The King’s Speech - (December 24th, 2010): R
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Opening Weekend Box-Office (wide-release): #11 with $8,329,735
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $98,212,000
Gross Revenue: Approximately $203 million
Budget: $15 million
Directors: Tom Hooper
While it is obvious that this historical drama wasn’t going to be relying on the merchandising or promotional tie-in tactics to generate buzz like the other box office juggernauts that I have been writing about the past few months, the development of this project is no less impressive. Writer David Seidler actually began penning the script for The King’s Speech in the late seventies, but over the course of his research, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter in the film) asked that the project not be developed until after her death, and Seidler respectfully obliged her request. Fast forward and The Weinstein Company has partnered with Seidler and director Tom Hooper to breathe new life into the project, and Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush come together to deliver a heartwarming tale of friendship set against historical events largely overlooked by today’s audiences. Initially debuting at both the Telluride and Toronto International Film festivals, The King’s Speech began generating critical praise and followed with a modestly limited distribution in U.S. theaters. However, once nearly every aspect of the film began dominating the preliminary nominations of Hollywood’s awards season, popular interest began to grow and distribution followed suit. Though it took me some time to get to the theater, I was nevertheless eager to see if all the critical hype surrounding The King’s Speech was warranted.
Telling the story of Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) and his rise to the throne of the British Empire as King George VI, The King’s Speech opens in 1925 with the prince attempting a speech in front of a large crowd, but his uncontrollable stammering visibly unsettles the audience. With the help of his caring and determined wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), Prince Albert endures several unsuccessful speech treatments until he comes across the unconventional Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Despite his initial frustration, Prince Albert quickly finds success with Logue and the two become friends and confidants; however, after his father King George V (Michael Gambon) dies and his older brother, King Edward VII (Guy Pearce) abdicates the throne, Prince Albert questions whether he can project enough confidence through his broadcasts to maintain the nation’s faith in the modern monarchy. Despite some obstacles threatening their friendship, Logue and Prince Albert realize the mutually beneficial support that they both receive from the relationship. Upon declaration of war with Germany, the newly crowned King George VI and his trusted friend realize that they must work together to set a precedent in the monarch’s first radio speech in order to sustain the hope of a nation facing the considerable future hardship of World War II.
Normally you wouldn’t think that the story described above would be particularly compelling for audiences, but strong directing and acting bring the core problem of overcoming a stammer to life in such a compelling way that you find yourself legitimately hoping that King George VI can deliver his speech smoothly. The visual style and camera angles used to follow Colin Firth as he approaches a podium help build a genuine level of anticipation and excitement, helping audiences realize just how important these speeches are to the confidence of a nation. Colin Firth gives the performance of his career, not only delivering a convincing stammer, but also convincingly conveying the frustration and despair that his character feels over his impediment, generating considerable audience empathy; I will be shocked if he is denied the Oscar for Best Actor. Geoffrey Rush is delightfully offbeat as the monarch’s therapist, bringing a level of humor and unconventional style to the character that makes him instantaneously likable. The interaction between the two is also surprisingly funny, as that level of humor is not something that one normally expects in a historical drama. At the very least, The King’s Speech is an example of smart filmmaking with enjoyable performances sure to delight audiences.
Personally, I really do not have anything overtly negative to say about The King’s Speech, as I enjoyed the film thoroughly, but a few elements do deserve further analysis. While critical praise for The King’s Speech has been near universal, some have questioned the overall historical accuracy of the events depicted, but I believe that a large majority of audiences will see such a criticism as inconsequential. Queen Elizabeth II, who is portrayed as a child during the film, has gone on record saying that she found The King’s Speech a very loyal and respectful portrayal of her father. If there were any other qualification I would make about the film, it would involve Helena Bonham Carter’s performance, which, though strong, may be generating a bit more critical praise than is fully warranted. I do not want to sound overtly critical, as I am a big fan of Helena Bonham Carter and she does indeed prove her considerable talent within The King’s Speech, but I do not think it is fully fair to put her performance on the same level as that of Firth and Rush, or even that of some of the other actresses in Hollywood who are being recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category this year. In its simplest form, The King’s Speech is a tale of friendship between a monarch and his therapist, and that is where overall critical focus should remain.
From a box office perspective, while it may seem that The King’s Speech started off slow, a closer look reveals that initial performance foreshadowed the success that the film would ultimately reach. Originally released on November 26th, The King’s Speech earned $355,450; that amount may seem inconsequential, but when you consider that the film only opened in four theaters, that translates into a dollars per engagement performance of $88,863, which is truly remarkable (consider this as a qualifier: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows only earned $30,307 per engagement its opening weekend). Combine the subsequent wide-release of the film on December 24th with the increased demand generated by the numerous critical accolades received, and it is no surprise that today, The King’s Speech has recovered its production budget nearly sevenfold in the United States alone. With nine other strong entries up for the title of Best Picture next week, there is no guarantee that The King’s Speech will take top prize, but you can guarantee that the film will be a major contender. If I haven’t convinced you by now to see The King’s Speech, then it will truly be your own loss…do not miss this film.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
