As we prepared to leave the movie theatre, my wife thanks me for coming along to see the film we just finished watching. She told me she appreciated when I went with her to see the English period pieces she liked so much.
The funny thing is, I originally suggested we go see “The King’s Speech,” and I never considered that the film represented a period piece. This isn’t a criticism of her – just something funny I thought of after seeing this fantastic film.
A period piece, to me, represents something where the setting and the costumes have as much to do with story as the actual plot, if not more. “The King’s Speech” didn’t need to smack you over the head with the clothes or manners of the time. The fascinating story of a troubled and imperfect monarch carried the action with ease.
The outstanding performances of Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter (a front-runner for a Brian next year for her acting and since she’s easy on the eyes) and Geoffrey Rush have helped catapult the film to the front of the line for Academy Awards. The fact that they took a story which appears to be very true to what actually happens makes their work even more impressive in my eyes. I understand why writers and directors take leeway with pesky facts in movies, but really appreciate when they can construct a strong film without messing with the truth of the main story that much.
Yes, I know Christopher Hitchens assailed the accuracy in a piece on Slate, but to tackle the depth of Edward VIII’s problems and Winston Churchill’s behavior in the abdication crisis would take another two hours. At least. The story is about the king and the relationship he had with his speech therapist, not Edward and the eventual prime minister.
I personally think those of us who care to learn the true story will do so while others simply wanted to see an enjoyable movie and won’t harm the state of the universe because the movie changed details of some secondary characters. I don’t ascribe it to the “cult of Churchill” as Hitchens does, but to a need to focus a movie on the important parts and leave the political wrangling to another film.