The hype surrounding The King’s Speech makes it near impossible to view with an unbiased eye. Throughout the feature, when a strong moment passes, it has an extra potency to it because the movie going public has been repeatedly told it’s good. The film is the true story of England’s King George VI, (Colin Firth) as he deals with his lifelong speech impediment in the wake of becoming king and looming war with Germany. After trying plenty of methods, progress finally comes with help from the poised Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
The script is successful in presenting the discomfort of the king without making the audience cringe. Firth’s performance definitely helps in that aspect. The stutter is executed with a realism that would have proven tough for other actors. The worst-case scenario of devolving into a Bugs Bunny sound is never even approached, which I did fear.
While the sets and filming locations are accurate and complement the film well, director Tom Hooper used a wealth of unconventional close-ups. The actors are given almost no breathing room because of the intimacy of the camera. I can’t say that the shots are entirely necessary though. They don’t fit the regality and tradition of the story. There are also mid-angle shots that are slightly high-angle and have atypical cropping. These feature negative space that sometimes respects the feeling of the scene and sometimes does not.
The tension that builds through nonverbal acting is the most successful aspect of The King’s Speech. Frequently the film borders on monotony but is saved before crossing the line by the actors. Not only are the lead actors crucial, but the abundance of well known Brits in support are strong, as well. While the media has conditioned the public to expect a certain caliber film, it is a good one, though at times unnecessarily artsy. (9.1 out of 10)
No comments:
Post a Comment