by Noleen Wyatt-Jones

Created on: February 15, 2011

Once in a while a truly remarkable film comes along exceeding all expectations, and The King's Speech is just one of those rare films. Made with a tiny budget of £10m the film was the brainchild of writer David Seidler who, out of respect for the Queen Mother's wishes, waited over a quarter of a century before he could bring the story to the big screen. Sensitively directed by Tom Hooper, The King's Speech is a film about fear, frustration and friendship, but more than that it is the story of a man who was never meant to be King and who had to overcome his personal fears in order to lead a nation. With a cast that reads like a who's who of the British acting fraternity The King's Speech has already collected a Golden Globe, 7 Bafta's and has been nominated for 12 Oscars making it one of the most unlikely sucesses of the year. It was one of the last films to be funded by the UK Film Council before the Government in its wisdom decided to abolish it, and without their support the film may not have been made.

From the moment "Bertie"  appears on screen struggling through his speech at the 1924 Empire Exhibition it is clear that being born a royal does not mean that someone is automatically a natural orator. It soon becomes clear that he has been bullied by his father King George V, brilliantly played by Michael Gambon, and has grown up in the shadow of his charismatic and handsome elder brother, who also seems to delight in cruelly teasing him. Guy Pearce clearly relishes the role of David and it is hard to conceive of him as anything other than an upper-class Brit. At Bertie's side at all times is his wife Elizabeth played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter who desperately wants to help her husband, and it is this which ultimately leads her to the consulting rooms of Australian 'Speech Therapist' Lionel Logue and it is at this point the story really begins. Against a backdrop of the abdication crisis, the rise of radio as a communication medium, and the onset of the second world war this film is really about the developing friendship between Logue and Bertie and how he helps the new King make the most important speech of his reign as he addresses his people when the country goes to war.

It is his speech impediment that is heart breaking and as Logue begins to delve into the reasons why he began to stammer all the illusions of being a royal are peeled away until what is left is a man devoid of friendship and with a past that is heartbreaking. Logue's techniques seem outlandish but he does persevere, and there are some genuinely amusing moments on the journey the two men take together and whilst there is no ultimate cure Lionel Logue does help to give him some techniques to control and help him to make the required public speeches a King needs to. The relationship between the two men is almost like a reverse Pygmalion and the most satisfying element is that in Logue, Bertie found a true and lifelong friend.

This King's Speech is not a fairytale it is a true story that gives a unique insight into the courage and heroism of a man who had an unwanted burden thrust upon him but by his side he had a woman who loved him unconditionally and a man who gave him something money could not buy, true friendship.

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