The King's Speech (2010), directed by Tom Hooper, is an example of the classical paradigm seen in narration. The plot of this film follows the life and struggles of Bertie (Colin Firth) who later becomes King George VI. The film follows Syd Field's three act screen play. Act 1: "setup" - Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), helps him find a proper speech therapist to assist in overcoming his speech impediment. They come across an unconventional speech therapist, Lionel Louge (Geoffery Rush), who through many ups and downs with Bertie eventually helps him with the lifelong struggle of public speaking.
Act 2:"Confrontation". In this segment of the film the protagonist, Bertie, is faced with many challenges other than his speech impediment. He is faced with his brother becoming king and the taunting comments he makes towards him and his speech problem, he has stopped attending lessons with Lionel due to an argument between the two, and he is feeling a strain between his role as a leader in his country and his role in his family. This is the beginning of Bertie's transformation which will allow him to overcome his public speaking fears. Throughout this time, Elizabeth and Lionel stand by his side as he sorts out his struggles. In the image above, Bertie is arguing with his brother David (Guy Peace) about his decisions he is making with a woman and as the King of England. In this argument, Bertie is unable to speak to defend himself against his brothers snide comments about his speech impediment. He returns to Lionel and begins to open up to him about his childhood. 
Act 3: "Resolution" The last segment of the film is all leading up to the climactic ending of the brilliantly said wartime speech. The scene shown above when Lionel is assisting Bertie while he is giving the speech is beautiful. It portrays a friendship filled with trust and desire to overcome the same protagonist - the speech impediment. At the conclusion of the speech the two joke about the "w" stammer and how he needed to stammer a little in order for the people to know it was Bertie speaking. The plot of the film ends here but the story goes on beyond the film as King George VI must give many more speeches with Lionel at his side. 
One of the cruelest things that someone can do is to ridicule someone for a natural deformity. People with speech impediments face the onslaught of bullies every time they speak. In the movie we see that even royalty is subject to these attacks. Unlike some with physical deformities, those that stutter and stammer can overcome their struggle with the proper therapy. Having a good therapist or coach is key. The beautiful part about having a speech impediment is that when someone overcomes it they can share their voice with everyone. I think that the last scene of the movie is as moving as watching an amputee war veteran running a race. I think that this film should be required viewing for any type of coach or therapist, so many lessons can be learned from it's messages.
ReplyDeleteI also found the interaction or rather argument between David and Bertie to be a very interesting scene. At this point in the movie, Bertie has been working with Lionel on his speech impediment, and they have been making some progress with it. Therefore, Bertie shouldn’t have had much difficulty in debating with his brother, but he does. So this is when the audience is allowed to see the “real problem” for Bertie. Bertie’s stammer is a result of the mental abuse that his family has imposed on him since the moment that he was born. In this scene, the two meanings of the “king’s speech” come together to show that they are actually one in the same. Bertie wouldn’t have a speech problem if his family had given him the love and support his self-esteem desperately needed. If his brother, David, could have treated him as an equal during this particular argument then Bertie might have been able to speak up for himself and fight back. This is why the relationship between Bertie and Lionel is so sweet because Lionel believes in Bertie long before Bertie believes in himself. Their friendship gives Bertie the love he needs so he can become more confident and can speak.
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