The Kings Speech

The Kings Speech

THEME
1. FRIENDSHIP- Bertie and Lionel
  1. When Bertie needs reassuring during his last speech of the movie he looks towards Lionel for encouragement to carry on.
    1. (This was not said during the speech) "You have such perseverance, Bertie; you're the bravest man I know. You'll make a bloody good King."
  2. On screen subtitles: "They remained friends for the rest of their lives
  3. "Thank you, my friend." (Bertie) (Shakes Lionels hand and places the other hand on his shoulder as a familiar gesture.) You're welcome, Your Majesty." (Lionel) (The close ups on their faces show the expressions of gratitude, appreciation and familiarity)
    1. Bertie had never had a friend before Lionel and this Speech scene was the first time he had ever acknowledged Lionel to be his friend. (RESPECT) He is also acknowledging the fact that Bertie would never have been able to give this speech without Lionel's help and support.
      1. "What are friends for?" (Lionel) "I wouldn't know" (Bertie)
    2. This scene is also the first time that Lionel ever address' Bertie with the due respect a King (or Prince as he was before) is due. He is finally showing respect for Bertie's status of Royalty.
    3. The scene when Bertie visits Lionel after his fathers death shows the real development on their friendship. They are now both on an equal footing when shown by the camera angles. The low lighting makes it comfortable for Bertie in Lionel's room as well as the model aeroplanes and the chairs being closer to each other. The music in the background emphasises the melancholic feeling of Bertie expressing what happened to him as a child, not being fed and unfavoured by the nanny. Bertie is finally trusting Lionel enough to talk about his private life and he has come by himself to see Lionel because he feels comfortable with him.
SETTING
CHARACTER
1. LIONEL
  1. Egalitarian- As an egalitarian Lionel believes that everyone should be treated equally and does so himself. This means that he prefers to call [King George VI] Bertie instead of his formal name Prince Albert. He is very true to this value all throughout the movie and only shows the sign of respect for Bertie's position ("Your Majesty" ) when he feels that Bertie deserves it
    1. "Sorry Mrs Johnson. My game, my turf, my rules."
    2. "In here it is best if we are equals."
2. BERTIE
  1. Always has been looked down upon for his stammer.
    1. There are a lot of high angle camera shots looking down on Bertie which shows not only that people look down on him because of his stammer but also reflects his lack of self-confidence in his own abilities.
3. ELIZABETH
  1. "I don't have a 'hubby'. We don't 'pop', and nor do we ever speak about our private lives."
  2. She is a constant rock for Bertie and always believes in him.
    1. "I'm sure you''l be splendid." "I knew you'd be good."
SYMBOLISM
1. MICROPHONE- stands for Bertie's fear of public speaking and his stammer.
  1. The microphone is in every shot of the Bertie's speeches.
    1. At the beginning of the movie he is scared of the microphone due to his stammer so the microphone is always in the shots because it is dominant over him and controlling his fear.
    2. By the end of the movie Bertie has gained more confidence so as he progresses through his last speech of the movie the camera is less focused on the microphone (even bringing in out of the shot) and more focused on Bertie.

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	Created by Sarah-Elizabeth over 11 years ago