The King's Speech- Hurrah!

Setting out with slight apprehension to watch the Awards magnet The King's Speech, I left with unanticipated pride for being British!

It would be easy to simply call this Tom Hooper feature great but I will anyway. It is a great piece of British film. With a self-confessed small budget and a lack of any obvious action, romance or sex, Hooper delivers an incredibly enjoyable movie.

Without wanting to jump on the Colin Firth band-wagon I reluctantly admit that his performance is brilliant and he well deserves the BAFTA he was awarded and the Oscar he is surely going to receive. Geoffrey Rush too produces a well-rounded character which again is deserved of his award. The relationship between the two is subtle and their bond visibly grows as the film progresses and as the King reluctantly lets Logue into his mind. A handful of genuinely very funny moments transcend the dialogue heavy, intense rapport that they have. I was however slightly underwhelmed by Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of King George's wife. Perhaps it is purely due to the fact that the story is so reliant on the two lead males that there simply isn't room for her to shine as well or maybe it is this background, second-tier performance that is the skill, although I still believe that Amy Adams should've scooped the BAFTA last weekend.

The intensity of the film never ceases and it is only in the closing sequences of the film when Firth is congratulated by his children that you see his teeth during a smile. While perhaps seeming trivial, this flash of white is in stark contrast to an otherwise cold film visually! It is surprising that a simple story of friendship and of overcoming fears and obstacles to do something great has received so much attention but that is credit to Tom Hooper for translating the brilliant script into a fine big-screen feature.

Despite the fore-mentioned low budget, around £10 million, DoP Danny Cohen creates many notable scenes. A stand-out for me was the shot of Firth and Rush in Westminster Abbey. Filmed from the side it not only shows off the grandeur of the building but gives a true sense to the King's vulnerability. The simple use of the camera bring an authenticity to the film which could have potentially been lost had it "gone Hollywood" and big budget. The close-ups of Firth made me uncomfortable and claustrophobic, really helping to "connect with the character", the ideal for any director. The elegant and charming score benefit from the brilliantly quiet camerawork to provide an appropriately regal platform for the cast to deliver outstanding work.

A brief but thoroughly entertaining cameo from Timothy Spall as the iconic Winston Churchill was just one of the highlights for me. As was the equally brief but equally delightful Ramona Marquez playing one of the children, confirming herself as a starlet of child acting.

It is though, perhaps predictably, Colin Firth that must get the final mention. The innocence and deep vulnerability he creates throughout gives a real depth to King George, making him instantly likeable, and which, for me, produces the best scene in the film, in which he is provoked by Logue into standing up for himself in the Abbey. It had real sincerity and I found it genuinely moving. He is mesmerising as the stammering King and it is pleasant to see there can be such success for a British dominated story, cast and crew. Well done Co..Co..Colin Firth!!!