The Kings Speech

The Kings Speech The movie opens with a speech being made, and imagine being in front of thousands of people. Now imagine being so scared your sweating bullets. This is how Albert the Duke of York felt every time he had to speak to the public knowing everyone was listening to his every word, he must have been frozen in fear to open his mouth and speak and what made it worse was the fear of being mocked by those who were supposed to love and adore you.

The film is about Albert the Duke of York who has a speech problem that has made him frightened to speak in public, it was learned early on in the movie that the Duke of York has had this problem since he was four or five years old. The Duke believed that he would never be King because of this, and is probably why he was so shy around others. Albert was glad that he was never gonna be King but also feared that his older brother (who was supposed to be next in line for the throne) was going to mess up like his father King George predicted.

I believe that maybe he had been hearing that all his life from others around him as he was growing up and it just stayed with him throughout his life. It was his self perception of himself in many ways. Not only did I watch “The Kings Speech” but I also watched the documentary called “ The man behind the kings speech” and it provided more information about how others saw the King. It showed that although the public loved Albert and had respect for him he wasn’t the one who was next inline so there was a little resentment from the public which is what made it even harder when Albert took the crown as King.

Albert was frightened when he had to take over for his brother, he knew that he was going to have to do the speeches and this is why Lionel Logue was brought into his life. The King had already seen many specialist about his stutter or stammer, and it didn’t work. So when his wife heard about Logue she immediately went to see him. You could tell that from the beginning that Albert was nothing like his brother, he was more private and a family man and this is what the public saw him as a well respected family man, who care about what people thought of him because of his problem.

His wife was the opposite she cared but she knew her husband and wanted to help him get over his fear and his stuttering problem. She was a very strong women in the movie, and you can tell that she wanted the public to see him as she saw him warm, loving ,kind (as said in the documentary). The King hid himself to the public for fear of being mocked. Many of England didn’t know about his stutter. And the fact that he feared speaking over the radio.

One scene in the movie where his kids wanted him to read them a story before bed comes to mind because The King didn’t want even his children to notice his stammer and probably feared they would laugh or ask questions. But I remember he told them that he would read a really quick one about a penguin, I think its because in the story he knew it well and knew that he wouldn’t stutter as much that’s called ones hidden self and its unfortunate but it was the 1930’s and wasn’t much research about this type of issue.

In the end Albert became a well-known King, one who was able to lead England. He was compassionate when it came to war and when people lost their homes due to the bombings. The King and his wife was right there at the sight and talking to people, he also saw the troops. He was well respected as a King even though people said that he wouldn’t make a good King because of his stutter. He proved not only too himself but to the doubters that he could do it.

He overcome his fear (maybe not completely)but he worked hard and was determined. This helped him deliver his last great speech with his wife and Lionel Logue by his side. 2nd part. Lionel Logues promise to cure The King of his stutter he actually says in the movie “I can cure your husband, but I need total trust. ” What is being viewed as Logues promise of a cure within the context of the 1930’s practices. Or maybe Logue had self assurance in his practices which would help instill hope and confidence in his patients.

Another example is that Logue practiced confidentiality when it came to his patient. You can see in the movie at no point did he reveal who his client was not even to his wife. His family didn’t find out until the King shows up in their parlor. Imagine how hard it must have been for him to keep that secret to himself not even telling his significant other. Lionel set about counseling the King and building patient/clinician relationship from the time The King stepped foot in his door, this was very important part of the story.

Lionel needed to go through the process of earning The Kings respect and trust in order for the king to even work with him. When Lionel had Bertie read while listening to opera with headphones on was a good example of how Lionel was going to win Bertie’s trust. Along with therapy techniques which helped get to the problem of why his stutter began, their relationship and Lionel’s non-judgmental support were the things that helped him to overcome his fears and develop the confidence that The King needed to take his place as King and address the public on the radio.