Oscar Watch: The King's Speech
"The King's Speech"
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Carter), Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography
The leader of the pack at this year's oscars is also the film that arguably deserves to win the top prize. "The King's Speech" is both a historical chronicle of pre-WWII England, and a drama about the relationship between two men. Two men who, while not equal in society's eyes, are equal when in each other's company. These two men are, of course, King George VI (Firth) and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Rush). The film start with King George V in power (Michael Gambon), with George VI as the Duke of York. At an event at Wembley Stadium, he is unable to deliver a proper speech, secondary to his lifelong stammer. Enough is enough, his wife decides, and she finds Logue. The rest of the movie follows Logue and George VI's training, as events both personal and political shake both of their lives. The movie culminates as World War II begins, and King George VI is looked on by his nation as a figure of strength.
Speaking of strength, this movie has a lot of it. The acting is superb. As with Helen Mirren in "The Queen," Firth makes you feel as if you are having an inside eye into British royalty. It's easy to have someone put on a stammer and the claim it's good acting, but I feel Firth also showed the frustation and anger that King George VI felt by his impaired speech. Rush is equally good as Logue, who shows such confidence and courage, yet a softer, gentler side. The relationship between the two is the foundation of the movie, yet it doesn't delve into being overdramatic.
The script is well written, but I feel the movie's main strength after acting is the way it set the scene for pre-WWII Britain. I'm no history enthusiast so I can't comment on how accurate it was, but I felt as if I was there. It was filmed in a way where you feel it's taking place in an older time. Art direction and costume design were essential here, and sometimes I'm glad I'm not in the academy, because I'd have difficulty choosing winners for those categories. Because while this movie had art direction and costumes that really enhanced the entire film, "Alice in Wonderland" was a subpar movie with beautiful art direction and outlandish costumes. I wonder at what point these categories are awarded solely on their own merit, versus their contribution to the overall film.
The film was edited well. It was slow, but not boring, and as a friend of mine said, it moved at the pace of life. Unlike "Winter's Bone," which was downright dull.
The music was subtle, but complemented the film well. And the use of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 Mvt. 2 in the final scenes is excellent. I would say it's the best use of Beethoven in a movie, but that honor simply has to go to "A Clockwork Orange," wouldn't you say?
The cast also has an assortment of British actors, including Gambon (HP's Dumbledore), Timothy Spall (HP's Wormtail), and Derek Jacobi (DW's old master). Guy Pierce ("Memento") also appears as King Edward VIII. This film made me attracted even more to England!
Overall, an excellently filmed, paced, and acted film that you should check out.
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Carter), Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography
The leader of the pack at this year's oscars is also the film that arguably deserves to win the top prize. "The King's Speech" is both a historical chronicle of pre-WWII England, and a drama about the relationship between two men. Two men who, while not equal in society's eyes, are equal when in each other's company. These two men are, of course, King George VI (Firth) and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Rush). The film start with King George V in power (Michael Gambon), with George VI as the Duke of York. At an event at Wembley Stadium, he is unable to deliver a proper speech, secondary to his lifelong stammer. Enough is enough, his wife decides, and she finds Logue. The rest of the movie follows Logue and George VI's training, as events both personal and political shake both of their lives. The movie culminates as World War II begins, and King George VI is looked on by his nation as a figure of strength.
Speaking of strength, this movie has a lot of it. The acting is superb. As with Helen Mirren in "The Queen," Firth makes you feel as if you are having an inside eye into British royalty. It's easy to have someone put on a stammer and the claim it's good acting, but I feel Firth also showed the frustation and anger that King George VI felt by his impaired speech. Rush is equally good as Logue, who shows such confidence and courage, yet a softer, gentler side. The relationship between the two is the foundation of the movie, yet it doesn't delve into being overdramatic.
The script is well written, but I feel the movie's main strength after acting is the way it set the scene for pre-WWII Britain. I'm no history enthusiast so I can't comment on how accurate it was, but I felt as if I was there. It was filmed in a way where you feel it's taking place in an older time. Art direction and costume design were essential here, and sometimes I'm glad I'm not in the academy, because I'd have difficulty choosing winners for those categories. Because while this movie had art direction and costumes that really enhanced the entire film, "Alice in Wonderland" was a subpar movie with beautiful art direction and outlandish costumes. I wonder at what point these categories are awarded solely on their own merit, versus their contribution to the overall film.
The film was edited well. It was slow, but not boring, and as a friend of mine said, it moved at the pace of life. Unlike "Winter's Bone," which was downright dull.
The music was subtle, but complemented the film well. And the use of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 Mvt. 2 in the final scenes is excellent. I would say it's the best use of Beethoven in a movie, but that honor simply has to go to "A Clockwork Orange," wouldn't you say?
The cast also has an assortment of British actors, including Gambon (HP's Dumbledore), Timothy Spall (HP's Wormtail), and Derek Jacobi (DW's old master). Guy Pierce ("Memento") also appears as King Edward VIII. This film made me attracted even more to England!
Overall, an excellently filmed, paced, and acted film that you should check out.
posted by DarthDooku at
8:00 PM
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