Having delayed a cinema trip 24 hours so that we could go as a group from the house, off we toddled to the Odeon to see "The King's Speech". Excellent it was too (apart from having crowds outside the Palace in 1939 (it was 1945 actually) and Winston Churchill agin Edward and Mrs Simpson (tripe - he warbled on about forming a King's Party at the time and was very wonky and odd about Indian Independence in the 1930's - still, he was right about Adolf. And Stanley Baldwin didn't resign apologising for getting it wrong about Hitler - how they got that wrong given that Abp Lang was superbly played by Derek Jacobi who played Baldwin opposite Albert Finney in "Churchill - The Wilderness Years") - couldn't they have asked him?). It was difficult to decide whose performance was best: Colin Firth deserves an Oscar for being as good a King as a Queen (Mamma Mia, A Single Man), Helena Bonham Carter got the late Queen Mum's wave absolutely perfect - although this now means she is Helen Mirren's mother cinematically!!! And Geoffrey Rush was superb as usual. If that damn Yankee Academy doesn't give it several Oscars, then they are inward looking, overpaid botox junkies! Go see - it nearly made me a Royalist!
I agree wholeheartedly, frdougal. The performances were excellent, and the story was well told. I don't think we yanks have produced anything as entertaining this year. We'll see what the Academy does. I laughed at the mention of Helena Bodham Carter being Helen Mirren's cinematic mother!
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