The King's Speech

I'm not much of a movie-goer. Diane usually talks me into accompanying her to watch a film that she believes I'll enjoy. And, of course, I usually do. Or when the grandchildren visit, she and I will take them to see the latest animated offering by Disney. Indeed, during their recent Christmas visit we took four of them to see Tangled, an animated version of the old Rapunzel fairy tail. It was really quite well done, a lot of fun for the kids, and we all enjoyed it.

Normally that would have filled my movie quota for the next few months, but last week Diane and I decided to see The King's Speech, the highly acclaimed film about England's King George VI and his very personal battle with a severe speech impediment. When described that way, it doesn't sound like something that would fill the theaters day after day, but it has. There are no exciting chase scenes, no explosions, no zombies or vampires; indeed, not a drop of blood is spilled.

I actually agreed to go because I like Colin Firth who plays the role of the king. As I recall, the first time I saw him in anything was in A&E TV's 1995 production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which he played a perfect Fitzwilliam Darcy alongside Jennifer Ehle's equally wonderful Elizabeth Bennet. (See photo above.) I still watch my DVD version of Pride and Prejudice at least once a year.

Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech as George and Elizabeth

As for The King's Speech, don't miss it. To my knowledge I have never before recommended a movie on this blog. I'm by no means a film critic and would normally recommend that you pay little attention to anything I say about movies. But this film is different. It is one of those rare films that actually extols such virtues as love of family, honor, duty, perseverance, courage...and it does so in a most beautiful way. By the way, for those of you who wonder about its "R" rating, that was assigned because of a scene in which the king's unorthodox speech therapist encourages him to shout out a string of rather explicit expletives. It's actually a pretty funny scene. For me, though, the film's strength is in its story and its characters. It's simply remarkable how well the script and the superb cast bring the characters to life in a way that I fear has been lost among Hollywood's filmmakers. The British have apparently not forgotten how to take a good story and turn it into a better film. Deservedly, Firth received a Golden Globe award last night for best actor.

I won't say any more about the movie because I would hate to spoil it for anyone who has not yet seen it. Give your self a treat and see it this weekend. I've included the trailer below...