The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to cope with a stammer¹, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates² the throne, the new King relies on Logue to help him make his first wartime radio broadcast on Britain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939.

 

Seidler read about George VI's life after overcoming a stuttering condition he endured during his youth. He started writing about the relationship between the monarch³ and his therapist as early as the 1980s, but at the request of the King's widow the Queen Mother, postponed⁴ work until her death in 2002. He later rewrote his screenplay for the stage to focus on the essential relationship between the two protagonists⁵. Nine weeks before filming began, Logue's notebooks were discovered and quotations⁶ from them were incorporated into the script.

 

Principal photography took place in London and around Britain from November 2009 to January 2010. The opening scenes were filmed in Elland Road, Leeds (for the since-demolished Wembley Stadium), Buckingham Palace interiors in Lancaster House, and Ely Cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey. The cinematography differs from other historical dramas; hard light was used to give the story a greater resonance⁷ and wider than normal lenses were used to recreate the King's feelings of constriction⁸. A third technique Hooper employed was the off-centre framing of characters: in his first consultation⁹ with Logue, George VI is captured hunched¹⁰ on the side of a couch at the edge of the frame.

 

Released in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2011, The King's Speech was a major box office and critical success. Censors¹¹ initially¹² gave it adult ratings due to profanity. The film received many awards and nominations¹³, particularly for Colin Firth's performance; his Golden Globe Award for Best Actor was the sole win at that ceremony from seven nominations.

 

At the 83rd Academy Awards, The King's Speech won the Academy Award for Best Picture (Cohen), Best Director (Hooper), Best Actor (Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (Seidler). The film had received 12 Oscar nominations, more than any other film in that year. Besides the four categories it won, the film received nominations for Best Cinematography (Danny Cohen) and two for the supporting actors (Bonham Carter and Rush), as well as two for its miseen-scène: Art Direction and Costumes.

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