The King's Speech (2010)

November 26, 2010 (GB) • Drama, History • 118m

Overview

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Director

Tom Hooper

Writer

David Seidler

Top Billed

Colin Firth

Keywords

great britain world war ii marriage stutter monarchy palace radio radio transmission royal family biography based on true story death of father speech royalty historical fiction period drama king of england 1930s british royal family british monarchy winston churchill stammering speech therapy corgi relaxed witty

Where to watch

Free / Included

Britbox Apple TV Channel

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Top Billed Cast

Colin Firth

King George VI

Geoffrey Rush

Lionel Logue

Helena Bonham Carter

Queen Elizabeth

Guy Pearce

King Edward VIII

Timothy Spall

Winston Churchill

Michael Gambon

King George V

Jennifer Ehle

Myrtle Logue

Derek Jacobi

Archbishop Cosmo Lang

Freya Wilson

Princess Elizabeth

Ramona Marquez

Princess Margaret

Richard Dixon

Private Secretary

Robert Portal

Equerry

Eve Best

Wallis Simpson

Paul Trussell

Chauffeur

Adrian Scarborough

BBC Radio Announcer

Andrew Havill

Robert Wood

Charles Armstrong

BBC Technician

Roger Hammond

Dr. Blandine Bentham

Calum Gittins

Laurie Logue

Dominic Applewhite

Valentine Logue

Ben Wimsett

Anthony Logue

David Bamber

Theatre Director

Jake Hathaway

Willie

Patrick Ryecart

Lord Wigram

Teresa Gallagher

Nurse

Simon Chandler

Lord Dawson

Claire Bloom

Queen Mary

Orlando Wells

Duke of Kent

Tim Downie

Duke of Gloucester

Dick Ward

Butler

John Albasiny

Footman

Danny Emes

Boy in Regent's Park

Anthony Andrews

Stanley Baldwin

John Warnaby

Steward

Roger Parrott

Neville Chamberlain

Dean Ambridge

Royal Marine (uncredited)

Julianne Buescher

Mrs. Cooper - Vocalist

James Currie

Binky (uncredited)

Graham Curry

Infantry (uncredited)

Tony Earnshaw

Policeman (uncredited)

Sean Talo

BBC Technician / Soldier (uncredited)

Crew

Paul Brett

Executive Producer

Tim Smith

Executive Producer

Tom Hooper

Director

Alexandre Desplat

Original Music Composer

Harvey Weinstein

Executive Producer

Geoffrey Rush

Executive Producer

Bob Weinstein

Executive Producer

Iain Canning

Producer

Jenny Beavan

Costume Design

Nina Gold

Casting

Deepak Sikka

Co-Executive Producer

Simon Egan

Co-Producer

Peter Heslop

Line Producer

Emile Sherman

Producer

Mark Foligno

Executive Producer

Gareth Unwin

Producer

Eve Stewart

Production Design

Judy Farr

Set Decoration

Leon McCarthy

Art Direction

Tariq Anwar

Editor

Christine Whitney

Makeup Artist

Julia Castle

Art Department Coordinator

Martin Jensen

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Catherine Hodgson

Sound Effects Editor

Alex Rouse

Wigmaker

Erica Bensly

Production Manager

Nana Fischer

Hairstylist

Visual Effects

Derek Bird

Visual Effects Supervisor

Viral Thakkar

CG Supervisor

Supervising Sound Editor

Steve Morphew

Stand In

Bruce Bigg

Property Master

John Roberts

Painter

Andre Schmidt

Dialogue Editor

Martin Harrison

First Assistant Director

Matthew Skelding

Dialogue Editor

Chris Stoaling

Second Assistant Director

Andie Derrick

Foley

Ludwig van Beethoven

Additional Music

Martin Kenzie

Second Unit Director of Photography

Marco Scotti

Costume Supervisor

Edwin Morris Hooper

In Memory Of

Nick Jeffries

Armorer

Scarlett Mackmin

Choreographer

Alan Chesters

Construction Manager

Emma Davie

Unit Publicist

Fiona Garland

Production Coordinator

Gareth Spensley

Colorist

Marilyn Goldsworthy

Production Accountant

Douglas Ingram

Storyboard Artist

Philip Clements

Assistant Sound Editor

Sally Turner

Assistant Costume Designer

David Seidler

Screenplay

Tom Brewster

Other

Reviews

Andres Gomez

⭐ 9/10

November 26, 2012

Round movie: good story, great cast, impressive stage and fantastic performances. It has it all.

John Chard

⭐ 10/10

August 2, 2019

The gift of cinema does credit to the gift of speech.

The King's Speech is directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. It stars Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi & Michael Gambon. Music is by Alexandre Desplat and photography is by Danny Cohen. The idea for the film came about after Seidler read about how King George VI (Firth) overcame his stammer after a friendship was formed with his voice coach Lionel Logue (Rush). Having himself overcome a stutter problem in his youth, Seidler set about writing his story from informed information. A bonus came before filming started when notebooks belonging to Logue were put forward for use. These enabled Seidler to incorporate works from the books into the screenplay. Plot picks up just prior to George's brother, Edward (Pearce), abdicating the throne, thus thrusting the stammering George on to the hottest seat in England. With World War looming, George will be needed to make the speech of speeches to becalm his nation, but first he must work closely with the affable Logue and hope it brings an end to his vocal woes.

I first viewed The King's Speech just a couple of days before the Academy Awards that year, so I didn't know how it was going to perform there. It would garner the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Hooper), Best Actor (Firth) and Best Original Screenplay (Seidler), with 12 nominations in total. This was a year when Oscar and BAFTA (where it won 7 of the 14 categories it was nominated for - including Best Film and Best Actor for Colin Firth) got things right. The film at that time I watched it had already made over $230 million in profit, which was a figure guaranteed to rise considerably since the film was still playing to packed theatres in the UK (which was indeed the case as the last figure put forward was $412 million).

I myself ventured to the theatre on 22nd February 2011, which was over 6 weeks after it was first released in its homeland. As I approached the cinema I saw there was a queue! A queue? I haven't queued to get into a film since the halcyon days of Jaws, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind! I noticed there was many youngsters in this line, so of course they were going to see the Yogi Bear movie, or that Gnomeo & Juliet film, Surely? Not so actually. In they went to see The King's Speech, an audience that ranged from 12 years of age to the fragile OAP day trippers. For the next two hours the only sounds I heard were that of laughter, hushed words of praise for what was on the screen, and even sobs during some of the more tender moments within. No mobile phones, no chitter chatter about acne or the boy next door, just an across the board appreciation for expert film making.

There in is the reason why The King's Speech coined it in at the box office and broke merry records as it went on its way. It has universal appeal, a film without tricks, just a simple involving story acted supremely by a cast of bona fide thespians. It beats a true heart, whilst doling out a visual history lesson to those so inclined to matters of the British Monarchy and the political upheaval about to surface as Adolf started his surge. Even for a film so chocked full of dialogue and basic human interactions, the pace is brisk and never sags, the quieter reflective moments only bringing anticipation of the next enjoyable scene. When all is said and done, The King's Speech success snowballed because of word of mouth, it started out as an intended independent picture, to be shown in selected theatres only, and now it holds up as one of the best films of 2010/2011. Believe me, believe the hype, that if you still haven't seen it then you owe it to yourself to see this beautiful movie. 10/10

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CinemaSerf

⭐ 7/10

April 1, 2024

Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth make for quite a pairing in this touching drama of King George VI and his speech impediment. Being called upon for public speaking only increased the anxiety of the then Duke of York (Firth) and so his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) decided that there had to be a better way to treat her husband than sticking an handful of marbles in this mouth. She, as "Mrs. Johnson" sets up a chat with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) and he, having no idea who she really is, only agrees to see him if he comes to his consulting room. Unfamiliar with the backchat, but impressed by his independent mindedness, TRH duly arrive and once Logue gets over the shock, he begins to deal with his new, cash-are, client in a polite but hardly deferential fashion. Gradually we see that progress is being made. Not just with the confidence of the Prince at speechifying, but also with his attitude and behaviour in general. He likes Logue, Logue likes him and thanks to some airfix kits, quite a bit of the old Anglo-Saxon and all under the discreet but potent supervision of the Duchess, the young man comes better prepared for what is to come next - after the Abdication Crisis, that is... There's a great rapport between the two men here as this speculative story offers us a plausible and engaging look at just how tough and unforgiving society was to those who stammered - regardless of their rank. Rush also juggles Logue's role of a career man with that of a loving family man well as well as a budding Thespian entertainingly too. Astutely, Tom Hooper leaves the vast majority of the film to just those two men. HBC adds a touch of diversion now and again and Sir Derek Jacobi weighs in as the outwardly rather unsympathetic Archbishop Lang but for the most part it's just them. It's history, we know what actually happened but over these two hours we do get a sense of beginning to know a little of the man beneath the crown and of his honest and forthright advisor and of why they might have become firm friends. No gimmicks, no CGI - just a solid script, some great production design and two strong performances.

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