and the director remained true to highlighting the effects of stuttering on the confidence of a prince who became a king, and on his main duty - that of inspiring his subjects through his speeches.

It was an excellent portrayal of the principal roles by Firth, Rush, and Helana Bonham as Elizabeth the Duchess of York and subsequently, queen. Timothy Spall, as a mean-looking Winston Churchill, was also fantastic.

Apart from a well-constructed but simple plot that seems to support the historical facts, The King's Speech brings a sense of hope to those who suffer similar speech defects. Like a traumatised Albert who relates his story through stutters, revealing several traumatic experiences, including one about his first nanny, sufferers can develop confidence. As in the words of Logue: "No baby began speaking with a stutter."

The King's Speech has been nominated in several categories by various premier award-bestowing entities, including The Oscars.