by Tobi Gordon for FILMbutton

Pomp and Circumstances – The King’s Speech

Who, among us, has not agonized over having to deliver an oral composition in school? Standing up there, in front of the whole class, praying your voice doesn’t betray your nervousness, sweating the sweat of flops, we struggle to get it over with without embarrassing ourselves. Imagine, then, the misery of the child who cannot utter a word without stammering, who agonizes over each syllable. Imagine that child grown into a man who must find a way to do this ‘performance’ with the confidence and majesty of a king.

The ‘true story’ of King George VI, or as some have called him “The Man who wouldn’t be King if he could possibly help it”, is such a tale of woe. The film, excellently directed by Tom Hooper, is a remarkable balance of pomp and circumstances. Like last year’s “Young Victoria” the audience is taken right into the British palaces and abbeys for a glimpse of the ritual of royal life. While some, like the Duke of Windsor, wallow in spoiled self-indulgence, our hero, played by Colin Firth in a breathtaking portrayal (and I am not referring only to his halting attempts to speak) is basically a family man who likes nothing more than to tell bedtime stories to his little girls while rolling around on the floor in his tuxedo. With his lovely and stalwart wife, Elizabeth, (Helena Bonham Carter) by his side, we know he will prevail.

His speech impediment is well-concealed while he lives the cozy life of the ‘second son’, but when his dashing brother David (Edward VII-a brilliant turn by Guy Pearce) inappropriately pre-occupied with the detested Mrs. Simpson, abdicates, the stammering ‘Bertie’ is thrown into the spotlight as the new King.

In the 1930’s, that spotlight happens to also shine on the latest in communication technology, the radio. His early attempts to overcome his panic at even the thought of speaking into a microphone takes him back to the unorthodox therapist, Lionel Logue, played exquisitely by Geoffrey Rush, who, after much effort on both their parts, breaks through the new King’s veneer of royal repression.

It’s a great story. Great stories are few and far between in movies these days. The story has romance, suspense, joy and sorrow and a credible and exciting plot. It also has terrific characters that great actors can sink their chops into, to the delight of the audience. And there are many great actors in this film. The ‘A’ team of British theatre and film litter the fore and background. Michael Gambon, Jennifer Ehle, Derek Jacobi, have their glorious turns. We are in good hands, thespially-speaking. Any ‘special effects’ are beside the point and serve only to set the scenes historically and enhance the drama, not detract from it. The tension rises out of the anxiety felt both by the King and the audience as he stutters through his valiant efforts to ‘find his voice’.

It is a tribute to the script, the actors and the director that at no time is this struggle tedious or ridiculous, but rather just touchingly illustrative of the human struggle to communicate.

Tobi Gordon is a former Media Studies teacher in Toronto and avid film fan.