I thought that the main theme (speech therapy etc) was very well done, but it was somewhat tarnished by the cavalier attitude to historical peripherals, most of which have been identified elsewhere - especially the fact that WSC was a strong supporter of Edward VIII and not (as shown in the film) one of those who pressed for his departure. And I certainly agree with Rafe's stricture over Spall's impersonation of him.
There was one scene, however, which I have not seen criticised and which almost made my hair stand on end. Stanley Baldwin came to see George VI and was made to say: "I have come to tender my resignation; Mr Neville Chamberlain will succeed me". How could such a crass pronouncement have been sanctioned by the script-writer, the director and the actor (Anthony Andrews)? Did they not know that no resigning prime minister would dream of saying such a thing? He would have waited for the Sovereign to ask for formal advice on whom to appoint in his place - a request which doesn't have to be made, but probably was on this occasion (the King knowing full well whom he would be advised to select). Nul points. Paul Courtenay. ----- Original Message ----- From: Rafal H. Mankoo To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 1:54 AM Subject: RE: [ChurchillChat] Re: The King's Speech I saw the King's Speech tonight and I thought it rather mediocre. I do not think it deserves the rave reviews, the media plaudits and the numerous award nominations in has received thus far. But the cinema audience clearly enjoyed it very much. Maybe my interest in the subject makes me less objective and more critical. As Helena Bonham-Carter is a member of one of Britain's distinguished "Establishement" families, I was genuinely surprised that her accent was so poor -- it came across as forced and unconvincing. In fact most of the accents were not quite on the mark. Timothy Spall's Churchill was by far the worst I have seen for quite some time -- very Am Dram. It turned the Great Man into a laughable caricature.. Nevertheless, I am delighted that the film has been so well-received as it is a great Monarchist PR tool -- for which I am all in favour. I suspect the film's success is partly due to the issue of both the general decline in the quality of mainstream films and popular culture generally, and, in this era of vacuous celebrity culture, the great yearning for true role models. Consequently in would not take much to strike these two chords and attract public interest. The MVO is the lowest grade in the Royal Victorian Order and it would not be unusual for the Sovereign to confer the honour upon someone fulfilling the role performed by Logue. That he was raised to a CVO is also not unusual given the assistance he provided in the years following his appointment as MVO. The fact that he did not rise above CVO (KCVO -- conferring a knighthood) suggests that HM and Logue were not quite as "close" friends as suggested in the film. RHM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:42:59 -0400 Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: The King's Speech From: [email protected] To: [email protected] I saw the film today and really enjoyed it. I came across this item this evening regarding WSC ordering the BBC to edit the King's speeches, and wondered if anyone might comment. Now, this type of story does have a certain familiar ring to it. 8-) The role of a teenage BBC employee in making sure King George VI's wartime speeches did not contain his stammers has been revealed for the first time. The story adds to the intrigue surrounding the Oscar-nominated film The King's Speech, which features Colin Firth’s portrayal of the monarch struggling to overcome his impediment. BBC engineer David Martin was only 19 and just a year into his job when wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered his bosses to remove any stuttering from the king's speeches. [...] His daughter Jane Dickinson, 56, read out an extract from that letter which read: 'We didn't have tape in those days and all recordings were made on metal discs which made the whole exercise rather tricky. [...] Referring to Churchill's order to the BBC to remove the stammer, Mrs Dickinson said: 'He (her father David) clearly thought it was the right decision because it took a long time editing so it was fit for broadcast to the empire later. [...] Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351257/The-Kings-Speech-BBC-engineer-ordered-Churchill-remove-King-George-VIs-stutters.html#ixzz1DnTzDVny Doing edits like that using metal discs? Sounds rather difficult. While the film's closing mentions that the King bestowed honours upon Lionel Logue in 1944 (CVO), the King also made him an MVO in 1937 ... for no reason, I suppose. Mike Campbell Halifax, Nova Scotia -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. 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