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"The King's Speech" tells the story of a man compelled to speak to the world with a stammer. It must be painful enough for one who stammers to speak to another person. To face a radio microphone and know the British Empire is listening must be terrifying. At the time of the speech mentioned in this title, a quarter of the Earth's population was in the Empire, and of course much of North America, Europe, Africa and Asia would be listening — and with particular attention, Germany.

The king was George VI. The year was 1939. Britain was entering into war with Germany. His listeners required firmness, clarity and resolve, not stammers punctuated with tortured silences. This was a man who never wanted to be king. After the death of his father, the throne was to pass to his brother Edward. But Edward renounced the throne "in order to marry the woman I love," and the duty fell to Prince Albert, who had struggled with his speech from an early age.

In "The King's Speech," director Tom Hooper opens on Albert ( Colin Firth ), attempting to open the British Empire Exhibition in 1925. Before a crowded arena and a radio audience, he seizes up in agony in efforts to make the words come out right. His father, George V ( Michael Gambon ), has always considered "Bertie" superior to Edward ( Guy Pearce ), but mourns the introduction of radio and newsreels, which require a monarch to be seen and heard on public occasions.

At that 1925 speech, we see Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), her face filled with sympathy. As it becomes clear that Edward's obsession with Wallis Simpson (Eve Best) is incurable, she realizes her Bertie may face more public humiliation. He sees various speech therapists, one of whom tries the old marbles-in-the-mouth routine first recommended by Demosthenes. Nothing works, and then she seeks out a failed Australian actor named Lionel Logue ( Geoffrey Rush ), who has set up a speech therapy practice.

Logue doesn't realize at first who is consulting him. And one of the subjects of the film is Logue's attitude toward royalty, which I suspect is not untypical of Australians; he suggests to Albert that they get on a first-name basis. Albert has been raised within the bell jar of the monarchy and objects to such treatment, not because he has an elevated opinion of himself but because, well, it just isn't done. But Logue realizes that if he is to become the king's therapist, he must first become his friend.

If the British monarchy is good for nothing else, it's superb at producing the subjects of films. "The King's Speech," rich in period detail and meticulous class distinctions, largely sidesteps the story that loomed over this whole period, Edward's startling decision to give up the crown to marry a woman who was already divorced three times. Indeed, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (as they became) would occupy an inexplicable volume of attention for years, considering they had no significance after the Duke's abdication. The unsavory thing is that Wallis Simpson considered herself worthy of such a sacrifice from the man she allegedly loved. This film finds a more interesting story about better people; Americans, who aren't always expert on British royalty, may not necessarily realize that Albert and wife Elizabeth were the parents of Queen Elizabeth II. God knows what Edward might have fathered.

Director Tom Hooper makes an interesting decision with his sets and visuals. The movie is largely shot in interiors, and most of those spaces are long and narrow. That's unusual in historical dramas, which emphasize sweep and majesty and so on. Here we have long corridors, a deep and narrow master control room for the BBC, rooms that seem peculiarly oblong. I suspect he may be evoking the narrow, constricting walls of Albert's throat as he struggles to get words out.

The film largely involves the actors Colin Firth, formal and decent, and Geoffrey Rush, large and expansive, in psychological struggle. Helena Bonham Carter, who can be merciless (as in the "Harry Potter" films), is here filled with mercy, tact and love for her husband; this is the woman who became the much-loved Queen Mother of our lifetimes, dying in 2002 at 101. As the men have a struggle of wills, she tries to smooth things (and raise her girls Elizabeth and Margaret). And in the wider sphere, Hitler takes power, war comes closer, Mrs. Simpson wreaks havoc, and the dreaded day approaches when Bertie, as George VI, will have to speak to the world and declare war.

Hooper's handling of that fraught scene is masterful. Firth internalizes his tension and keeps the required stiff upper lip, but his staff and household are terrified on his behalf as he marches toward a microphone as if it is a guillotine. It is the one scene in the film that must work, and it does, and its emotional impact is surprisingly strong. At the end, what we have here is a superior historical drama and a powerful personal one. And two opposites who remain friends for the rest of their lives.

Note: The R rating refers to Logue's use of vulgarity. It is utterly inexplicable. This is an excellent film for teenagers.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

The King's Speech (2010)

Rated R for language

118 minutes

Directed by

David Seidler

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The King's Speech Introduction Introduction

Release Year: 2010

Genre: Biography, Drama

Director: Tom Hooper

Writer: David Seidler

Stars: Colin Firth , Geoffrey Rush , Helena Bonham Carter

This movie was destined to be a smash hit. After all, it brings together all the greatest dramatic elements: a world war, a reluctant king, and a speech impediment.

Wait, what was that last one?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: The King's Speech is the preeminent movie about stuttering and speech therapy. Does that sound like a boring slog, or something that would have you nodding off into your bucket of extra buttery popcorn?

But The King's Speech is a movie about stuttering in the way that, say, Good Will Hunting is a movie about petty crime, or Cast Away is a movie about tropical islands, or The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about the legal system. Basically, the King's speech (impediment) is a challenge to be overcome… much like a life of petty crime for Will Hunting, a claustrophobic tropical key for Chuck Noland, or false imprisonment for Andy Dufresne.

Except for once crucial difference: King George VI is the King of England at the dawn of WWII, and his voice and inspirational speeches can spell the difference between high morale and a complete lack of faith in fighting for England against the Nazis.

To paraphrase Will Hunting , "How do you like them high stakes?"

So ol' George (or Bertie to his friends) seeks the advice of Lionel Logue, a lovable weirdo who helps him erode his stuttering problem even as the biggest conflict of the 20th century is kicking into high gear.

This isn't your grandma's historical movie, either. (Even though your grandma probably thinks Colin Firth is dreamy.) Instead of creating a sweeping epic in glorious Technicolor, director Tom Hooper created a movie about the tortured psychology of one of the most famous men of the 20th century. It takes place mostly in the musty garret of an underemployed speech therapist...not in grand ballrooms. It's darkly lit...not filled with lush period piece panoramas. In short, it's a totally surprising take on a pretty established genre.

What The King's Speech does to historical drama is as out-of-left-field as a rom-com set in the Pentagon or a sci-fi epic set in Urban Outfitters.

But, hey, Tom Hooper's bizarre, intimate vision worked. This movie swept the 2011 Academy Awards, nabbing not only the Best Picture statuette but also little gold men for Colin Firth, Tom Hooper, and screenwriter David Seidler.

Oh, and the best part? This story of perseverance, kingly duty, fast friendship and the threat of the Nazis is based on a 100% true story. Although the film took a few liberties with the subject matter (speech therapist Logue probably never had the cojones to sit on St. Edward's Chair, for example), the story is basically lifted straight from the history books.

So yeah, hold tight to those clichés about truth being stranger than fiction.

Why Should I Care?

We're going to take a stab at being a fortuneteller: when we look within the swirling depths of our crystal ball, we see into your innermost soul. And what do we see? Crippling insecurity.

No, we're not actually psychics. And we're not being mean, either. We're just giving you one of the fundamental truths about humanity: whoever you are—prince or pauper, Kylie Jenner or a girl who thinks she might as well be invisible—you feel insecure. That's just the way it is. (At least until you become a senior citizen: those Early Bird Special eaters seem to have an abundance of self-confidence.)

But that's the beauty of The King's Speech : it deals with that brutal life truth.

The King of England is just as insecure as the rest of us. It's not always good to be king. It requires more than just lookin' good in a fancy hat—in King George VI's case, you have to give speeches that rally an entire nation/empire against the threat of Nazi world domination. And when you're stuck with a stutter as a result on childhood trauma, making it through those speeches sounds more insurmountable than Mt. Everest.

Don't be fooled: The King's Speech isn't a feel good, saccharine movie. This is, after all, based on a completely true story. We don't see King George miraculously cured through The Power Of Hard Work or The Magic Of Friendship. We see him sweat, get angry, swear more than a sailor on shore leave, give up, get back in the speech therapy saddle, and swear some more. In short: we see him work.

We're not usually ones for spoilers, but we're going to give something away here: George isn't ever actually cured of his stutter. Instead, he learns to give speeches through his stutter. And the result is more inspirational than any thousand "Hang In There" posters: the for-real King George VI gave dozens of for-real speeches during for-real WWII… and he was beloved for it, occasional stutter and all.

Oh yeah—and King George entered into a lifelong friendship with his speech therapist. Yeah: a king (and his wife, the dang queen ) became best buds with a lower-class nobody because that selfsame nobody lent the king a friendly ear—along with some elocution lessons—at a time when nobody else would.

So do yourself a favor. The next time you're feeling alone in the vast universe of your own insecurity, wrap yourself in a blanket and watch The King's Speech. We guarantee it: after you're done watching, you'll want to go out do whatever you thought you couldn't manage before. Learn German. Write a novel. Take a chance on love. Wear a crop top. Buzz your head.

Because if King George can overcome four decades of self-loathing and make a rousing wartime speech, you can do anything. (Except fly. You can't fly. Don't try it.)

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Review: The King's Speech

By Scott Foundas in the November-December 2010 Issue

“In the past, all a king had to do was look good in uniform,” observes King George V (Michael Gambon)—the first British monarch to address his subjects via radio—early on in Tom Hooper’s splendid period drama The King’s Speech . “Now we must invade people’s homes and ingratiate ourselves,” he continues. “We’ve become actors!” And this was 1934, three decades before the landmark BBC television documentary Royal Family brought the House of Windsor even closer to the people, and five before Lady Diana Spencer irrevocably blurred the line between commoner and royal, princess and pop icon. George V’s comments are directed at his youngest son, Albert Frederick Arthur George (Colin Firth), who will soon be thrust upon the throne just as England readies to enter World War II. But unlike his sober, stentorian-voiced father, the eventual George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth II) is hopelessly tongue-tied when it comes to public speaking, the victim of an acute stammer that turns ordinary conversation into a humiliating succession of false starts and too-long pauses.

If The King’s Speech risks being too cute by half in its depiction of how this royal without a voice comes to find one in his nation’s hour of need, Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler neatly avoid that trap by training their sights on a much bigger subject—namely, how the wireless waves of radio affected seismic changes to the nature of politics and society at large, turning public figures into performers, and narrowing the distance between classes. Yet amidst all the ballyhoo about Hooper’s film as The Social Network ’s chief rival for Oscar gold, few if any have noted the extent to which the two movies orbit a similar central theme—two portraits of a communications revolution, separated by a century.

We first see the king-to-be (then Duke of York) freezing at the mic during his closing speech of the 1925 Empire Exhibition at Wembley. After being subjected to a succession of useless therapies by a series of royal quacks, the Duke takes a grudging chance on one Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian-born amateur actor and self-taught speech therapist with no credentials other than his own track record. What follows suggests a role-reversal My Fair Lady , with the lowly Antipodean coaching the aristocrat through measures (rolling around on the ground, shouting streams of obscenities) that have more in common with radical psychotherapy than conventional speech pathology.

Conducting the sessions in a draughty basement room with unfinished walls, Logue adds insult to injury by asking His Royal Highness leading questions about his childhood—an inventory of other forcibly corrected “defects,” including left-handedness and knock knees—and calling him by his family nickname, “Bertie.” (He insists that, in order for the treatment to work, the two men must regard each other as equals.) Their back-and-forth repartee, courtesy of Seidler (a septuagenarian Hollywood vet whose most notable prior credit was on Francis Coppola’s Tucker: The Man and His Dream ), is as sharp as anything this side of Aaron Sorkin. Even sharper, arguably, is the film’s sense of the high value placed on normalcy in a society with little tolerance for disability and aberration.

These are the sort of plum roles that can all too easily turn into smoked ham, but Firth and Rush manage them with an ideal balance of flourish and restraint. Hooper, who has become something of a specialist in exhuming British history from the mothballs of Masterpiece Theatre —his credits include Elizabeth I (05) and the masterful Longford (06), as well as The Damned United (09)—does so again, shooting in long takes and exaggerated wide angles that amplify Bertie’s mounting sense of uncertainty as he finds the weight of the world—and so many words—upon his shoulders.

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The King's Speech

Where to watch.

Watch The King's Speech with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King's Speech , a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Colin Firth

King George VI

Geoffrey Rush

Lionel Logue

Helena Bonham Carter

Queen Elizabeth

King Edward VIII

Timothy Spall

Winston Churchill

The King's Speech

The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer. The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer. The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.

David Seidler
Colin Firth
Geoffrey Rush
Helena Bonham Carter
832 User reviews
486 Critic reviews
88 Metascore
108 wins & 206 nominations total

The King's Speech: International Trailer

King George VI

Lionel Logue

Queen Elizabeth

Archbishop Cosmo Lang

Private Secretary

BBC Radio Announcer

Robert Wood

BBC Technician

Dr. Blandine Bentham

Laurie Logue

Myrtle Logue

Valentine Logue
Anthony Logue

Princess Elizabeth

Princess Margaret

Theatre Director
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Best Picture Winners by Year

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Did you know

Trivia Nine weeks before filming began, Lionel Logue's grandson, Mark Logue , discovered a large box in his attic that contained his grandfather's personal papers. The box held Lionel Logue's diary, his appointment book, notes from his speech therapy sessions with King George VI , and over 100 personal letters to Logue from the King. It also contained what is believed to be the actual copy of the speech used by George VI in his 1939 radio broadcast announcing the declaration of war with Germany. Mark Logue turned his grandfather's papers, letters, and diary over to director Tom Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler , who used them to flesh out the relationship between Logue and the King. Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth also read through the material for insight into their characters. The exchange in this movie between Logue and King George VI following his radio speech ("You still stammered on the 'W'." / "Well, I had to throw in a few so they knew it was me.") was taken directly from Logue's diary. Firth insisted that it should be included in the movie.
Goofs In the final speech, King George VI has one blue eye and one brown eye. Colin Firth had lost a contact lens.

King George VI : All that... work... down the drain. My own... b... brother, I couldn't say a single w-word to him in reply.

Lionel Logue : Why do you stammer so much more with David than you ever do with me?

King George VI : 'Cos you're b... bloody well paid to listen.

Lionel Logue : Bertie, I'm not a geisha girl.

King George VI : Stop trying to be so bloody clever.

Lionel Logue : What is it about David that stops you speaking?

King George VI : What is it about you that bloody well makes you want to go on about it the whole bloody time?

Lionel Logue : Vulgar, but fluent; you don't stammer when you swear.

King George VI : Oh, bugger off!

Lionel Logue : Is that the best you can do?

King George VI : [like an elocution lesson] Well... bloody bugger to you, you beastly bastard.

Lionel Logue : Oh, a public school prig could do better than that.

King George VI : Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

Lionel Logue : Yes!

King George VI : Shit!

Lionel Logue : Defecation flows trippingly from the tongue!

King George VI : Because I'm angry!

Lionel Logue : Do you know the f-word?

King George VI : F... f... fornication?

Lionel Logue : Oh, Bertie.

King George VI : Fuck. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck and fuck! Fuck, fuck and bugger! Bugger, bugger, buggerty buggerty buggerty, fuck, fuck, arse!

Lionel Logue : Yes...

King George VI : Balls, balls...

Lionel Logue : ...you see, not a hesitation!

King George VI : ...fuckity, shit, shit, fuck and willy. Willy, shit and fuck and... tits.

Crazy credits In the end credit roll, Philip Clements is listed twice as Assistant Sound Editor.
Connections Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 22 October 2010 (2010)
Soundtracks Le nozze di Figaro Overture Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [During the first therapy session when King's voice is being recorded]

User reviews 832

haakondrang
Jun 4, 2015
Just what time frame are we talking about here?
What causes Bertie's stammer?
Why couldn't King Edward marry Wallis Simpson?
December 25, 2010 (United States)
United States
United Kingdom
Official Site
Nhà Vua Nói Lắp
Elland Road Football Stadium, Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK (as Wembley Stadium at start of film)
The Weinstein Company
UK Film Council
Momentum Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$15,000,000 (estimated)
$138,797,449
Nov 28, 2010
$484,068,861

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 58 minutes
Dolby Digital

More to explore

The King’s English, Albeit With Twisted Tongue

By Manohla Dargis

Nov. 25, 2010

British films that make it to American screens these days often fall into two distinct niches: life is miserable and life is sweet (to borrow a title from the director Mike Leigh, who oscillates between the two). Given its quality headliners and high commercial profile (ding-dong, is that Oscar calling?), it’s no surprise that “The King’s Speech,” a buddy story about aggressively charming opposites — Colin Firth as the stutterer who would be king and Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist — comes with heaping spoonfuls of sugar.

The story largely unfolds during the Great Depression, building to the compulsory rousing end in 1939 when Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, world calamities that don’t have a patch on the urgent matter of the speech impediment of Albert Frederick Arthur George (Mr. Firth). As a child, Albert, or Bertie as his family called him, the shy, sickly second son of King George V (Michael Gambon, memorably severe and regal), had a stutter debilitating enough that as an adult he felt compelled to conquer it. In this he was aided by his wife, Elizabeth (a fine Helena Bonham Carter), a steely Scottish rose and the mother of their daughters, Elizabeth, the future queen (Freya Wilson), and Margaret (Ramona Marquez).

Albert meets his new speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Mr. Rush), reluctantly and only after an assortment of public and private humiliations. (In one botched effort, a doctor instructs Albert to talk with a mouthful of marbles, a gagging endeavor that might have altered the imminent monarchical succession.) As eccentric and expansive as Albert is reserved, Logue enters the movie with a flourish, insisting that they meet in his shabby-chic office and that he be permitted to call his royal client, then the Duke of York, by the informal Bertie. It’s an ideal odd coupling, or at least that’s what the director Tom Hooper would have us believe as he jumps from one zippy voice lesson to the next, pausing every so often to wring a few tears.

To that generally diverting end, Albert barks and brays and raps out a calculatingly cute string of expletives, including the four-letter kind that presumably earned this cross-demographically friendly film its R. With their volume turned up, the appealing, impeccably professional Mr. Firth and Mr. Rush rise to the Acting occasion by twinkling and growling as their characters warily circle each other before settling into the therapeutic swing of things and unknowingly preparing for the big speech that partly gives the film its title. Before you know it, Elizabeth (Ms. Bonham Carter), the future dumpling known as the Queen Mother, is sitting on Bertie’s chest during an exercise while he lies on Logue’s floor, an image that is as much about the reassuring ordinariness of the royals as it is about Albert’s twisting tongue.

It isn’t exactly “Pygmalion,” not least because Mr. Hooper has no intention of satirizing the caste system that is one of this movie’s biggest draws. Unlike “The Queen,” a barbed look at the royal family after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, “The King’s Speech” takes a relatively benign view of the monarchy, framing Albert as a somewhat poor little rich boy condemned to live in a fishbowl, an idea that Mr. Hooper unwisely literalizes by overusing a fisheye lens. The royals’ problems are largely personal, embodied by King George playing the stern 19th-century patriarch to Logue’s touchy-feely Freudian father. And while Albert initially bristles at Logue’s presumptions, theirs is finally a democracy of equals, an angle that makes their inequities go down in a most uneventful way.

Each character has his moments, instances when Bertie the closed book tentatively opens and Logue’s arrogance gets away from him, but both are too decent, too banal and the film too ingratiating to resonate deeply. Albert’s impediment certainly pales in comparison with the drama surrounding his older, popular brother, David, later King Edward VIII (a fantastic Guy Pearce), and his married American divorcée, Mrs. Wallis Simpson (Eve Best). After King George V dies, David assumes the crown and continues to carry on with Mrs. Simpson, a liaison that, because of its suggestively perverse power dynamics — at a party, she orders the new king (yoo-hooing “David”) to fetch her booze — hints at a more interesting movie than the one before you.

That film does have its attractions, notably in its two solid leads and standout support from Mr. Pearce. Mercurially sliding between levels of imperiousness and desperation, he creates a thorny tangle of complications in only a few abbreviated scenes, and when his new king viciously taunts Bertie, you see the entirety of their cruel childhood flashing between them. By the time he abdicates in 1936, publicly pledging himself to Mrs. Simpson (“the woman I love”), turning the throne over to King George VI, Edward has a hold on your affections. Those would surely lessen if the film tagged after him when he and Mrs. Simpson subsequently took their post-abdication tour around Germany, where they had tea with Hitler and the Duke returned the Führer’s Nazi salute. Like many entertainments of this pop-historical type, “The King’s Speech” wears history lightly no matter how heavy the crown.

The King’s Speech

Opens on Friday in New York and Los Angeles.

Directed by Tom Hooper; written by David Seidler; director of photography, Danny Cohen; edited by Tariq Anwar; music by Alexandre Desplat; production design by Eve Stewart; costumes by Jenny Beavan; produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin; released by the Weinstein Company. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes.

WITH: Colin Firth (King George VI), Geoffrey Rush (Lionel Logue), Helena Bonham Carter (Queen Elizabeth), Guy Pearce (King Edward VIII), Jennifer Ehle (Myrtle Logue), Eve Best (Wallis Simpson), Freya Wilson (Princess Elizabeth), Ramona Marquez (Princess Margaret), Claire Bloom (Queen Mary), Derek Jacobi (Archbishop Cosmo Lang), Michael Gambon (King George V), Timothy Spall (Winston Churchill) and Anthony Andrews (Stanley Baldwin).

“The King’s Speech” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Coarse language.

Film Education - Resources, Training, Events

The King's Speech

Study Guide
Event Q&A
Shakespeare’s Henry V
Great Orators
Making a Speech

The King's Speech tells the story of King George VI (Bertie) who reluctantly assumed the throne after his brother abdicated. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, he engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

A special schools' preview screening of The King's Speech , followed by a Q&A session with the film's director Tom Hooper and lead actor Colin Firth, was held in London in December 2010. This site features audio files from the event alongside a curriculum-linked study guide for English and Media at Key Stage 4 (11-16). Together, these resources offer engaging content to enrich study of this film and related topics.

(MUSIC STARTS)

TEXT: MOMENTUM PICTURES

QUEEN ELIZABETH: My husband is, um, well he’s required to speak publicly.

KING GEORGE VI: I have received…the (STAMMERS)…the…the

LIONEL LOGUE: Perhaps he should change jobs

QUEEN ELIZABETH: He can’t. And what if my husband were the Duke of York?

LIONEL LOGUE: Forgive me your…

QUEEN ELIZABETH: Royal Highness.

LIONEL LOGUE: Royal Highness.

TEXT: BASED ON THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY

QUEEN ELIZABETH: My husband has seen everyone, to no avail.

DR. BLANDINE BENTHAM: Annunciate!

LIONEL LOGUE: He hasn’t seen me.

LIONEL LOGUE: Who was your earliest memory?

KING GEORGE VI: I’m not here to discuss personal matters.

LIONEL LOGUE: Why are you here then?

KING GEORGE VI: (SHOUTS) Because I bloody well stammer!

LIONEL LOGUE: Do you know any jokes?

KING GEORGE VI: Timing isn’t my strong suit.

LIONEL LOGUE: (LAUGHS)

QUEEN ELIZABETH: Your methods are unorthodox and controversial.

(LIONEL LOGUE AND KING GEORGE VI SHAKE THEIR HEADS WHILE MAKING ‘AHHH’ SOUNDS)

LIONEL LOGUE: Up comes her Royal Highness

QUEEN ELIZABETH: It’s actually quite good fun.

TEXT: WHEN ABDICATION THREATENED THE THRONE

KING GEORGE VI: My brother is infatuated with a woman who has been married twice… Wallace Simpson.

TEXT: AND THE WORLD WENT TO WAR

(TELEVISION PLAYS A CLIP OF HITLER GIVING A SPEECH)

TEXT: A RELUCTANT PRINCE WOULD BECOME KING

KING GEORGE VI: (CRYING) I’m not a King! I’m a Naval Officer.

(SIRENS SOUND OUT IN THE STREET)

KING GEORGE VI: The nation believes that when I speak, I speak for them. Well I can’t speak.

LIONEL LOGUE: Why should I waste my time listening?

KING GEORGE VI: (SHOUTS) Because I have a voice!

LIONEL LOGUE: Yes you do.

TEXT: ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE // COLIN FIRTH

TEXT: ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER // GEOFFREY RUSH

TEXT: ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE // HELENA BONHAM CARTER

QUEEN ELIZABETH: It’s time

LIONEL LOGUE: Your first wartime speech

TEXT: SOME MEN ARE BORN GREAT

KING GEORGE VI: However this turns out I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done.

TEXT: OTHERS HAVE GREATNESS THRUST UPON THEM

TEXT: THE KING’S SPEECH

TEXT: REVIEWS

TEXT: CREDITS

END OF TRAILER

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The king’s speech — film review.

Colin Firth, following up on his Oscar-nominated role in "A Single Man," now can claim a place among Britain's finest film actors with his performance as the man who became King George VI.

By Kirk Honeycutt

Kirk Honeycutt

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It perhaps started with The Queen , continued with Young Victoria and now achieves the most intimate glimpse inside the royal camp to date with The King’s Speech .

Each of these films features a mesmerizing central performance. Although Speech requires shared billing, with no disrespect to Geoffrey Rush ‘s spot-on work here, Colin Firth , following up on his Oscar-nominated role in A Single Man , now can claim a place among Britain’s finest film actors with his performance as the man who became King George VI.

The Bottom Line A riveting, intimate account at how a British king triumphed over a speech impediment with the help of an unorthodox speech coach.

The film is a sure winner in the British Isles and many former colonies. How its most rebellious and historically challenged colony will react when the Weinstein Co. releases the film domestically Nov. 24 is hard to gauge. Perhaps only decent box office can be anticipated.

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The King's Speech – review

W H Auden wrote his poem "September 1, 1939" while sitting in a New York bar: "Uncertain and afraid/ As the clever hopes expire/ Of a low dishonest decade." The King's Speech takes a rather different view of Britain and the 1930s, though it's not entirely inconsistent with Auden's judgment and isn't in any sense what is sneeringly called heritage cinema. It is the work of a highly talented group of artists who might be regarded as British realists – Tom Hooper directed the soccer epic The Damned United ; Eve Stewart was production designer on Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy and Vera Drake ; Jenny Beavan was responsible for the costumes worn in Gosford Park and The Remains of the Day ; the cinematographer Danny Cohen lit Shane Meadows's This is England and Dead Man's Shoes ; Tariq Anwar's editing credits range from The Madness of King George to American Beauty ; and the screenplay is by the British writer David Seidler, who co-wrote Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream .

The film is the private story of a famous public man, King George VI (known in his family circle as Bertie), the woman who loved him and became his queen, and the innovative Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, who helped him control and come to terms with the stammer that had tortured him since childhood.

The social and political background, acutely observed and carefully woven into the film's fabric, is the Depression at home, the rise of fascism abroad, and the arrival of the mass media as a major force in our lives. Central to the dramatic action are four crucial incidents: the death in 1936 of George V, the first monarch to address his subjects via the radio; the accession to the throne of his eldest son as Edward VIII and his almost immediate abdication in order to marry American double divorcee Wallis Simpson; the crowning of his successor, George VI; and finally, in 1939, the outbreak of a war for which the king and queen became figureheads of immeasurable national significance alongside their prime minister, Winston Churchill.

Although the film involves a man overcoming a serious disability, it is neither triumphalist nor sentimental. Its themes are courage (where it comes from, how it is used), responsibility, and the necessity to place duty above personal pleasure or contentment – the subjects, in fact, of such enduringly popular movies as Casablanca and High Noon . In this sense, The King's Speech is an altogether more significant and ambitious work than Stephen Frears's admirable The Queen of 2006 and far transcends any political arguments about royalty and republicanism.

The film begins with a brief prologue in which both Bertie as Duke of York (Colin Firth) and his contemporary audience endure agonies of embarrassment as he attempts to deliver a speech at Wembley Stadium during the 1924 Empire exhibition. The rest takes place between 1934 when his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) arranges for him to see Logue the unorthodox therapist (Geoffrey Rush), and shortly after the beginning of the war when he makes a crucial live broadcast to the world from Buckingham Palace, with Logue almost conducting the speech from the other side of the microphone.

Helena Bonham Carter is a warm, charming, puckish presence as Elizabeth, very much aware of her royal status when first approaching Logue using a pseudonym. Michael Gambon is entirely convincing as George V, a peremptory man irritated by the increasing demands of democracy; having been neglected by his own father, he's incapable of expressing love for his sons. Guy Pearce is equally good as the selfish, wilful future King Edward, the movie's one truly despicable character, whose mocking of his brother's stammer places him beyond the pale. Derek Jacobi does a neat turn as Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury, pillar of the establishment, at once dictatorial and obsequious.

The movie, however, ultimately turns upon the skilfully written and impeccably played scenes between Firth's Bertie, initially almost choking on his stammer but trained to insist on court protocol, and Rush's Logue, the informal, blunt-speaking Australian, whose manners are as relaxed as his consulting room in Harley Street is modest. The interplay between them resembles a version of Pygmalion or My Fair Lady in which Eliza is a princess and Henry Higgins a lower-middle-class teacher from Sydney, and they're just as funny, moving and class-conscious as in Shaw's play. There are also, one might think, benign echoes of Prince Hal and Falstaff from Henry IV .

Across a great social gulf they become friends, the king gaining in confidence and humanity, deeply affected by the first commoner he's befriended. But to the end there remains the need to preserve a certain distance.

The film is not without its odd faults, the truly annoying one being the representation of Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) as a supporter of George during the abdication. In fact, his intrigues in Edward VIII's cause nearly ruined his career. In his biography of Churchill, Roy Jenkins remarks that "had Churchill succeeded in keeping Edward VIII on the throne he might well have found it necessary in 1940 to depose and/or lock up his sovereign as the dangerously potential head of a Vichy-style state".

But overall the film is a major achievement, with Firth presenting us with a great profile in courage, a portrait of that recurrent figure, the stammerer as hero. He finds as many different aspects of stammering as the number of ways of photographing sand explored by Freddie Young in Lawrence of Arabia or John Seale in The English Patient . And as they did, he deserves an Oscar.

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Movie Review: The King’s Speech (2010)

Mariusz Zubrowski
Movie Reviews
2 responses
--> December 27, 2010

One of the requirements to holding any kind of public office is a sharp tongue. That being said, a king with a speech impediment is simply coated with irony; it sounds like a great political satire. However, director Tom Hopper ( The Damned United ), alongside screenwriter David Seidler ( Malice in Wonderland (the 1985 T.V. movie, not the Snoop Dogg album, just to be clear) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream ) have taken a more historical (and thus realistic) route, tapping into the criminally underappreciated story of King George VI. The King’s Speech chronicles the hijinks and hoopla surrounding the king of Britain, Albert Frederick Arthur ‘Bertie’ George (or as he’d refer to himself, Ge-Ge-Ge-orge), a real-life “stutterbug” who inherited the throne from his brother, Edward VIII, when he relinquished the crown in order to marry an American socialite. In the film, Colin Firth plays the famous ruler with Geoffrey Rush rounding out the cast as Lionel Louge, George’s personal speech therapist who becomes the center of a much unexpected friendship. Although The King’s Speech does tackle the controversies surrounding the royal family, as well as the uprising of Hitler’s campaign, it remains more of a personal story — a tale of companionship and acceptance that though rather predictable, is also very well-done.

From the film’s very first scene, the humiliation is present in Firth’s character — made explicitly clear by the actor’s mannerisms. For George, a crowd of supporters and a microphone are far scarier than any political figurehead. Sometimes his condition, a life-changing impediment that almost completely shrouds his intellect, is presented humorously — poking fun at Hitler’s talent in public speaking — whereas in others, it is handled carefully — never bordering on being derogatory. But regardless of what context Seidler sculpts the character in, Firth gives a heavy-handed role that is sure to land him an Oscar nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards (making this year’s ceremony a real clash of the titans, with Firth, Jeff Bridges, and Ryan Gosling expected to garner nods).

However, a majority of the film’s likability is because of Firth’s chemistry with Rush, George’s unorthodox counterpart. Although they do not consider themselves equals in the first few moments of their relationship, the bond between them gradually blossoms. It eventually becomes a beautiful partnership — one that can overcome any obstacle, and it is this that stops George from becoming a one-note, heartless king, allowing him to become shockingly human. Adding to the effect is the versatile Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, whose role in George’s characterization is key — without Elizabeth, who George treats with the utmost of respect, his relationship with Lionel, which begins tumultuously, would have been tainted. Audience members, who watch as George throws tantrums and verbally abuse Louge, would have associated George as nothing more than a dignified brute, but because of Carter’s character, who is employed with immaculate precision, George’s motives are clear — he’s just insecure.

It’s just a shame that Seidler is forced to separate the characters in order to move the plot along. When apart, The King’s Speech is at its weakest — being left wide open to uneeded superfluities which caused me to lose focus and interest (you may think otherwise, if you’re into the entire political scheme of things).

Fortunately, the majority of the film isn’t about politics, instead succeeding because of its very touching human component. And thanks to the chemistry between the film’s leading actors, The King’s Speech goes past being just a good film to being a gr-gr-gr-gr-eat film.

Eventually I'll put something nifty here. Until then, know that I'm watching you. Closely.

Movie Review: Justice League (2017) Movie Review: My Scientology Movie (2015) Movie Review: The Magnificent Seven (2016) Movie Review: Creed (2015) Movie Review: The Green Inferno (2013) Movie Review: Sicario (2015) Movie Review: Terminator Genisys (2015)

'Movie Review: The King’s Speech (2010)' have 2 comments

January 25, 2011 @ 10:34 am Fowler

12 Oscar nominations! It is a good movie, but that good?

January 25, 2011 @ 6:45 pm Mariusz Zubrowski

The Academy loves these buddy-buddy tales of triumphant. But some of the nominations are pushing it.

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30 Facts About The Movie The King’s Speech

Written by Arlene Steelman

Modified & Updated: 28 May 2024

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

30-facts-about-the-movie-the-kings-speech

The King’s Speech is a critically acclaimed film that has captivated audiences since its release. Directed by Tom Hooper, this historical drama takes us on a journey through the life of King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, as he struggles with a debilitating stammer. The movie explores the unlikely friendship between the reluctant monarch and his eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue.

With its stellar cast, including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter , The King’s Speech has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards. Beyond the captivating performances, the film offers a compelling story filled with emotional depth and historical significance. In this article, we delve into 30 fascinating facts about the making of The King’s Speech, shedding light on its production, casting decisions, and its impact on audiences worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

The King’s Speech is a movie based on the true story of King George VI’s struggle with a speech impediment. It won four Academy Awards and highlighted the importance of effective communication and perseverance.
The film’s success sparked conversations about speech disorders and inspired audiences worldwide with its powerful portrayal of courage and determination.

Box Office Success

The King’s Speech was a critically acclaimed film that also performed well at the box office, grossing over $400 million worldwide.

Historical Accuracy

The movie portrays the true story of King George VI’s struggle with a speech impediment and his efforts to overcome it.

Oscar-Winning Performances

The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Tom Hooper, Best Actor for Colin Firth, and Best Original Screenplay.

Colin Firth’s Preparation

Colin Firth spent months working with a speech therapist to accurately portray King George VI’s stammer.

Geoffrey Rush’s Role

Geoffrey Rush played the role of Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who helped King George VI overcome his speech impediment.

Historical Significance

The movie sheds light on the importance of effective communication and how speech can impact leadership and self-confidence.

Multiple Nominations

The King’s Speech received a total of 12 nominations at the Academy Awards, the most of any film that year.

Supporting Cast

The film also features stellar performances from Helena Bonham Carter, who played Queen Elizabeth, and Guy Pearce , who portrayed King Edward VIII.

Royal Approval

The Queen Mother, who was King George VI’s wife, reportedly gave her endorsement for the film.

Accents and Dialects

The actors underwent extensive training to master the British accents and dialects of the time period.

Emotional Journey

The movie takes viewers on an emotional journey as they witness King George VI’s struggle and eventual triumph.

Historical Context

The film is set against the backdrop of the abdication crisis of 1936, when King Edward VIII gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson.

Collaboration

The King’s Speech was a collaborative effort between British and Australian filmmakers, showcasing the talent from both countries.

Real Speech Recordings

The filmmakers used actual recordings of King George VI’s speeches to ensure accuracy in the movie.

Costume Design

The film’s costume designer , Jenny Beavan, won an Academy Award for her work in recreating the fashion of the 1930s.

Film Locations

The King’s Speech was primarily filmed in England and Scotland, adding to the authenticity of the period setting .

Critical Acclaim

The movie was praised by critics for its performances, screenplay, and historical accuracy.

Audience Response

The King’s Speech resonated with audiences worldwide, connecting on a human level with its themes of perseverance and self-belief.

The movie has left a lasting impact on the film industry, inspiring others to tell stories of triumph over adversity.

International Success

The King’s Speech was not only a hit in English-speaking countries but also gained popularity in international markets .

The film’s score, composed by Alexandre Desplat, received critical acclaim and added depth to the storytelling.

Positive Reviews

The King’s Speech holds a high rating on review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes, with praise for its performances and storytelling.

The movie received a rating of 12A in the United Kingdom, making it suitable for a wide range of audiences.

Cultural Impact

The King’s Speech sparked conversations about speech disorders and increased awareness of the challenges faced by those who stammer.

Educational Value

The film has been used as a teaching tool in various educational institutions to explore topics such as leadership, communication, and overcoming obstacles .

Film Adaptation

The movie is based on a stage play of the same name, which was also highly acclaimed.

International Accolades

In addition to the Academy Awards, The King’s Speech received numerous accolades from film festivals around the world.

Inspirational Story

The film serves as a reminder that anyone, regardless of their status or background, can overcome personal challenges and achieve greatness.

Historical Detail

The King’s Speech captures the essence of the time period, immersing viewers in the world of British royalty during a pivotal point in history.

Lasting Legacy

The King’s Speech will continue to be remembered as a powerful and touching portrayal of courage and determination.

In conclusion, The King’s Speech is a remarkable film that captivates audiences with its gripping story and exceptional performances. Through its portrayal of King George VI’s struggle to overcome his speech impediment, the movie showcases the power of determination and the importance of finding one’s voice. With a brilliant cast led by Colin Firth , Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech earned critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards. The film’s masterful direction, compelling script, and stunning production design make it a must-watch for any movie enthusiast. Whether you’re a fan of historical dramas, inspiring stories, or top-notch acting, The King’s Speech is sure to captivate and leave a lasting impression.

1. Who directed The King’s Speech?

The King’s Speech was directed by Tom Hooper .

2. Is The King’s Speech based on a true story?

Yes, The King’s Speech is based on the true story of King George VI of the United Kingdom and his struggle with a speech impediment.

3. How many Academy Awards did The King’s Speech win?

The King’s Speech won four Academy Awards , including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay.

4. Who played King George VI in the movie?

Colin Firth portrayed King George VI in The King’s Speech.

5. What is the significance of the title “The King’s Speech”?

The title refers to the pivotal speech that King George VI delivers to inspire and rally the British people during World War II .

6. What impact did The King’s Speech have on raising awareness about speech impediments ?

The movie shed light on the struggles faced by people with speech impediments and helped raise awareness about the importance of empathy and understanding towards individuals dealing with such challenges.

7. Was the stuttering portrayed accurately in the movie?

Geoffrey Rush worked closely with speech experts to accurately portray the challenges faced by those with speech impediments. The film’s depiction of stuttering was highly praised for its authenticity.

8. Are there any other notable performances in The King’s Speech?

In addition to Colin Firth’s memorable portrayal of King George VI, Geoffrey Rush’s performance as Lionel Logue, the speech therapist, and Helena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth were also highly praised by audiences and critics alike.

9. What awards did The King’s Speech receive?

Aside from its Academy Awards, The King’s Speech also received numerous other accolades, including multiple BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

10. Can I watch The King’s Speech online?

Yes, The King’s Speech is available for streaming on various platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

If you enjoyed learning about "The King's Speech," why not explore other captivating topics? Discover the powerful historical drama "The Passion of Joan of Arc," which tells the story of a French heroine. Delve into the fascinating world of the British monarchy with intriguing facts about the Queen Victoria Statue. And for a touching tale of perseverance, read about country music legend Mel Tillis, who overcame a speech impediment to achieve great success. Each of these subjects offers a unique and engaging perspective that will leave you informed and inspired.

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How historically accurate is the movie The King's Speech

In 2010, The King’s Speech won the Oscar for Best Picture and grossed over $414 million worldwide. It was an unlikely box office champion because it was based on a true story about King George VI of Britain (1895-1952) and an Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (1880-1953). It shows how Logue helped the king overcome a crippling stammer and how this helped him lead his country during World War II. The movie was directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler.

Critics have widely praised the editing, cinematography, directing, and acting. The movie was able to express the main characters' inner life by the clever use of lighting and other cinematic techniques. Colin Firth won an Oscar for his portrayal of George IV/ The King’s Speech was produced by a British company, and it was shot mainly in London. Among the supporting cast was Helen Bonham-Carter, who played Queen Elizabeth, the wife of the king. The movie was nominated for 12 academy awards, and it won four awards, including one for Best Picture.

Before the movie began filming, the writer, Seidler, found Logue's journal and incorporated elements from the journal into the movie. However, despite this, the historical accuracy of the movie has been questioned and even widely criticized.

When does the King's Speech take place?

The King's Speech takes place mainly in the 1930s at a critical juncture for Britain and its Empire. The nation and its various dependencies had still not recovered from the ravages of World War or the Great Depression. Internationally, Hitler was in power in Germany, and many feared, correctly, that there would be another World War. [1] The rather bleak mood of the time is captured very well by the director. At this critical point in its history, the British Royal Family faced its crisis.

After George V's death, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Edward VII in 1936. Edward VII's reign was both brief and controversial. Edward wanted to marry a divorced American, Wallis Simpson. Marrying a divorced was unacceptable to many in Britain at this time as the King was also head of the Church of England. Divorce was socially unacceptable, and the Anglican Bishops and others denounced the idea of the monarch marrying a divorced woman.

When Edward VII decided to marry Wallis Simpson, he was forced to abdicate his crown soon after his Coronation. This meant that his younger brother George or Bertie, as he was known, became king. [2] The depiction of these events in the movie has been fictionalized but is reasonably accurate.

However, there were some inaccuracies in the movie that troubled viewers. One of the scenes that caused the most controversy was when Sir Winston Churchill, the future leader of war-time Britain, supported the accession of George V. This scene misrepresented Churchill's view of Edward's abdication entirely. Churchill supported Edward VII (1894-1972) and believed that he should remain as king despite his marriage to Wallis Simpson. He was friendly with the abdicated king and remained a supporter. [3]

Unlike in the movie, Churchill did have grave doubts about the ability of George VI to carry out his Royal duties. He was not alone in the belief, and many others shared that view in the highest circles of the British government. Over time, he did come to accept the younger brother of Edward VII and came to respect him as an able monarch and leader . [4]

The King and his Stutter

The movie's central theme is the difficulties faced by George VI because of his stutter and how Logue was able to help him overcome his speech defect. This depiction is historically accurate, and the future George VI had a serious speech impediment. In the movie, Firth's character is shown as having a terrible stammer and that when he became nervous or anxious, he was almost unable to communicate. His stammer made public speaking almost impossible for the monarch.

The movie shows that his speech impediment was a result of his insecurity and shyness. [5] This was very much the case, and George VI did have a terrible stutter from childhood. The King’s Speech accurately shows the real problems caused by the future George VI and the entire Royal Family. In one scene at the opening of an exhibition celebrating the British Empire, George struggles with a speech and becomes visibly upset. The movie shows many senior officials and members of the Royal Family becoming gravely concerned about this. In the 1930a, when the movie is set, for the first-time, Royalty members were expected to speak in public and be effective communicators because of the growing importance of the mass media. [6]

The inability of George VI to publicly speak clearly was a real problem, and it was feared that it could damage the Royal Family and even undermine confidence in the government of the British Empire. The movie does somewhat exaggerate the importance of the king’s stutter, but it was a significant issue for the Royal Family.

When did Lionel Logue begin treating George VI?

Perhaps the biggest inaccuracy in the movie is that Logue was, in reality, able to help the King to overcome his stammer before the abdication crisis and his coronation rather than after these events. He first began to treat the second son of George V in the 1920s and continued to do so for many years. The movie shows that the treatment took place in the 1930s, and this was no doubt done for dramatic effect, but this is not strictly correct.

Cooper’s movie relates how George had been seeking help all his life for his stammer, and he tried every technique and treatment available for the time, which is true. The 2010 motion picture does really capture the sense of desperation and anxiety that the future George VI had over his speech impediment. He is shown as going in desperation to the Australian Logue, and this is also correct. The therapist is shown as using innovative techniques to help George overcome his stammer, which is right. The Australian was an early pioneer in speech and language therapy, and he was an innovator. [7] The film shows Rush trying to instill more confidence in the Royal. He adopts several strategies, but none are shown to work.

How did Logue treat George VI's speech impediment?

Eventually, he provokes the king, and in his anger, he can speak stutter-free. In reality, the speech and language therapist gave the monarch a series of daily vocal exercises, such as tongue twisters, that were designed to help him to relax. This helped the future king to relax, and this was key to the improvements in his speech. The motion picture does show that the treatment was not a total success, and the king continued to have a very slight stammer. This was indeed the case. However, the improvement in the speech of George VI was remarkable, which is accurately shown in the 2010 movie. It shows George having grave doubts about Logue and his treatment when he hears that he is not formally qualified as a therapist.

In real life, this did not cause a crisis in the relationship between the British sovereign and the Australian therapist. It is correct that Logue was not formally qualified because there was no education system for language therapy when he was young. Instead, he was self-taught and had traveled the world, studying the ideas of respected speech therapists. The movie leaves the viewers in no doubt that the king and the Royal Family owed the Australian a great debt, and this was the case, and when George VI died, his widow, the Queen, wrote to the therapist to thank him for all he had done for her husband. [8]

What was the relationship between King George VI and Lionel Logue?

The movie shows that the two men began to become real friends over time, despite their differences. This was the case, and it appears that both men liked each other and even enjoyed each other’s company. The relationship between the British king and the Australian is very realistically shown, and they remained friends until the early death of George VI. The movie shows that Logue was present when George made important Radio broadcasts to the British Public. This was the case, but Logue continued to coach the king to speak in public for many years.

In the movie, Logue is shown when George VI pronounced that Britain was at war with Germany in September 1939 during a radio address to the nation. This is not correct, but the Australian did provide the king with notes on things where he should pause and breathe, and these were a real help in the most important speech the monarch ever made. Logue continued to coach the king for many years until about 1944.

The therapist is shown as being very much at ease in the King's presence and treating him like any other client. This was not the case. Despite their genuine friendship, Logue would have been expected to have been somewhat formal and respect the Royal Person of the King at all times. In real life, Logue was not as easy-going and familiar with George VI as portrayed in the historical drama. [9]

Was George VI accurately portrayed in the King's Speech?

Colin Firth’s performance was widely praised. The British actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor. While Firth's performance was widely acclaimed, there were some concerns about how accurately he portrayed the monarch. In the main, Firth did manage to capture George VI and his character in the feature film. The British actor did correctly show that the monarch was a timid and insecure man who felt that he was not equal to his Royal duties, and this was something that greatly distressed him. [10]

His stammer may have been a result of his sense of inadequacy, but this cannot be known, for certain. Firth does show that the monarch did grow in stature after he was crowned as King. It leaves the viewer in no doubt that by the end of the movie, Firth, who has largely overcome his stammer, could lead his country in its hour of greatest danger. [11]

This was the case, and the monarch became widely respected for his leadership and his calm dignity. However, the script tended to be overly sympathetic to George and avoided his character's rather unpleasant aspects. He was alleged to have both fits of anger and alleged acts of domestic violence. Those allegations have not been confirmed.

Helena Bonham Carter's performance was praised, and she does capture the personality of Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002). She was a very supportive wife and dedicated to her husband. She did not want him to become king because she feared what it would do to him. Her family, as shown in the feature film. [12] Geoffrey Rush played the character of the speech and language therapist Logue, and he presented him as a larger-than-life figure who was charismatic, and this was indeed the case. It is generally agreed that Rush really captured the personality of the acclaimed speech and language therapist.

How realistic is the King's Speech?

Overall, the movie is historically accurate. It shows the modern viewer the importance of the King's treatment for his speech impediment. This movie also captures the real sense of anxiety in Britain in the 1930s, and it broadly captures the historical context of the Coronation of George VI. The relationship between Logue and the monarch is also largely accurate. However, this is a movie, and the need to entertain means some inaccuracies, especially concerning details such as the king's treatment. However, when compared to other historical dramas, the movie is very realistic.

The King's Speech: Film Guide

Short (1-4 activities)

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales

A film guide that looks at The King's Speech (2010), in which Colin Firth gives an award-winning performance as the stammering King George VI in British director Tom Hooper's film about the wartime monarch.

This guide is useful for exploring topics including English, History, Citizenship, and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes surrounding historical periods, disabilities and inclusion, events and figures, the mass media, World War Two, democracy and rights, health and wellbeing and community.

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A short .pdf of activities focusing on The King's Speech

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The King’s Speech

Inciting Event: Watching Bertie, the Duke of York, go through another ineffective and humiliating “treatment” for his stammer with another respected doctor. Bertie’s wife Elizabeth gets the name of Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, and visits him to see if he can help her husband.

First Plot Point: After a disastrous first meeting with Lionel Logue, and another stressful and humiliating meeting with his father, King George V, whom everyone loves, Bertie listens to a recording Lionel made of him (Bertie) reading Hamlet perfectly, with no stammering. Bertie realizes it’s possible. He can’t not try.

First Pinch Point: Even before the death of their father the king, it’s apparent Bertie’s older brother David, the Prince of Wales, is going to make a very unsuitable king. After David is crowned King Edward VI, Lionel suggests Bertie would be a much better king. This is basically treason and Bertie says so, but Lionel pushes his point. He and Bertie argue, and Bertie breaks off their sessions.

Midpoint: David abdicates and the thing Bertie has been dreading happens: He must become king, which means not just speaking in public, but being an inspiring leader, something he never dreamed he was capable of doing. But now he must.

Second Pinch Point: Bertie calls in Lionel to help him get through the coronation. During the rehearsal, Bertie is informed Lionel is not an actual doctor. He’s embarrassed for training with someone who isn’t “qualified.”

Third Plot Point: Lionel explains how he got into speech therapy and in the process shows Bertie that results are more important than “letters behind a name.” Bertie now has full confidence in Lionel, to the point that now he’s standing up to the people who had always intimidated him to defend Lionel. He’s embracing the role of king.

Climax: With guidance from Lionel, Bertie gives the speech of his life, explaining to the country why they are going to war again so soon after the horrible experience of the Great War. This speech will define him as a king capable of leading his nation through its worst crisis. By the end of the speech, he believes it himself.

Climactic Moment: After the speech, Bertie thanks Lionel, calling him “Lionel” for the first time, instead of “Dr. Logue.” For the first time, instead of calling him “Bertie,” Lionel calls him “Your Majesty.”

Resolution: It’s very quick. Bertie goes out on the balcony with his family and we can see now that he’s fully embraced the role and responsibility of being king.

Notes: Besides being well structured, this movie is a great example of how to introduce the tension right away, then keep raising it gradually by constantly upping the stakes through the course of the story. At the beginning of the movie, Bertie–and the viewers–don’t know that by the end he’ll be looking at the same goal, of successfully making a speech, but by then the stakes will be so much higher.

(Submitted by Marnie Werner.)

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Former President Donald Trump attends Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race

Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States and the presumptive Republican nominee in November's general election, arrived Sunday at NASCAR's Coca Cola 600.

This marks the second time Trump has attended a NASCAR race since February 2020, when he served as grand marshal of the Daytona 500 , becoming only the fourth sitting president to do so for a race at Daytona International Speedway.

The Coca Cola 600 is taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. A member of Trump's communications staff posted a video clip of Trump, wearing a dark suit and red hat, waving to the crowd at the speedway Sunday afternoon. Video of Trump's plane flying over the track went viral earlier in the day.

According to Jonathan Coleman, senior director of communications for Charlotte Motor Speedway, this is the first time in the track's history that a current or former President has attended a race at the venue. In 1994, former President Bill Clinton visited the speedway as part of a Ford Mustang 30th anniversary event, but he did not attend a race.

In 2020, Trump carried North Carolina , which is expected to remain a key battleground state in the upcoming general election. Trump won the state in 2020 with 50.1% of the vote, beating President Joe Biden by nearly 75,000 votes.

The Coca Cola 600, which takes place annually during Memorial Day weekend as a key event in the NASCAR Cup Series, coincided with the 2024 North Carolina Republican Party Convention that concluded hours before the race, in Greensboro. Though not a confirmed guest during the week leading up to the convention, Trump gave a brief speech Friday via a phone call, when his son Eric put him on speaker when Eric was on stage addressing the crowd, according to the Greensboro News and Record .

Trump's visit to the Coca Cola 600 also coincides with the end of his hush money trial in New York, with closing arguments scheduled to begin Tuesday . He is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors allege Trump disguised reimbursements to former aide Michael Cohen and is accused of violating campaign finance laws when he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to stay quiet about a sexual encounter that allegedly happened a decade earlier.

Back in 2020, when Trump served as grand marshal of the Daytona 500, that role included giving what’s commonly described as the most famous words in motor sports: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Kinsey Crowley, Michelle R. Martinelli

Indy 500 Proves Why It's The Greatest Spectacle In Racing Yet Again

T he Indianapolis 500 captivated racing fans around the world on Sunday despite a four-hour rain delay. The instant classic at the Brickyard looked even better when compared to the day’s other events, a dull Monaco Grand Prix and a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. It’s Tuesday, May 28, 2024 and this is Racing Recap, your summary of last weekend’s motorsports highlights.

An Instant Classic At Indy

Josef Newgarden won his second consecutive Indy 500 in truly cinematic fashion. Penske’s star took on McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in a heads-up duel over the closing laps. It seemed like O’Ward would finally break through and put his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy. He made the textbook move on Newgarden into Turn 1 to take the lead on the final lap. However, he couldn’t pull far enough away from the Penske. Newgarden towed up to the McLaren down the back straight and swung his car around the outside in Turn 3. In an everything-or-nothing attempt, the pass stuck and Newgarden crossed the yard of bricks first.

As Newgarden rushed into the crowd to celebrate, O’Ward cried in pit lane after falling short again.

The year’s edition of the Indy 500 was the perfect mix of skillful driving, strategy battles and unpredictable variables. It’s a cocktail that will always have fans on the edge of their seats.

Race Results

1. - Josef Newgarden (Penske)

2. - Pato O’Ward (McLaren) - +0.341 seconds

3. - Scott Dixon - (Ganassi) - +0.909 seconds

4. - Alexander Rossi - (McLaren) - +1.169 seconds

5. - Alex Palou - (Ganassi) - +1.507 seconds

Double Trouble For Larson

The rain delay at Indianapolis meant that the 500-mile classic overlapped with NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. It through a wrench in the plans for Kyle Larson to run in both races. The weather would also play a decisive role in prematurely ending the longest race on the Cup Series schedule. As Larson arrived by helicopter at Charlotte Motor Speedway, rain began to fall at the track and cause a red flag. NASCAR held out for hours trying dry the track and resume racing, but the race was called short at the 373-mile mark. It’s difficult to imagine why the series waited so long to end the race. Was it in hopes of having Larson get some time behind the wheel?

1. - Christopher Bell (Gibbs)

2. - Brad Keselowski (RFK) - +1.366 seconds

3. - William Byron (Hendrick) - +1.923 seconds

4. - Tyler Reddick (23XI) - +2.699 seconds

5. - Denny Hamlin (Gibbs) - +3.540 seconds

Monaco, It Happened

This year’s Monaco Grand Prix will solely be remembered for Charles Leclerc finally reversing hislack of success in his home race. He became the first Monagasque driver to win the event since Louis Chiron, the namesake of the Bugatti model, in 1931. The first lap was the only noteworthy moment of the F1 race. Kevin Magnussen sparked a crash that collected Sergio Perez and his Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Moments before the red flag was flown, Alpine driver Esteban Ocon attempted an ambitious pass on his teammate Pierre Gasly. The two made contact and Ocon’s car was launched into the air. The rest of the race was essentially a parade.

1. - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2. - Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - +7.152 seconds

3. - Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - +7.585 seconds

4. - Lando Norris (McLaren) - +8.650 seconds

5. - George Russell (Mercedes) - +13.309 seconds

For the latest news, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

Josef Newgarden jumping through the catchfence after winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500

The King's Speech

56 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-16

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Discussion Questions

King Edward VIII has perhaps the biggest influence on the life of his brother. His abdication sets the stage for an unexpected figure to step into the unwanted role as King. In what ways could Edward be considered the book’s most villainous character?

There are many father/son relationships throughout the text. Which one results in the strongest bond between father and son?

In what ways does The King’s Speech challenge traditional notions of class in Great Britain?

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Stock Market News: Nvidia, Tech Stocks Lift Nasdaq to New Record

The dow slipped, while the s&p 500 ticked higher..

Last Updated:

5 hours ago

Short Interest on Fast-Food Stocks Surging as Meal Deals Pop Up

Dean Seal, Dow Jones Newswires

Total short interest in restaurants shot up 6% sequentially in the first two weeks of May, with much of that driven by high franchised quick-service brands, including Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International and Wendy's, as investors grow wary of softening fast-food traffic and the emergence of "value wars" within the sector, Raymond James analyst Brian Vaccaro says in a research note.

Burger King announced a $5 meal deal last week while Wendy's unveiled a $3 breakfast meal promo, all ahead of McDonald's expected launch of a $5 value meal next month, the analyst says.

Restaurant Brands International Inc.

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The King's Speech Summary and Study Guide
The King's Speech is a 2010 non-fiction book about King George VI and how he was treated for a speech impediment by the Australian Lionel Logue.Their unlikely friendship is credited for saving the British monarchy during a difficult time in world history. The King's Speech was co-authored by Mark Logue (grandson of Lionel Logue) and Peter Conradi (an accomplished author of historical ...
The King's Speech (2010)
Logue & Bertie become friends. On 20 January 1936 George V dies, and David, the Prince of Wales (Guy Pearce) accedes to the throne as King Edward VIII, & wants to marry Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), an American divorcee, which would provoke a constitutional crisis. Bertie confronts David, who only accuses Bertie of having designs of his own ...
The King's Speech Plot Summary
In the movie's final scene, Logue steps into a broadcasting room with Bertie and helps him get through his first wartime speech. With Logue's help and friendship, Bertie gives a killer speech, and people all over England are inspired by his words. A final set of 411 tell us that Bertie and Logue would go on to be friends for the rest of their ...
The King's Speech
The King's Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist played by Geoffrey Rush.The men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates the throne, the new king relies on Logue to help him ...
The King's Speech movie review (2010)
"The King's Speech" tells the story of a man compelled to speak to the world with a stammer. It must be painful enough for one who stammers to speak to another person. To face a radio microphone and know the British Empire is listening must be terrifying. At the time of the speech mentioned in this title, a quarter of the Earth's population was in the Empire, and of course much of North ...
The King's Speech Introduction Introduction
The King's Speech Introduction Introduction. More. Release Year: 2010. Genre: Biography, Drama. Director: Tom Hooper. Writer: David Seidler. Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. This movie was destined to be a smash hit. After all, it brings together all the greatest dramatic elements: a world war, a reluctant king, and a ...
Review: The King's Speech
Review: The King's Speech. "In the past, all a king had to do was look good in uniform," observes King George V (Michael Gambon)—the first British monarch to address his subjects via radio—early on in Tom Hooper's splendid period drama The King's Speech. "Now we must invade people's homes and ingratiate ourselves," he continues.
The King's Speech
The King's Speech. 94% Tomatometer 305 Reviews 92% Audience Score 100,000+ Ratings England's Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment ...
The King's Speech (2010)
The King's Speech: Directed by Tom Hooper. With Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Robert Portal. The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
'The King's Speech' With Colin Firth
Directed by Tom Hooper. Biography, Drama, History. PG-13. 1h 58m. By Manohla Dargis. Nov. 25, 2010. British films that make it to American screens these days often fall into two distinct niches ...
Film Education
The King's Speech tells the story of King George VI (Bertie) who reluctantly assumed the throne after his brother abdicated. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, he engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship ...
The King's Speech
Colin Firth, following up on his Oscar-nominated role in "A Single Man," now can claim a place among Britain's finest film actors with his performance as the man who became King George VI.
The King's Speech Chapters 1-3 Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Summary. King George VI wakes up in the early hours of the morning in Buckingham Palace. He has been the king for five months, and outside the palace, a loudspeaker is being tested. The date is 12 May 1937 and King George is 41. He is about to face one of the "most nerve-racking" (16) days of his life: his coronation.
The King's Speech
The King's Speech - review. W H Auden wrote his poem "September 1, 1939" while sitting in a New York bar: "Uncertain and afraid/ As the clever hopes expire/ Of a low dishonest decade." The King ...
Movie Review: The King's Speech (2010)
Fortunately, the majority of the film isn't about politics, instead succeeding because of its very touching human component. And thanks to the chemistry between the film's leading actors, The King's Speech goes past being just a good film to being a gr-gr-gr-gr-eat film. Critical Movie Critic Rating: 4. Movie Review: Yogi Bear (2010)
The King's Speech Themes
The theme of speech is most obviously applied to King George VI. From childhood, he struggles with a historically bad stammer. His speech impediment is so pronounced that he struggles even to say "King" or "Queen.". Because of this, he struggles to integrate into social groups. He becomes self-conscious and unwilling to communicate freely.
The King's Speech Summary of Key Ideas and Review
The King's Speech. The King's Speech (2010) by Mark Logue is a captivating story that reveals the struggles and triumphs of King George VI as he overcomes his speech impediment. Here's why this book is worth reading: Inspiring and emotionally charged, it portrays the resilience and determination of King George VI, making it a compelling read.
30 Facts about the movie The King's Speech
The King's Speech is a critically acclaimed film that has captivated audiences since its release. Directed by Tom Hooper, this historical drama takes us on a journey through the life of King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, as he struggles with a debilitating stammer. The movie explores the unlikely friendship between the ...
How historically accurate is the movie The King's Speech
The King's Speech accurately shows the real problems caused by the future George VI and the entire Royal Family. In one scene at the opening of an exhibition celebrating the British Empire, George struggles with a speech and becomes visibly upset. The movie shows many senior officials and members of the Royal Family becoming gravely concerned ...
Resource
A film guide that looks at The King's Speech (2010), in which Colin Firth gives an award-winning performance as the stammering King George VI in British director Tom Hooper's film about the wartime monarch. This guide is useful for exploring topics including English, History, Citizenship, and PSHE Education in addition to highlighting themes ...
The King's Speech
The King's Speech. Inciting Event: Watching Bertie, the Duke of York, go through another ineffective and humiliating "treatment" for his stammer with another respected doctor. Bertie's wife Elizabeth gets the name of Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, and visits him to see if he can help her husband. First Plot Point: After a disastrous ...
"I Have a Dream" Speech Summary
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963, at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial. The March on Washington was a ...
Donald Trump at Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race; flyover video goes viral
The Coca Cola 600 is taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. A member of Trump's communications staff posted a video clip of Trump, wearing a dark suit and red hat ...
Rishi Sunak announces 4 July general election
Summary. Rishi Sunak announces a 4 July general election in a statement outside Downing Street. After discussing the Covid pandemic, the furlough scheme, and the war in Ukraine, he says the ...
Indy 500 Proves Why It's The Greatest Spectacle In Racing Yet Again
The year's edition of the Indy 500 was the perfect mix of skillful driving, strategy battles and unpredictable variables. It's a cocktail that will always have fans on the edge of their seats ...
The King's Speech Essay Topics
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The King's Speech" by Mark Logue , Peter Conradi . A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Short Interest on Fast-Food Stocks Surging as Meal Deals Pop Up
Total short interest in restaurants shot up 6% sequentially in the first two weeks of May, with much of that driven by high franchised quick-service brands, including Burger King parent Restaurant ...
The latest ITV News headlines
The latest ITV News headlines - as Starmer delivers first big speech of election. Mon 27 May 12.36pm • Watch a short summary of today's top stories from the ITV News team.
Opinion: What I noticed immediately about King Charles' portrait
The response to King Charles III's divisive official portrait focused largely its hellfire red hues, but Holly Thomas writes that what she noticed first wasn't the color, but what it obscured.

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Movie Review: The King’s Speech (2010)

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30 Facts About The Movie The King’s Speech

Key Takeaways:

Box Office Success

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Colin Firth’s Preparation

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