After submitting Amy (my wife) to endless AFI list movies, it was a welcome break to watch something different.
As neither of us are particularly pro royal, it says a lot for this film that we both really enjoyed the film.
The obvious focus for a lot of the praise received for the film centered on the performance by Colin Firth as the reluctant King, and rightly so, he was superb in his role. But for me the stand out performance was that of Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, who is the latest in a long list of therapists attempting to help the king with his debilitating stammer. He is in turns supportive and antagonistic in his efforts to help Bertie, and this brings a dramatic edge and some comedic moments to the story.Also worthy of praise are the supporting cast; Helena Bonham Carter shows that she can command a screen presence without going over the top, Derek Jacobi who himself famously played a stammerer in I Claudius, is suitably annoying as the meddlesome Archbishop, and Guy Pearce does a decent job of portraying the abdicating King Edward VIII as a man obsessed with the woman he loves, without a thought for his country, or the feelings of his family.
Timothy Spall as Churchill and Claire Bloom as Queen Mary make the most of their time on screen, and UK viewers might be surprised to see Karen from Outnumbered (Ramona Marquez) as Princess Margaret!
If you are late getting to see this, as we were, you are in for a treat.
No comments:
Post a Comment