The King's Speech
Crit
As it turns out, this is probably my last movie house movie of 2010, since nothing seems to be opening Friday either downtown or in the 'burbs. Alas.Probably there are Masterpiece Theatre junkies out there who can do lots more of this than I can, but I got a BBC kick out of seeing the stammering royal's Archbishop of Canterbury played by the best stammering royal ever, and the one scene shared by the best Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet was also a sweet touch. On a weirder note, strange to hear what I've always thought one of the most inspirationally martial pieces of music ever written by a German during the climactic and titular address--you know, the one where George VI is rallying his subjects to rise up again to repel the marauding Hun.
So coincidences and random chitchat aside, how's the film? Topping good entertainment, and Firth is sure to join the ranks of Damaged Guy Oscar® nominees--ranks that include his costar, coincidentally.
Trailers
- Source Code--Actually saw this trailer the other day but forgot; looks like Inception lite.
- Blue Valentine--Oh yeah: my kinda sad bastard movie.
4 comments:
Nothing surprising about this, but I found it funny & moving. Firth was great, and it has corgis: no wonder I attended a sold-out showing!
Oh, right! I meant to mention that to my corgi-loving colleague! Thanks for the reminder!
OK, I mean, this is terrifically good storytelling. Totally missed the Darcy/Elizabeth thing, but that says something about Jennifer Ehle's performance, I think. I'm with Jennie. Plus, whole theatre broke into spontaneous applause at the end. And what about Helena?
Oh, Helena is Helena, always. I recently wondered why I've never designated her a Future Wife, but let's be realistic: the guy who follows Tim Burton is bound to be a comparative bore, no?
But you're right: she hits all the right notes: Elizabeth knows who she'd like to be and who she must be, and she knows that any difference-splitting must err on the side of royal dignity. Was amusing for me imagining her as the withered but plucky Queen Mum who died a couple of years back--and also to think of those delightful little girls as QE2 and Maggie.
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