The King's Speech Family Review

The story of King George VI, his impromptu ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.Britain's Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.—Jwelch5742Biopic about Britain's King George VI (Colin Firth) (father of present day Queen Elizabeth II) and his lifelong struggle to overcome his speech impediment. Suffering from a stammer from the age of four or five, the young Prince Albert dreaded any public speaking engagement. History records that his speech at the closing of the 1925 Commonwealth exhibition in London was difficult for both him and everyone listening that day. He tried many different therapies over many years, but it was only when he met Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist, that he truly began to make progress. Logue did not have a medical degree, but had worked as an elocution coach in the theater and had worked with shell-shocked soldiers after World War I. Through a variety of techniques and much hard work, Albert learns to speak in such a way so as to make his impediment a minor problem and deliver a flawless speech heard around the world by radio when the U.K. declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939. The King and Logue remained life-long friends.—garykmcdIn 1925, the Duke of York (Colin Firth) is a stammerer and has trouble speaking to the public. His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), seeks the treatment of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) that follows unconventional methods and relationship, and Bertie gives up the treatment on the first day. However, after listening to the session that was recorded by Lionel, Bertie returns to the treatment. In the mid 1930s, the Duke of York is forced to assume the throne of the United Kingdom as King George VI, due to the abdication of his older brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce). Immediately afterward, there is a crisis in the government and Britain declares war with Germany. King George VI needs to make a speech to his compatriots, and his friend Lionel helps him using an unorthodox technique.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil