The King's Speech: a short review

I think that we would all agree that women were quite captured by Colin Firth when he played the role of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in the BBC’s 1995 television production of Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice. I was no exception. However I must say that I did not enjoy his role in the Bridget Jones films and it was only last year, when I saw his magnificent performance in The Single Man (Tom Ford, 2009) that I began to appreciate the subtleties of this incredible actor. But that was not the season why I saw The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) this afternoon, nor was it because there was a certain pride in the fact that the speech therapist, Lionel Logue who helped King George VI overcome his stutter was born in Australia and that Geoffrey Rush (also Australian) delivered the most excellent achievement in this moving film. I cried twice and felt quite drawn to King George VI (Colin Firth), who was, like his father and his brother humanized as being similar to the common man, in that they all had their own problems and weaknesses. No, the reason why I wanted to see this film was because it was about how individuals overcome adversity and struggle to gain a voice. I’m not sure what I can add to the many reviews that have already been written about this film, except that the on-screen relationship between Firth and Rush was compelling and the performances were utterly convincing. The fact that the King needed to overcome his speech impediment at a time when he was forced into power through his brother’s abdication and the impending world war, made his courage all the more admirable.