The King's Speech

Hi readers,

Happy Monday to you!

This weekend I went to see the movie The King's Speech. For those who haven't seen it yet, it's about King George VI, his sudden ascension to the throne and his relationship with his speech therapist, Lionel Logue.

The movie focuses on King George's, or Bertie's (his real name is Albert), inability to speak publicly due to a severe stammer.  He was plagued with this speech impediment as a child and was never able to overcome it until he met Lionel Logue, an Australian actor with no formal eduction in speech therapy.  Logue taught Bertie tricks (cursing between sentences and singing his speeches) so that he would be able to speak without stuttering.

Soon after the death of King George V, Bertie's brother takes the thrown but is forced to abdicate.  This throws Bertie into the position of King, something he never thought would happen.  He becomes King at one of the worst moments in history, the start of World War II, and had to go up against powerful speakers like Hitler.  Because of this, he relies heavily on Logue to get him through thus creating a life-long friendship between two very different people.

This is a very moving and touching story that allows you to see the not so nice side of the privileged life of royalty.  I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes to side with the underdog and who is looking for a good laugh. I liked it so much I would give it 10 stars.  For someone who fears speaking in public, I could relate to the personal struggle that Bertie felt while being forced to do something he dreaded.