When Tom Hooper, won for best director at the Academy Awards last night, he mentioned his mother inspiring him to do a film based on a staged readin
g of the play The King’s Speech. Inspiration can come from anywhere- a poem, a song, a memory, a news item, an anecdote. The screenwriter had struggled with his own impediment, understood the agony of the king and wrote a hell of a story.
There’s a lot of controversy over The King’s Speech winning Best Picture. Some describe it as overblown, mediocre, slow, and yet there was enough there that resonated with the public and with the Academy. No car crashes, explosions, bloody carnage or exploitative sex scenes. And yet on examination, it seems reasonable that it won. Here was a story of a reluctant king, one who had a speech impediment at a time when radio was being born. He had a brother who defied his family, gave up his right to the throne and married the scandalous divorcee who had Nazi connections. And there was role reversal which is also interesting: a commoner, the speech therapist, who took charge of the king behind closed doors. The king overcame adversity to win the hearts of the nation. What was missing from the film was this king’s loyalty to his people. During the bombing raids on London he stayed with them rather than seek safety in the country. To quote a cliche, there’s more here than meets the eye.
