The King's Speech (2010)

England's Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend to the throne as King George VI, but he faces a daily and restrictive battle: his speech impediment. Knowing that the country is relying on her husbands voice, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence. Even though the movie takes place in Britain, it spans through two opposing worlds; the world of royalty and the world of the common man

Fisheye lenses show a looming and public Bertie in two scenes however, this is done cartoonishly with an over emphasised camera style change, I thought this negatively provided the scenes a juvenile and humorous execution.

The King’s Speech captures eminent background details by placing the characters on the far left or right of the frame, often in a hallway, or door. This use of lead room produces a complex, and important atmosphere of depth from the mise-en-scene/mise-en-shot. A scene I found most exemplary of this was when Elizabeth meets Alberts’ speech therapist, Lionel for the first time in his office.The camera captures Elizabeth in the far right of the framing with the door open on the far left through the duration of their conversation. Although the door is significantly far away, Elizabeth and the entrance equalise and balance the framing. When Elizabeth opens the door, not just her high status walks in, but so does her hope, her desire for her husbands voice to be heard.

Alexander Desplat provided the movie with the music , and is his fifth soundtrack of 2010, after the thriller The Ghost Writer, the comedy Tamara Drew, the political drama The Special Relationship and the first part of the fantastical Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Although Desplat grasped five different genres in 2010, he has become the resort for British politics and monarchy music. having experience writing the critically acclaimed score for The Queen in 2006, Desplat is now directing towards the life of her father. Clearly, when in need for conveying the lives Edward VII and Queen Victoria through felicitous music, Desplat will be your man.

However, although The Queen provided the current British royals with contemporary rhythmic notions more suited to portrayals of modern life, Desplat deals with the pre-WWII monarchs with a more eminent classical style. Dedicated listeners of Desplat will still experience the effortless sense of classicism, orchestrations full of clarity, tight tempos and edifying warmth still holds takes essence through the foundations of the music. Desplat’s opulent main theme is abundant from the use of piano lines causing an audibly ornate experience. This is particularly suitable for the Kings Speech as it accurately depicts the busy and rapid life of London in the 1930/40s and real monarch life without the ostentatious stereotype. The prominent moments for me are the scenes shared between two uncommon friends, the music in these scenes display a sentimental portrayal of the absurdity of the relationship, and the obscurity of Lionel’s unorthodox therapeutic techniques.

Unfortunately I found myself waiting on the possible development and scenes relating to Alberts kids, I believe they play a big role in his life as we later find out about his detrimental and arduous childhood, he may feel instincts to live his missed childhood through them, or to distance himself as prevention from hurting them like his family did. We don’t get insight in to much of his relationship with his family yet it would have been a highly beneficial aspect

I enjoyed the dismal colours prevailing throughout the movie; it produced a running formal and lavish atmosphere. This aids the audience by directing their attention to prevent distractions by busy, incongruous bright colours. Colin Firth can be considered an x- ray for the arduous pain Bertie faced with his stutter and the condescension it brought with it. Ultimately, I rate this movie 3 stars; although the adequate character development and lack of familial depth left me feeling un-satiated, the adept music and depiction of the importance of friendship boosted the quality.

The Kings Speech conveys the importance of our self-worth and provides us with morals breaking down the taboo surrounding two opposing worlds that can construct a new one of equality and communal benevolence no matter their status. And lastly, that no matter our circumstance, we can always find our voice.