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Post by tipou on Jan 23, 2011 22:40:31 GMT
just got back from seeing the king's speech and i was impressed.
top grade acting by each and every one, my colin firth deserves every award available, this must have been so demanding, with the speech impediment, the regal context, the emotional charge, the need of authenticity, and also he had so many close ups. a wonderful, moving portrayal.
it was so good to see helena b-c playing a "normal" human being for once (not that being a queen is so common, but its better than the the monsters his bf makes her play!!). and geoffrey rush was excellent, but that is a given. she just - shazzam! - was the queen mother, and, yes, you could see right away why the woman had been so beloved.
i just looooooved the layers of faded wall papers in logue's office, they were such a symbol of poor bertie's layers of inbred traditions breaking off so painfully. i wish i could buy a still of colin firth in the lower left corner of the screen, with this wall looming over him. such a great example of how a picture is worth a thousand words.
BUT (and its a big but) this movie does not make it as the top movie of the year, because of too many script mistakes. most notable examples: helena b-c, when visiting logue for the 1st time, is wearing a magical veil that does up and down her face from one image to the next. equally magical is the king's new found voice, which, during his war speech, makes logue's boy grow younger.
as far as colin firth's previous work, he is always spot on in my eyes, but his best (before the king's speech) is definitely "the girl wit the pearl earring", which also is (still in my eyes) the only time scarlett johansen was any good - but there she excells.
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Post by kissmekate on Jan 24, 2011 8:37:07 GMT
Sounds good, tipou!
I saw a preview of The King's Speech at the cinema yesterday (the film will start in Germany mid-February), and I definitely want to see that!
Thank you also for reminding me of the Pearl Earring, I've got to watch that finally as the DVD has been lounging around in my collection unwatched for a long time.
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Post by tipou on Jan 24, 2011 11:54:55 GMT
ohhhhh you have to watch this one, kmk, its soooo good and beautiful too.
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Post by vmaciv on Jan 29, 2011 4:28:44 GMT
We are going to see it this weekend. I was interested in this piece of history and the cast is wonderful so I am looking forward to it.
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Post by kissmekate on Feb 28, 2011 13:03:51 GMT
So now we've finally managed to see it, and I'm with all the rave reviews - a wonderful film, a tender portrait of a monarch against his will who carries heavy loads from childhood. Lots of emotion, finely balanced with humorous and hilarious moments, and a truly great cast.
Colin Firth absolutely deserves the Academy Award for his portrayal of "Bertie". When his anger and shame and closeted feelings about the teasing, the strict rules and the "hard love" from his father broke out of him while he was so eager to work on the little model plane, my heart went out to him so much. There was still the little boy inside the grown-up man who never was allowed to do what he wanted and never really received the love he needed.
Also loved Geoffrey Rush as his counterpart, so different from Bertie - open-minded, easy-going, with little respect for conventions and protocol - and with a genuine interest in helping his patients.
The whole cast was superb - Helena Bonham Carter even looked like a young Queen Mum (somehow she even looked a little on the short and stocky side which she normally definitely isn't), Michael Gambon as the old King, the Archbishop (loved the scene in Westminster Abbey when Bertie finally told him off for his meddling), the old and future Prime Ministers, and the little princesses were so lovely. The bedtime story scene was so sweet!
The only little downside was that we watched the dubbed version, but it was still clear that Colin manages to capture Bertie's constant struggle with words in a painfully authentic way.
A gem of a film, I will probably have to get the DVD soon, too.
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Post by zenina on Feb 28, 2011 16:56:18 GMT
I only saw it recently about 10 days ago and luckily in the original version. (really a rarity nowadays in my small town) Loved it and Colin Firth really deserved the Oscar. I found myself during the film wanting to help Bertie to speak, mouthing the words and just trying to push him forward.  Of course Geoffrey Rush and Helene Bonham- Carter were excellent too. So hurray that it won the major Oscars.  |
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Post by joyceinva on Apr 2, 2011 20:49:27 GMT
Ok, it's now official. Americans are stupid. Since The King's Speech won 4 Oscars they have edited the movie to give it a PG-13 rather than the original R rating. Now, why did the movie get an R rating in the first place?  I mean, no sex, no violence, no gore, nothing like that. BUT horrror of horrors, they used the F word. And they used it repeatedly in one scene. And in that scene it worked beautifully! Lionel is just getting Bertie to realize that his stutter is due to the fact that he has spent his entire life repressing himself. So he encourages Bertie to shout the F word repeatedly and loudly until his anger is gone. It is actually quite a funny scene. But in the interests of marketing the movie as a family movie, the producers have gone back and dubbed something else into that scene and the one other place where Bertie uses the f word. I believe they also bleeped out a few 'S**ts'. It's ridiculous that this movie was given an R rating to begin with. And to change it for marketing purposes is even more ridiculous. (They are even showing the little princesses in the new ads - they BARELY exist in the movie). I mean, I loved the movie, but there's no way I'd take a child to it. They'd be bored out of their minds. So, if anyone does decide to get the DVD - make sure you get the original version. |
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Post by zenina on Apr 2, 2011 22:36:34 GMT
I read about that somewhere in a newspaper here and just thought it downright silly.
The film has PG13 (well actually 12 in Switzerland) rating in Europe including all the swearing and I don't think anyone will be harmed by it.
I also agree with you joyce that it is not very likely that children will go and see that film. The two times I went in my local cinema, there was no child in the theatre, I think there was not a person below 20 in the theatre.
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Post by Rousse on Apr 3, 2011 4:18:52 GMT
When I went to see it, it was mostly people who looked to be 60+, so I wasn't sure how they'd react to the swearing (when I saw Bridget Jones on a cruise ship, half the audience, mostly from that age group, walked out after the first f-word!), but no one seemed bothered, just amused. I wouldn't take a child to it either, but I would say it'd be a good family film for a family with children over 13.
Also, there's the fact that children start swearing so young now, it wouldn't be anything most hadn't heard! That makes me sound really old, I know, but I hear my friends' little sisters (8-13 years) saying things I would never have dreamt of at that age (or now, really) - such a good film shouldn't be restricted to 18 plus for just a few words. PG12 seems like a sensible rating for it.
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Post by walt on Apr 3, 2011 9:55:40 GMT
When I went to see it - original version - I think nobody in the cinema was under 20. - And there was a very funny article about the "King's Speech" in our newspaper and a suggestion for an American version for the scene in which the king says:
Now the American version was suggested to be like: ;D
<no offence to our American Rooftoppers meant - I'm just quoting>
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Post by kissmekate on Apr 3, 2011 12:33:17 GMT
That's downright stupid. Hardly anyone is really bothered by some swear words nowadays, and the whole scene doesn't work without some of the harsher expletives because it has to be something a King usually would never say  |
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Post by judypatooty on Apr 3, 2011 14:59:24 GMT
Ok, it's now official. Americans are stupid. Well said. I couldn't agree more. |
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Post by joyceinva on Apr 3, 2011 17:52:22 GMT
That's downright stupid. Hardly anyone is really bothered by some swear words nowadays, and the whole scene doesn't work without some of the harsher expletives because it has to be something a King usually would never say Exactly KMK! The whole point of the scene was that Bertie was doing and saying something that he would NEVER do in real life. That's what made the scene both moving and funny at the same time. I think what burns me up is that the movie got an R rating for this scene (and the, I think) one other time the f word was used. In the context of the entire movie - it barely registered. But it was enough to give the movie an R rating in America. Frankly, when I went to see it, I didn't give the rating a thought. If I have been asked, I would have said it was most likely PG-13 since it had dealt with themes of death and adultery. Oh, and Walt - I can tell you that this is one American Rooftopper wasn't offended by your quotes. I thought they were funny. Next time I'm really really pissed with someone I'm gonna call them a Big Mac! |
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Post by tipou on Apr 6, 2011 2:47:00 GMT
producers will get paid to show a bottle of coke or budweiser in a movie, but the f.. word is too dangerous? ? what kind of a logic is that? |
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Of course Geoffrey Rush and Helene Bonham- Carter were excellent too. 
I mean, no sex, no violence, no gore, nothing like that. BUT horrror of horrors, they used the F word. And they used it repeatedly in one scene. 
