@#$#^$*&&^@$# and tits.

[lotus0kid]

The King's Speech is reeeally super good. Quite possibly the best film I've seen in theaters since Inception. It was almost like a sports movie, at times, in how Bertie is such an underdog and you root for him so hard and it's this physical challenge he has to overcome and you've got Lionel as his coach figure. I must admit during his speeches I was so invested I would catch myself thinking, Oh, come on, sweetheart, you can do it, even shutting my eyes once or twice like I could help him myself through will alone. And then there's lines like the above, which were so funny and just made Bertie that much more lovable. So basically, awesome job, Colin Firth.

I dunno, it's weird, but I really like films about royalty. I find the dynamics of their place in their culture fascinating, especially around and after the Industrial Revolution. Maybe it's because I'm American, so kings and queens and princes and princesses are really confined to fantasy, but these are real people, so there's an element to them that's kind of.. magical? Ancient, definitely, in a living, breathing way nothing in America can touch. I know that's really embracing the romance of it and not the obvious dark side, but still, it's just cool. But thinking of that dark side, I remember the line in The Queen about Elizabeth II watching "this job kill her father" and aww, Bertie *tear*. Never expected to have deep personal feelings for King George VI, but there you go.

The song that came on on the way home didn't help. It's Stupid Memory by Sondre Lerche and it's A) completely lovely and B) about Bertie, more or less. I mean, "And helplessness may be the word they pin to my name"? "In each crowded court there's a spot where I fall in love and short of public demand. There are no words they can't hear"? Yeah.

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Comments

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

WORD. To all of this: the sports-movie-ness, the awesomeness, all of it. I also kept rooting for him---it's so hard not to. But the montages are a bit more understated than in a sports movie.

I dunno, it's weird, but I really like films about royalty. I find the dynamics of their place in their culture fascinating, especially around and after the Industrial Revolution. Maybe it's because I'm American, so kings and queens and princes and princesses are really confined to fantasy, but these are real people, so there's an element to them that's kind of.. magical? Ancient, definitely, in a living, breathing way nothing in America can touch.

Right with you there. I've been fascinated with royalty since childhood. I agree that we Americans are fascinated with them because they're so foreign and connected to some ancient line that we'll never, ever have. They're a giant symbolic pillar of national identity; since our executive leadership changes so constantly, we can't really use it like that. So we're very voyeuristic. For instance, it seems like quite a few Britons are happy about the upcoming royal wedding because they'll get a day off from work/school, but we're fascinated with what the dress will look like, who will attend the wedding, how the procession will look, etc.

But thinking of that dark side, I remember the line in The Queen about Elizabeth II watching "this job kill her father" and aww, Bertie *tear*. Never expected to have deep personal feelings for King George VI, but there you go.

I kept thinking of that line throughout the film too, too, and it made the scenes with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose that much more melancholic. I never expected to care so much about George VI, either. I also never expected to hate Edward VIII so much. He really was an asshole. No wonder the Queen Mum never forgave him for what he did. You know, if that kind of abdication were fictional, it would seem freeing or romantic, but in reality (and a biopic), it seems horribly irresponsible.

[lotus0kid.livejournal.com]

Heh, I'm glad I wasn't the only the one who saw the sports-movie-ness. Of course, the stakes are a little higher here than the championship against the hated rival, but.. well, yeah, that's pretty much the closest we get in America.

Yeah, of course I wouldn't want to change it, but the regular turnover in our government certainly doesn't encourage the kind of relationship a monarch has with his/her citizens (we won't even go into how difficult it is to like or respect or even trust our government these days). Anyway, I totally plan to watch the royal wedding if I can. Reminds me of when I was in England and saw the crown jewels- they had a recording of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation playing, and it honestly gave me chills. *sigh* Voyeuristic, that's exactly the word.

Yeah, as the movie wound down, I really wanted it to keep going and show more of George VI's reign and his friendship with Lionel and relationship with his family... but I knew it couldn't go very long, because Elizabeth II was crowned when she was still a young woman and... Oh, Bertie... In regards to Edward VIII, in the end we ought to be grateful he abdicated, since he felt Hitler was an okay guy and all.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

I thought it was kind of obvious: plucky little guy must overcome a gigantic obstacle, an arrogant jerk, and a "big game" of sorts. ...Like Rocky with speech therapy, only a whole lot better than that sounds.

I wouldn't change it either, but I think the Queen must seem like some sort of long-lasting pillar when they go through a financial crisis. I got up at 5 AM (at age 7!) for Princess Diana's funeral, so I'm definitely watching the wedding. That does sound chilling (and voyeuristic). But dude, you've been to England! *is totally jealous*

Yes, towards the end, I was like, "He really can lead them!" And then reality sank in. When it said "Lionel and Bertie remained friends for the rest of their lives," it was so sad to realize that only meant about another 13 years. I think I need to see the film again, because I think I focused on Bertie and David's (Edward's) relationship so much that I missed the whole Hitler-sympathizing thing. But yeah, it was both an irresponsible and a very good thing. But when David cried when they all said, "Long live the King," I thought, "Oh, God, suck it up, you big baby. Your brother has 10 times the strength you have and he doesn't even know it." He just made me so mad!

[lotus0kid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and just kind of mother to the whole country. Not to say there aren't times when she's very unpopular, but still. I didn't watch Princess Di's funeral, but like I said I definitely hope to catch the wedding, it should be quite a sight. Heh, I really remember watching the coronation better than the jewels. But, anyway, it was cool. I hope I get to go there again someday.

There's a line David says about "Herr Hitler sorting [communist Russia] out" and the line about Wallis Simpson receiving seventeen carnations from I guess the German ambassador every day, but mostly I've heard that from discussion of the film (Colin Firth was on The Daily Show last week) and how differently WWII would have gone if Bertie hadn't been made king. The scene with the king's death was strange, because on the one hand I felt the repression of everyone's true emotions that goes hand-in-hand with monarchy, but, yeah, at the same time when David breaks down I really did feel like, "Suck it up, no one else is crying." I guess there's the fact that he's not crying for his father, he's crying for himself.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

You know what made me really sad? Realizing that Bertie died in the 1950's ('52, according to [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]) and Elizabeth in 2002. Fifty years without him, and they were so sweet together. But yeah, Bertie was adorable, even with his temper, which was nicely humanizing.

[lotus0kid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly, I really couldn't get that line from The Queen out of my head while watching dear Bertie. But, well, you know he'll make the best of it even while his country is at war, and his family knows he loves them, etc.

[ellensparkleyes.livejournal.com]

i usually don't want to watch anything about monarchy/aristocrats etc. but my friend wanted to see this movie, and i can admit to liking it very much, also. i did feel uncomfortable for the character, especially since i'm pretty introverted irl and tend to say inane and awkward things in strange company.

[lotus0kid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't actually own any of the movies I can think of that really explore the theme, but I really enjoy them when I watch them. I definitely felt for Bertie because while I don't have a stutter nearly as bad, words definitely do kind of trip over themselves for me sometimes and I have to stop and get my mouth around them. I'm much better in print.

[fadeintodawn.livejournal.com]

That was such a great movie! I loved it.

The audience around me was definitely full of old people, who did not find the cursing as funny as I did. Oh well, their loss. Hee.

[lotus0kid.livejournal.com]

I need to see it again sometime. Definitely worth two theater viewings.

Hee, it's just the way he's shouting out a stream of profanity and ends on a quiet, perfunctory "and tits." Just killed me.