The King's Speech

This is my second movie review, and I feel it's somewhat fitting for this blog since the film has a very theatrical feel to it at times.  I've always enjoyed historical fiction, and this movie was getting a lot of awards buzz, so I was attracted to seeing it for those reasons in addition to also liking the cast a lot as well. Colin Firth was superb as Prince Albert, who became King George VI. Helena Bonham Carter was also fabulous as his wife, the future Queen Elizabeth.  Geoffrey Rush had a method to his madness as Dr. Logue the speech pathologist, and the cast was stocked with so many other wonderful actors: Michael Gambon as King George V, Jennifer Ehle as Mrs. Logue, Derek Jacobi as the Archbishop, Eve Best as Wallis Simpson, and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill, complete with cigar and a pompous scowl.  He communicated a lot of the character through his posture and mannerisms alone. I highly recommend this movie to everyone interested in history, England, or good acting.  It's a great example of how a movie should be put together, because even though the outcome is known ahead of time, there is still dramatic tension and buildup. This reminds me of the musical 1776, where even though we all know that the Declaration of Independence will be ratified and signed, the play does a great job of making us forget that in the moment of watching as we follow Thomas Jefferson and John Adams' actions. I hope that The King's Speech will inspire other similar movies about real-life events, so that people will learn more about historical events through watching them.