One of the downsides of being a parent of two young boys is the loss of going to the cinema on a regular basis, this once regular occurance has gone down to once or twice a year so it was with regret I missed the Kings Speech at the cinema despite wantiong to see it.

The Kings speech sounds like the dullist possible film depicting the story of George VI battle against a childhood stammer. Indeed the importance of George and his stammer are only relevant in context of the abdication crisis in 1936 and leading the country against Hitlers Germany during the second world war.

Here we are told the story of Bertie Duke of York (Colin Firth) as he was in 1925 having to give a speech at Wembley stadium and failing badly. His wife the future Queen Mum (Helena Bonhelm Carter) seeks out a speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) who has been recommended as a man who can help people with stutters. Fasty forward to 1939 and now King George VI must address the nation ahead of declaring war against Germany, millions are listening worldwide to his radio broadcast, how can this man who can barely talk to his two daughters address the world? Through the help of Lionel and the film tells the story of getting from stammering fool in 1926 to inspirational talker in 1939.

The Kings speech written and directed by Tom Hopper beautifully shot in muted colours, tight constrained photography depicts a man who has to overcome his most secret of fears to become the man the nation needed. From the first scene of a wet and windy Wembley stadium, all dark moody full of British spectators wearing hats and overcoats trying to listen to a man who cna barely talk. Through the wide screen appoach depicting Colin Firths Bertie fighting his inner demons in Lionels treatment room we are given a treat in lavish costume drama. Everything here is just right, the slightly subdued lighting, the music score is used to give the impression of a tight confinded world no extravagant notes but a tight staccato mix of the classic and the music of the Thirties.

However, the film lives and dies on the brilliance of the performances Colin Firth has always been a superb actor and here he gives his performance of a lifetime. The stammering dithering Bertie is given new life by Firths performance, here is a man with everything yet the viewer warms and symapthises with a man with an unpleasant father, a charistmatic but diffident brother and a love for his two daughters. However, in my view the films outstanding performance is by Geoffrey Rush, once again he shows in his portrayal of the Australian linguist that his is one of the finest actors of his generation. With his trade mark gravelly voice and engaging persona he brings alive a complex and intriguing character. With Lionel we see the 30's through the eyes of the educated skilled man, a loving father, a bit of a dreamer but brilliant at seeing the problems and solving them. The other light but engaging performance is by Helena Bonhelm Carter as the future Queen Mum, here we see her in her 30's full of life and Helena once again shows her acting skills are amongst the best (and she's still lovely to the eye). There are other fine performances, Guy Pierce as Edward VIII (neighbours must seem long ago), Michael Gambon as George V and Timothy Spall as Churchill and they all add rather than substract from the film.

The final scene of Edward talking to the microphone is one of the best I've ever witnessed, analogous to an executioners noose Firth shows a man who shows his humanity when he needs to and manages to convey the love for his people, all with the right degree of stiff upper lip and strong right arm. The film leaves the viewer with a love for this awkward diffident thrown in at the deep end and given no options, how many of us would cope if asked to do the one thing we are most scared off?

A Brilliant film and one I'm glad I've finally seen, the DVD version comes with a documentary on the real Kings speech, the additional Film 4 film on the madness of King George and interviews with the main actors/director etc.