What hasn’t already been said in the press about The Kings Speech? Not a day goes by without hearing about how masterful the film is, how amazing the actors are, and how it’s won another award from a different film council. We decided to see the film and see how good it really was, and of course to see a film about the transition to an era where using your voice on it’s own became important.
The film is centred on the idea that in a society where radio is becoming increasingly prevalent, the British monarchy needs to be able to command his nation through just his voice; body language and physical presence aren’t much good when no-one can see you. The story follows King George VI (Colin Firth), before his rise to King of England following the abdication of his brother King Edward VII, and his struggles to overcome the crippling speech impediment that has plagued his life. In order to try and overcome it he turns to unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), whose methods may not be traditional, but are certainly successful. As the film goes along, we follow the timeline, with George becoming King, and being thrust into the spotlight after the abdication of his brother. Britain needs a monarch who can restore order in the country, and restore the public’s faith in the British monarchy, and that duty falls to George.
What’s most striking about the film is the spotlight it puts on the need to be vocally strong. As a proud member of an industry where the voice is king, it’s refreshing for a film to shine light on how important it is to speak with passion and belief, ideas which are engrained in the mind of any voiceover artist worth their salt. The acting itself is strong, with Firth bringing the character to life and making it easy to sympathise with his plight and will him on to succeed. Firth is helped by a fantastic supporting cast, with Rush rightly taking the plaudits as the eccentric and creative speech therapist. The two actors have great on-screen chemistry and this only helps to push the film on, keeping a potentially dull storyline interested and keeping the audience invested and entertained. The costumes and set are perfectly done, making 1920s’ Britain come alive, transporting the audience back to pre World War Two Britain, with fantastic scenery engulfing the audience and helped them to fall into the world of the film.
The King’s Speech is a great film, there’s no doubt about that. Is it as great as all the plaudits suggest? That’s down to the individual, the film is definitely worth a watch, and should prove inspirational to any budding voiceover artist. The acting is masterful and drives the film on, helped by a beautiful setting and a storyline that admittedly dips at times, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s an inspirational story of one man overcoming the odds to become the voice and figurehead that an embattled nation needs. A must see for any UK Voices subscriber!
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