The King's Speech unfolds during the Great Depression Era, building to a rousing end in 1939 when Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. As a child, Albert, or Bertie as his family called him, the shy, sickly second son of King George V, had a debilitating stutter. After public and private humiliations his therapist Lionel Logue aids him.
The King’s Speech focuses upon the relationship between then Prince Albert and his Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, in the years leading up to his ascension to the throne and the declaration of war with Germany. Following a succession of failed attempts at overcoming his debilitating stammer, Albert hesitantly engages Logue’s unorthodox methods in order to arrest control of his voice. It’s an odd coupling from the start. The therapeutic sessions between Albert and Lionel drive the film’s narrative. In the opening scene of the film, Albert’s humiliating Empire Exhibition address at Wembley Stadium in 1925, images of the large generators and amplifiers that will carry his words across the globe are interspersed with the shots of the Prince. His face is a picture of misery in the opening scene, under his top hat, as if attending his own funeral. His stammer means he can hardly get a word out, and the nation cringes with embarrassment.
In both the film’s opening and ending scenes, the microphone is isolated; it is the central object within this struggle. In a series of looming close-ups, the microphone initially stands as a sign of a dehumanizing and impersonal technological evolution. The repeated advisements given to Albert to “let the microphone do the work” make clear that technology holds the power. His fear of public speaking and lack of self-confidence are overpowering as the image of the microphone is in the scenes.
With the newsreel footage of Hitler at Nuremberg, the precise content of Albert’s speech in this final scene is less important than the act itself. Upon the declaration of war with Nazi Germany in September 1939, George VI summons Logue to Buckingham Palace to prepare for his upcoming radio address to millions of listeners in Britain. The King is left alone in the room with the microphone, except for Logue. He delivers his speech competently, as if to Logue alone, who guides him silently throughout. Afterwards, the King and his family step onto the balcony of the palace, to the viewed and applauded by the thousands who have gathered.
The King’s Speech focuses upon the relationship between then Prince Albert and his Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, in the years leading up to his ascension to the throne and the declaration of war with Germany. Following a succession of failed attempts at overcoming his debilitating stammer, Albert hesitantly engages Logue’s unorthodox methods in order to arrest control of his voice. It’s an odd coupling from the start. The therapeutic sessions between Albert and Lionel drive the film’s narrative. In the opening scene of the film, Albert’s humiliating Empire Exhibition address at Wembley Stadium in 1925, images of the large generators and amplifiers that will carry his words across the globe are interspersed with the shots of the Prince. His face is a picture of misery in the opening scene, under his top hat, as if attending his own funeral. His stammer means he can hardly get a word out, and the nation cringes with embarrassment.
In both the film’s opening and ending scenes, the microphone is isolated; it is the central object within this struggle. In a series of looming close-ups, the microphone initially stands as a sign of a dehumanizing and impersonal technological evolution. The repeated advisements given to Albert to “let the microphone do the work” make clear that technology holds the power. His fear of public speaking and lack of self-confidence are overpowering as the image of the microphone is in the scenes.
With the newsreel footage of Hitler at Nuremberg, the precise content of Albert’s speech in this final scene is less important than the act itself. Upon the declaration of war with Nazi Germany in September 1939, George VI summons Logue to Buckingham Palace to prepare for his upcoming radio address to millions of listeners in Britain. The King is left alone in the room with the microphone, except for Logue. He delivers his speech competently, as if to Logue alone, who guides him silently throughout. Afterwards, the King and his family step onto the balcony of the palace, to the viewed and applauded by the thousands who have gathered.
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