The King’s Speech

I watched this movie due to the historical background of World War II and four academy awards including ‘Best Movie’. I heard that Winston Churchill has also appeared in the movie. It amazed me lot, but very small role of Churchill. He appears in movie to support stammering King for his speech to the nation.

King George vi and Queen Elizabeth

Movie	King’s Speech
Dicrector	Tom Hooper
Screenplay writer	David Seidler
Actors	Colin Firth as King George VI, Geoffrey Rush as Speech Therapist
	Helena Carter as Queen, Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill

King George VI, Emperor of England has to broadcast a speech to the nation awhile country is under the difficult time of Second World War. King has voice disorder of stammering. So, Words cannot come out of his mouth. He stammers while trying to speak. King takes help of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist. ‘King’s speech’ is a story of friendship between King George VI and Lionel, who brought back King’s voice and courage.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush play roles of King George VI and speech therapist respectively. This movie is nominated for 12 Oscar nominations and has won four major awards in categories of Best Picture, Best director, Best Actor, and best original screenplay. Colin Firth won Best actor, Tom Hooper won Best Director, David Seidler won Best Original Screenplay.

What to watch in the movie??

Friendship between King George VI and his voice therapist. How common man brings back the voice and courage of King.– Royal Buckingham palace and its magnificence-Royal preparation of King’s speech while King’s has no clear voice – King is stammering when whole nation is listening to every syllable of King’s voice – Winston Churchill and his supporting words to King George VI-Silent music tunes piano that express sorrows of King-Supporting wife of a King.

Supporting wife Queen of King George VI

Prince Albert, second son of King George V, later became King George VI.  He is called as ‘Bertie’ by his family and wife. In one closing ceremony of British Empire exhibition, audience shocked with awe while listening stammering voice of Prince.  So many medical treatments were done, but no cure. One physician has asked Prince to hold the marbles in mouth and read the book. It enrages the King and he leaves from the place frustratingly. At last, royal family is suggested to consult one Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, who is a failed actor in his career.

Now, Voice treatment starts under the guidance of Lionel. He tries to tap the root of King’s illness by asking personal information. He asks Prince to pronounce his . King utters ‘Highe..ly Magesty’. He forces to tell his full Christian name. King refuses with anger.

King roars, “I am not here to discuss personal matters.”

“Then, Why are you here.”

“Because, Bloody I stammers.”

After this Lionel asks patiently King to read the Shakespeare’s ‘To be, or not to be’ soliloquy from Hamlet. King has already received treatments under many other therapists came and went, no surety of success. It was sheer frustration expressed by King. To avoid King sensing his own blurred voice, Lionel advises king to listen to music while reading the ‘Hamlet’. At the end of first treatment, Lionel tells he has been completely stammered. Prince leaves with rage from there along with the recorded disc of Gramophone.

1940, Winston Churchill, ordered BBC to cut stammers and pauses out of the King's speech

After the address to nation on Christmas day, King George V explained Bertie about the importance of royal broadcasting to nation. Bertie is really getting frustrated days and night. He has been addicted to smoking under this voice disorder. One night, he listens his own recorded lines of ‘To be, or not to be.’ He founds his voice is very clear. King again returns to Lionel with much optimism for the treatment. Lionel tries to invoke the past which has given him the stammering voice. Prince expresses he has faced tremendous pressure during childhood from his father and elder brother. He asks prince about root of all his illness. Prince tries to recall the childhood memories. His Elder brother David has made him cry many times to cry by bothering. Father has always ignored the crying prince. Lionel is trying to relax him by making him share tragic past in the childhood. Further, they start bread control, muscle relaxation exercise. All those exercises look funny, but Colin Firth’s acting in the role of stammering prince is incredible. King’s wife, Princes is very very supportive and shown encouraging. She shown crying with stammering King saying, “My husband stammers with beautiful voice..”

King George V died in 1936, and throne of King is passed to David, Bertie’s elder brother, but David has planned to marry one American divorcee. Prince Albert(Bertie) pleads David saying the nation would not accept King marrying to one divorcee. David teases prince with his stammering voice, ‘B..B..B..Bertie’ But finally David avoids marrying the divorcee. Now, Bertie bequeaths the Royal throne and he understands the importance of his voice and speech. Bertie and princess again go to Lionel and King struggles to retain his original voice.

To make the treatment effective, Lionel tries to invoke his anger by sitting on the Royal Chair of King Edward. At this time, a long confrontation starts between them. Now, King realizes that he has recovered his most of the voice.
In 1939, England has waged war against Germany. King and their child watches the Hitlor’s burning speech in the audience. Winston Churchill  says, “Now, When Germany will come, Nation needs a King, who stands behind everyone.” This brings real historical background to this story. King has planned to give a speech to nation through radio broadcasting.

During the whole speech, Lionel stood with King to support and guide him. Stammering voice of Prince at the start of movie is now clear, clean voice of King. Movie ends with unending friendship between Lionel and King George. Few lines at the end of movie tells that Lionel remained always real friend of king and he also received honor of ‘Commander of Royal order’ in 1944.

If you have watched the movie, Find the original King’s Speech below.