Subject: The King's Speech
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Dec 16 10
I'm not a regular visitor to the cinema, but after reading the reviews for 'The King's Speech', I'm going to see it on the big screen. It sounds fascinating and every review I've read raves about the whole movie and cast - especially Colin Firth as George VI and Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist who helped the king to overcome his debilitating stammer.
George VI is one of my heroes, so I'm looking forward to the movie.
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Dec 16 10
I'm not a regular visitor to the cinema, but after reading the reviews for 'The King's Speech', I'm going to see it on the big screen. It sounds fascinating and every review I've read raves about the whole movie and cast - especially Colin Firth as George VI and Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist who helped the king to overcome his debilitating stammer.
George VI is one of my heroes, so I'm looking forward to the movie.
38 replies. On page 2 of 2 pages. 1 2
wdstk 
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I just saw it on Wed. Reply #21. Feb 25 11, 11:44 PM |
Cymruambyth
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And it wins Oscars for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Director. Cheers! Reply #22. Feb 28 11, 12:16 AM |
Godwit
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Who was it did a review or interview and said, "Oh boo hoo. I'm rich. I'm powerful. I have a stammer." He thought the film subject matter was laughable, next to the far greater issues in other films. I sure don't agree. Rich or powerful, people suffer the same as anyone else. Though they do, as this King, have resources so they can deal with it. It was a startling perspective, in any case. Clearly not shared by the Oscar audiences. Reply #23. Mar 07 11, 7:11 PM |
callie_ross
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I finally got to see this brilliant movie & was impressed. I was a stutterer myself for most of my childhood so I know exactly how frustrating, frightening & hurtful it is to stutter. People make fun of you to no end because they are ignorant & don't understand that you cannot help it & you certainly did not ask to become a stutterer. You feel the fear to your core whenever you have to speak in public, which I experienced in school due to several wicked teachers who knew I had this problem but still made me read my papers in front of the class. I think they got some sick thrill out of it. Thank goodness I overcame my stutter for the most part, but I still find myself having speech problems to this day whenever I'm stressed out or speaking to a stranger. I also went to speech therapy as a child & it did help immensely. There was a part in the movie where the King's therapist is trying to find out what may have caused his stutter & they mention that the King may have started out being left handed & someone tried to change him to a right handed person. I really think they are onto something there because I was a leftie until one of my idiot teachers got the bright idea to make me into a rightie. That is around the time my stutter developed. Even though stuttering has been researched, I don't think they have an exact cause to this day. All I know is I would not wish it on my worst enemy. This movie is the only one I have ever seen that deals with this subject & I am so glad that someone finally was brave enough & smart enough to come up with this idea. Many people treat stuttering & people who have this problem like a disease;sweep it under the rug & don't talk about it & perhaps it will go away. It sounds ridiculous but it's true, I know from years of experience. People are also under the impression that stutterers have low intelligence & that is not true at all. Some of the smartest people in the world have or had stuttering problems. Sorry about my rant! I just wanted to say that I enjoyed this movie & I really felt for & identified with King George IV. I've been through the same pain & humiliation myself. The movie had a happy ending & I was thankful for that! Reply #24. Apr 28 11, 7:14 AM |
| callie_ross
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Goodness! I put the wrong Roman numerals after the King's name! It's supposed to be King George VI! Sorry! Reply #25. Apr 28 11, 7:17 AM |
MotherGoose
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"I think they got some sick thrill out of it". Callie, perhaps they genuinely thought they were helping you to overcome it by forcing you to "deal with it". Misguided perhaps but hopefully they were not really getting a "sick thrill" from making you squirm. In a similar vein, when I was at school, I did not have a stutter but I did have dreaful stage fright and I could not cope with performing publicly. My music teacher forced me to perform in front of the school and all that achieved was to make me break down on stage and subsequently abandon my talent for music and give my music lessons. I am still not sure about her motivation - some of those nuns could be quite cruel - but I would like to think that she thought she was doing it for the best. I thought the "The King's Speech" was a magnificent movie and all the more interesting because it is a piece of our history, not something fictional. I am currently enjoying the book. Reply #26. Apr 28 11, 5:09 PM |
turbotude
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Callie, this is off topic, but I felt the need to reply to your post. I'm sorry to hear that people made you feel less intelligent simply because you had a speech impediment. How wrong they were! I've been fortunate throughout my life to have wonderful, positively BRILLIANT friends who have dealt with speech impediments, dyslexia, bi-polar disorder and even schizophrenia. My daughter was accepted into kindergarten at 4 years of age. Yet, soon after, her teacher felt my daughter's motor skills to be 'under-developed'. As it turned out, this teacher didn't realize that my daughter was the only left-handed student in a class of 30 children. During a frustrating parent-teacher conference with this old witch of a teacher, after she was informed that my daughter is a "southpaw", her only suggestion was that I try to make her right-handed. No way was THAT going to happen! God hard-wires our minds, and I've never met a 'stupid' leftie, either! This didn't happen in the dark ages. It was in the year 1990. Most of us have had obstacles to overcome in our life, some of them below the surface where others could not 'see'. God bless you, Callie, and I hope "The King's Speech" helped you to see yourself for the special person that you ARE! MotherGoose: I, too, was forced to participate in public performances in the form of piano recitals. But in my case, I wasn't forced by the instructor. When I was 4 years old, I was teaching myself the piano and composing songs. Although my parents were told I had a special gift, money was tight, and they weren't going to pay for piano lessons until I was 'old enough' to be accepted into formal instruction, and could prove to them that I would never have to be forced by them to practice and complete my theory assignments. Therefore, I felt that the least I could do to show my appreciation for my folks paying for 5 years of instruction was to play in the recitals. I'd get so worked up that I'd always become sick before and after each performance. My final recital was when, at age 11, I played Chopin's "Minute Waltz" in a blackout state, not having any recollection of the performance, but vomiting blood shortly after. My dad decided enough was enough, and vowed I've never have to play in another recital. However, I played in bands, performing many types of music, and learned to deal with stage fright by just having fun! MotherGoose....sometimes the butterflies are a good thing. My best performances were always on the heels of a good case of the heebies. Now, public speaking......that's another 'can of worms'! Reply #27. May 05 11, 12:28 PM |
Arpeggionist
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I saw the edited version on the plane the other day, on a transatlantic flight. All of what has so far been said above I agree with, but that's not what really moved me about the movie. The scene that really got to me (as someone who was born WAY after the King's death), was one scene showing the rise of Hitler. The comparison between Hitler, who's skills at public speaking were legendary, and King George VI with his stutter, was a great reminder in just how important oratorical style is and how it can shape history. And that scene was a clear reminder of how close the world was to that war going another way. In the film, the royal family was watching Hitler speak at a rally, and one of the children was asking "what's he saying?" With King George only able to respond: "I don't know, but he seems to be saying it very well." He knew his enemy that moment. Reply #28. May 08 11, 9:53 AM |
euab
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The movie was nice and it shows that Royals are also human. Reply #29. May 10 11, 9:51 PM |
| turbotude
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Well said, Arpeggionist! Reply #30. May 11 11, 4:15 PM |
| callie_ross
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Turbotude: I just now saw your comment from May 5th & I thank you for those kind words! I had a very rough childhood due to an abusive father & my severe stuttering problem, so I was never shown any understanding or sympathy at all. I'm glad that you understand the hell I went through & I really appreciate your comment. Thanks so much! :) Reply #31. May 11 11, 5:53 PM |
| turbotude
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You're indeed welcome, Callie! I'm glad you enjoyed the movie and have reconciled with the past. All the best to you! Reply #32. May 13 11, 6:35 PM |
naerulinnupesa
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I saw the film yesterday. It was realistic, moving and had some great British humour in it. Most of the time I just wanted to hug Bertie... The things that were revealed from his childhood were unimaginable - made me doubt if his nanny was sane. I've never stammered but I couldn't pronounce "r" properly for a while and was teased because of that. Bad experiences like that affect people deeply and are hard to put behind us. I was so pleased to see Bertie improve his speech and that he found a lifelong friend in the process :) Reply #33. May 15 11, 10:30 AM |
| turbotude
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I have to admit that I backed the CD twice to the therapy scene where the obscenities were used for cadence. It was a refreshing and unexpected bit of humor in an otherwise dramatic film. Great film! Reply #34. May 16 11, 2:31 PM |
| lesley153
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I'm so glad you were able to see that scene, because I heard talk of its being edited out, and that would have been such a sad loss to the whole film. Everyone in the cinema fell about laughing at that bit. I'm tempted to get the CD. (The occasional incidences of Rude Word in Shirley Valentine were dubbed for TV, and it grated.) Reply #35. May 16 11, 2:42 PM |
| turbotude
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Hi, Lesley: I, too, hate it when words are either changed or "bleeped" out of a movie. Sometimes that will serve to change the storyline, which is never a good thing. By all means, get the DVD. You'll get your money's worth, as I'm sure you'll watch it again and again. Reply #36. May 18 11, 1:23 PM |
steelman86
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Great movie, much better than I expected. Reply #37. May 26 11, 8:38 AM |
| callie_ross
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This great movie was just added to Netflix & I am going to watch it again! :) Reply #38. Dec 01 12, 12:07 AM |
38 replies. On page 2 of 2 pages. 1 2
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