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==The King’s Speech (2010)==
The King’s Speech was one of the most acclaimed and indeed popular motion pictures of 2010. It is a historical drama and it portrays the relationship between King George VI of Britain (1895-1952) and an Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (1880-1953). It shows how Logue helped the king to overcome a stammer and how this enabled him to lead his country during World War II. The movie was made for 8 million dollars and it earned over 400 million dollars around the globe and was a world-wide smash hit. The movie was directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Critics have widely praised the editing, cinematography, directing and acting and the movie was able to express the inner life of the main characters by the clever use of lighting and other cinematic techniques. The King’s Speech was produced by a British company and it was shot mainly in London. It had a cast of mostly British and Australian actors. King George VI is played by Colm Firth and Lionel Logue the speech therapist is portrayed by Geoffrey Rush. Among the supporting cast was Helen Bonham-Carter who played Queen Elizabeth, the wife of the king. It was nominated for 12 academy awards and it won four awards, including one for Best Picture. Seidler just before filming began, found the journal of Logue from the period and elements from this were incorporated into the movie. However, despite this the historical accuracy of the movie has been questioned and even widely criticized.
[[File: Kings Speech One.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Firth as George VI and Bonham-Carter as his wife Queen Elizabeth]]
==The historical background==
The events take place mainly in the 1930s at a critical juncture for Britain and its Empire. The nation and its various dependencies had still not recovered from the ravages of World War or the Great Depression. Internationally, Hitler was in power in Germany and many feared, correctly, that there would be another World War <ref> Thorpe, A. Britain in the 1930s (London, Blackwell 1992), p 115</ref>. The rather bleak mood of the time is captured very well by the director. At this critical point in its history the British Royal Family faced its own crisis. After the death of George V, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Edward VII in 1936, but he wanted to marry a divorced American Wallis Simpson. This was unacceptable to many in Britain at this time as the King was also head of, the Church of England. Divorce at the time was socially unacceptable and the idea of the monarch marrying a divorced woman was denounced by the Anglican Bishops and others. When Edward VII did decide to marry Wallis Simpson, he was forced to abdicate, soon after his Coronation. This meant that his younger brother George or Bertie as he was known became king <ref>Thorpe, p 118</ref>. This was all shown in the motion picture and is shown accurately. However, there are some inaccuracies in the movie. One of the most glaring and one that caused controversy were the scenes where Sir Winston Churchill, the future leader of war-time Britain, supporting the accession of George V, but this was not the case. In fact, Churchill, believed that Edward VII (1894-1972) should remain as king despite his marriage to Wallis Simpson. He was actually very friendly with the abdicated king and remained a supporter <ref> Rhodes James, Robert A spirit undaunted: the political role of George VI (London: Little, Brown & Co, 1998), p 118</ref>. Unlike in the movie, Churchill did have grave doubts about the ability of George VI to carry out his Royal duties and this was shared by many others in the highest circles. Over time, he did come to accept George and even came to respect him as an able monarch and leader <ref> Logue, Mark; Conradi, Peter, The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy (New York: Sterling, 2010), p 13</ref>.
