The King’s Speech

Synopsis: Feature film. The story of how speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) worked with Albert, Duke of York, later George VI (Firth) to modify his stammer and give him confidence in public speaking. The film contains allusions to Othello, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet and Richard III. When Logue firsts meets the Duchess of York (who has introduced herself as Mrs Johnson) he delivers the line "Poor and content is rich and rich enough" (Othello (III.iii.195) offering the comment on the simplicity (i.e., shabbiness) of his office. Logue is an amateur actor and is seen at an audition where he delivers the opening lines from Richard III. Later, to help Albert with his speech impediment, Logue puts headphones on him and plays loud music while asking Albert to read from Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy, making the point that a stammerer stammers less when they cannot hear their own voice. In another scene Logue is playing with his sons, a familiar game in which the boys have to guess what play a speech is from. Logue exits the room and re-enters as a slightly deformed Caliban giving the ‘Be not afeard...' speech (II ii 138-46).
Language: English
Country: Australia; Great Britain
Medium: Film
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Year of release: 2010
Notes: Released on Blu-ray/DVD in the UK. May 2011.
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: monarchy; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); speech therapy