For my first review back, I have chosen a new film. The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush, is set in pre-WWII England and follows Prince Albert's (later King George VI) journey to stamp out his stammer. The acting is sublime. The story and screenplay is riveting. It is absolutely worth seeing in theaters.
It is more difficult, in my opinion, to discuss good acting and its parts than it is to discuss bad acting. There is no doubt that this film is well acted. However, what makes that so is more of a puzzle. I have always been a fan of Firth, because I am a woman and it is in our genetic make-up, but he was better than ever. He could convey all the emotion necessary in a simple look or word. Words in this film are more filled with meaning than ever, as certain words trigger the stammer, while others float blissfully out of his mouth without pause. Rush, as I'm told by my husband, was also in normal form. The person who struck me as most interesting in this film, when it comes to acting, is Carter. The movie-going public is accustomed to her appearing as the Queen of Hearts, Mrs. Lovett, or Bellatrix LeStrange, characters that are unique and incredibly out-of-this-world. She has no trouble bringing them to life every time, although there is something to be said for Angela Lansbury's Mrs. Lovett, but I digress. In The King's Speech, she plays Elizabeth, a woman known to the modern world as "The Queen Mother." She is not loud or insane, but simply a devoted wife and mother who reminds you of your own. This takes her out of her normal element, and I have to say, she was divine.
The film was also an incredible history lesson. All I knew about George VI prior to this was that he was Elizabeth II's father. I did not know he was Edward VIII's brother or that his name was actually Albert. On the topic of the former, the minute it was made clear that Edward was THAT Edward, I was squirming in my seat, knowing poor Bertie would have to become King. On the latter, I'm fascinated as well. Most kings just use their name. However, considering the looming Nazi cloud over Europe, Albert was thought too Germanic for an English King, and he took his father's name instead. On a side note, this is also when the royal family took the Windsor name, solidifying their nationalism in this time of crisis.
I loved The King's Speech, and I have no doubt that this was my first of many viewings.
