For this blog post, I've chosen two scenes from The King's Speech that show two different sides of the title. Two central problems in this movie were the fact that Bertie stammered and that he was beat down his entire life by overbearing family members. Bertie did not have enough confidence in himself so he spoke out of fear, which caused him to have his impediment.
The first scene I have chosen is right after Bertie's father died, and he goes to see Lionel. This is the first time that the audience is allowed to see the friendship between Lionel and Bertie. In this scene, Bertie really needed to talk to a friend, and he went to see Lionel, which shows the development of their relationship. While he is there, Bertie begins to open up about his personal life, something he has never done before. He tells Lionel about being corrected for being left-handed and for having wobbly legs. He was also neglected and abused by his first nanny. Bertie has also been picked on his entire life by his own family members. This "speech" shows the budding confidence Bertie has in Lionel and in himself. He is now able to speak about these horrible things that he has kept secret.
The second scene I have chosen is the war-time speech at the end. I chose this speech because it shows just how far Bertie has come with his speech impediment. He has been working with Lionel for quite a while. Through these continuing lessons, their friendship has grown from impersonal to personal. Then, Bertie is tested by this radio broadcast, and he succeeds wonderfully. This scene shows the second part of the "the king's speech" because it shows his actual triumph over his physical problem. At the end of this speech, Bertie realizes that his voice is truly one to be heard and not silenced.
I found your narration about the two central problems about Bertie very interesting. Yes, the first scene where Bertie’s speech is impaired from fear is clearly felt by him and all his listeners. This changes when Lionel helps him with his war time speech and receives applause from his countrymen. Bertie’s wife is a pillar of strength during those tough times and her perseverance to find a cure is amazing. Did you know this was a classical paradigm narrative because all the scenes lead up to the time Bertie will ascend the throne as King George VI. This is the main climax and rising action that would thrill the audience the most.
ReplyDeleteBertie’s friendship with Lionel is a central part of Act II as Bertie is cured through Lionel’s efforts and sincerity. I found the most interesting scenes in the film to be the contrast between Lionel and Bertie’s lives. Bertie is successful as a family man, but is unsuccessful in public speaking because has a speech impairment. Lionel is a successful doctor, but is a struggling actor.
I too found the comparison of the two images/central problems interesting. Through the classical paradigm the viewer is allowed to observe the struggling journey of Bertie and his speech impediment with his speech therapist Lionel Louge. The second image is when Bertie and Lionel's friendship takes on a new shape which ends up playing a huge role in Bertie being able to overcome his stutter. Lionel in the beginning stated that Bertie was going to have to open up to him in order for him to beat the stutter. The ending scene when Bertie is delivering his first wartime speech - the viewer can see how far the pair has come and how they are now a team that is working together flawlessly.
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