Tom Hooper
A king could be as long as there was no stuttering on the radio (it was not the stuttering of Charles I to induce the Puritans to behead traitors), but since the means of mass communication have imposed their empire on the world able to dominate the microphone (and then "pierce the screen" on TV) has become crucial. To this the great British film "The Speech of the King" by Tom Hooper, take some reflection, headed by the gruff wisdom of George V (Michael Gambon): "We have become actors." But basically the excellent screenplay by David Seidler is focused on the subjective question. Albert Frederick Arthur George, Duke of York and later King George VI (after his brother Edward VIII abdicated because of his ties with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson), is afflicted by a severe stutter, would be a serious problem for the secondo in linea di successione, in una Gran Bretagna sotto la minaccia di Hitler e di Stalin, ma diventa tragico man mano che gli eventi portano lui verso una corona non desiderata e il suo Paese verso la guerra.
Albert Frederick eccetera (Colin Firth) è chiamato dagli intimi Bertie – proprio come (pensiero irriverente ma inevitabile) il Bertie Wooster dei racconti e romanzi di Wodehouse, costretto dall'educazione aristocratica a mantenere uno stiff upper lip contro tutte le debolezze e gli smarrimenti che lo obbligano a ricorrere di continuo al suo deus ex machina Jeeves. Naturalmente il dramma umano e storico del duca di York, che sarà un grande Re, non ha a che fare con la farsa wodehousiana; ma qualcosa in common there. Of insecurity of the prince's childhood would not wish on our worst enemy: the torments of a nanny hostile, the constraint of "cues of metal in order to straighten the legs, the fact that he was forced, he handed in use the right (it is said that the same has happened to Lewis Carroll, also a stutterer) - and the weight of the severe presence of the father. The film shows the sweetness of his daughters Bertie girls (in the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret), coming home in a tuxedo the penguin does for them, and this stands in clear opposition to the austerity of his public role, but even compared to his father, King George V not imagine that mimics a penguin for the children. Love the "modern" for their daughters is the way to protest against Bertie children who lived.
At the suggestion of his wife, the Duchess of York (Helena Bonham Carter), the disheartened Bertie used in the care of a very unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an aspiring Shakespearean actor failure, which, as we discover later is not even doctor - but he's a genius. His methods are the opposite of classical ones (the pebbles of Demosthenes) of the doctors marshes. Besides the exercise Bertie forced to sing what can not speak ("Of course I was not mumbling: sing!") And shooting bad words for free. It 's interesting how these treatments represent a kind of substitute for analysis: the treatment of neuroses by the talking cure, rather than the reverse. Tempestuous relationship, that between the two! But as the King will be able to carry through his voice to his role as England's moral leadership in the war.
The preparation of the most beautiful speech - "In this grave hour ..." - under the care of Logue is a kind of summary of his teaching, singing and swearing ("In this serious hour fuck you fuck you fuck you"). It 's the view of history through a keyhole, of course, but apart from the fact that this is always fun, the film develops its argument so far and amiability, and a spirit of sympathy , in the etymological sense, that elevates him. It 'a very human film, just how "tight" on the humiliation, shows a modest use of ellipses.
In this complicated association between the prince and the commoner any hint of delicious dialogue, English to the core. First visit to the Duchess Logue, incognito, "My husband asked to speak in public" - "Perhaps you should change jobs" - "Can not" - "A contract as an apprentice?" - "Yes, something like that." The traditional style of filmmaking, with its insistence on the shot / reverse in the dialogue, is to this dimension semi-comedy. Why "The Speech of the King" does not belong to this category in itself, but with his warm tone and brilliant dialogue leaves the impression it in spirit. It is not as good as "The Queen" by Frears, but it is very pleasant and beautifully interpreted (Firth, Bonham Carter, Rush are great). It 's a film of actors, no doubt, of dramatic action, we also say a movie theater, but this is not a specialty of the British cinema? Dialogue vivid, pleasant, well silhouetted characters, well defined: it would not be surprised if in the future become a play to take on the London stage.
So the king's speech will cement national unity, formally represented in the final shot of the radio listeners (even around a noblewoman with the servants, all on the same floor next to the unit). A miracle - which is not myth but a historical reality. And then also, "In this serious hour fuck you fuck you fuck you" takes on a sense providential.
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