15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
====The historical background====
[[File: Kings Speech Two.jpg|200px|thumb|left|King George VI c. 1940]]
The King's Speech takes 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 crisis.
After the death of George V, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Edward VII in 1936. Edward VII 's reign was both brief and controversial. Edward wanted to marry a divorced American Wallis Simpson. Marrying a divorced 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 Anglican Bishops and others denounced the idea of the monarch marrying a divorced woman.
When Edward VII decided to marry Wallis Simpson, he was forced to abdicate his crown soon after his Coronation. This meant that his younger brother George or Bertie as he was known became king. <ref>Thorpe, p 118</ref> The depiction of these events in the movie has been fictionalized but is reasonably accurate.
However, there were some inaccuracies in the movie that troubled viewers. One of the scenes that caused most controversy was when Sir Winston Churchill, the future leader of war-time Britain, supported the accession of George V. This scene misrepresented Churchill's view of Edward's abdication entirely. Churchill supported Edward VII (1894-1972) and believed that he should remain as king despite his marriage to Wallis Simpson. He was 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. He was not alone in the belief, and many others shared that view in the highest circles of the British government. Over time, he did come to accept the younger brother of Edward VII and 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>.
====The King and his Stutter====
