The Film Reports

The King’s Speech won four Oscars and five BAFTAs, which probably tells you everything you need to know about it. It has a brilliant cast, and is impeccably made in every way, but especially in regards to the soundtrack, cinematography, and of course, its acting.

The film starts off at Wembley Stadium where Prince Albert (Colin Firth) gives a faltering speech. His speech impediment – a stutter – doesn’t allow him to speak confidently and it becomes clear soon that this will impact him in the future once his father, and the current king, King George V (Michael Gambon), passes away. The heir, and future king, Prince Edward (Guy Pearce) is a source of instability within the royal family. He’s known for consorting with unsuitable options to be future queen, and shirking his responsibilities. It’s because of this, that Albert is told he will have to take on further duties.

To combat his biggest obstacle, Prince Albert’s wife Elizabeth, Duchess of York (Helena Bonham Carter) finds him a speech therapist (Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush) who deals in unorthodox methods. The King’s Speech tells the real life story of the friendship between the two, and how Prince Albert (or “Bertie” as Lionel calls him) combats his stutter.

The acting is – and this is me understating it – is excellent. Every single person shines but my particular favourites were Colin Firth, who showed such depth and balance. Geoffrey Rush, who as Lionel Logue, was constantly confident, and excellent, and so funny with his pithy little remarks. And lastly, Helena Bonham Carter, who portrayed the Queen Mother beautifully as kind, caring, and always positive.

The film itself played so well at maintaining the tone of the film, and kept its regality even in the more ridiculous moments. The scene with Prince Albert swearing “Fuck, fuck, fuck, buggedy fuck,” is so light, and it doesn’t feel ridiculous, nor is the audience laughing at Prince Albert at any point. The film is obviously quite tense, and serious, but at every turn there’s a little line that makes you smile.

The King’s Speech definitely earned all of those awards. It’s so captivating, for the entire family, and holds up to repeat viewings. It is essentially a perfect film.

MY THOUGHTS

Why you should watch this film:

• The acting is phenomonal.
• It manages to toe the line between heart-wrenching, and funny really well. It’s really delicate.
• The aforementioned scene where Colin Firth is swearing. It’s worth watching the film, just for this scene.
• If you go to watch it at Kew Gardens, you’ll be surrounded by one of the most beautiful locations in London.
• It ends on the most satisfying note and you’ll be glad you watched it.

EXPERIENCE

Kew Gardens are hosting a series of films from 7th to the 11th of July, including The King’s Speech. They’ll be showing an impressive range of films, from cult classics to new releases, it’s a great way to experience films that you’ve possibly seen before. The food looks great – including nachos, ice cream, and of course, popcorn. The event will be socially distanced so you can have fun while staying safe.

I love Kew Gardens, it’s beautiful and peaceful, and perfect for a date night or to visit with your friends. Personally, I am going to go see Dirty Dancing (an excellent date night movie!) and In the Heights (which I have been waiting over a year for). I would definitely recommend it.

INFO

Read more about it here.

Buy tickets and see what other films are on at Kew Gardens here.