History Film / TheKingsSpeech

** Edward VIII was widely (and not without some basis) believed to be a Nazi sympathizer. It was actually quite a popular position at the time.

** The film also gets Churchill's position on the abdication crisis exactly backward; historically, Churchill was one of the few who was supportive of Edward, as Churchill's own mother was an American socialite.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted; the real Lionel Logue was [[http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01791/lionel-logue_1791827b.jpg actually quite handsome]].
** The Queen Mother in real life [[https://www.mediastorehouse.com/pa-images/archive/royalty-coronation-king-george-vi-london/royalty-coronation-king-george-vi-london-11078700.html looked nothing]] like Helena Bonham Carter in her youth.
** Colin Firth on that note, looks nothing like [[https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/483644447474809367/?lp=true Bertie]].
** Firth, Pearce and Gambon are all significantly taller than the men they portray.

* AsYouKnow: George V reminds Bertie that Edward will be king, but the trope is more justified than usual because Michael Gambon delivers the line with sardonic disgust.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Lionel Logue. [[spoiler:Hell, it turns out he's not even accredited or trained -- he just happened to be excellent at treating people with speech disorders when people kept asking him to treat [[ShellShockedVeteran Shell-Shocked Veterans]] from [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the Great War]]. As he points out, there weren't any schools then, just thousands of wounded veterans who needed his help. No wonder his treatment was so effective.]] [[note]]This is mainly In-Universe. To his contemporaries, Logue's methods would have seemed bizarre or foolish, but to a modern audience they seem fairly straightforward. At the time, it seems, no-one except Logue would admit that psychology was involved in a speech disorder and by modern standards, the only other speech therapist that we see looks like a total quack.[[/note]]

** Creator/DerekJacobi's (Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury) presence has got to be a ShoutOut to ''Series/IClaudius'', which is about another stuttering monarch who succeeded to the throne unexpectedly, and it might also allude to him being Brother Series/{{Cadfael}}.

-->'''Albert:''' I'm just a naval officer! It's all I know how to be...

* DeadpanSnarker: Good ol' Lionel.
-->'''Lionel:''' ''[as George "Bertie" is lighting up a cigarette]'' Please don't do that.\\

-->'''Lionel Logue:''' Surely a prince's brain knows what its mouth is doing?\\

** Also, the idea of Parliament making a big enough deal objecting to King Edward's wanting to marry his twice-divorced girlfriend to resign en masse over it seems an overreaction to a modern audience, but the fact that she was believed to be a German spy kind of justifies their threat. Not to mention, the King of England is also the formal head of the Church of England, a church that at the time did not recognize this kind of divorce as legitimate, and so his intention to marry a twice-divorced woman was in direct contradiction to the church's doctrine. It seems silly from a modern perspective to make such a fuss over a divorce, but the king is not merely a head of state. For a modern comparison, consider what would happen if a newly elected pope came out of the closet.
*** Also, part of the problem was that the Church of England only approved of remarriage after divorce if the other person had died in the meantime, making it the same as if a widow/er was remarrying. Wallis was still married/going through the divorce process with her very much alive second husband, thereby not fulfilling the ‘widow’ part of it.

* FriendlyAddressPrivileges: Zigzagged.

* GrayRainOfDepression: Lionel comes to apologize to Albert after an argument and is told that the Duke is "too busy" to see him. He is shown the door and exits into the pouring rain.
** Somewhat downplayed example: the aforementioned argument takes place in a light drizzle and a hazy fog with some sunlight.

* HardWorkMontage: The speech therapy exercises.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Deliberately {{invoked}} with Edward's casual comment about the troubles in Europe, "Hitler will sort it out."[[note]]Bertie's response is a prescient "Yes, and who'll sort out Herr Hitler?"[[/note]] While it could be considered merely naive, to modern audiences, that statement feels positively horrific and despicable to see the King of England ''want'' Nazi Germany to begin its rampage of mass death and destruction. Sadly enough, this is actually a ''favorable'' portrayal - in real life, Edward was a vocal supporter of Nazi Germany, guesting with Hitler multiple times, to the point that he had to be KickedUpstairs to Governor of the Bahamas because the British government was ''that worried'' their once-king would try and sabotage the war effort.
** Logue's comment to Bertie about how smoking will kill you. It did.
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* HeadInTheSandManagement: The former TropeNamer, albeit only glimpsed. Stanley Baldwin and the Duke of Windsor also count.

* HitlerAteSugar: Averted. George VI is impressed by Hitler's public speaking ability.
-->'''Princess Elizabeth''': What's he saying?
-->'''King George VI''': I don't know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.

* InsultBackfire / IllTakeThatAsACompliment: "Peculiar" is meant as an insult, but Logue seems to be genuinely proud of his nontraditional approach.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: King Edward is a borderline example, as he truly does love Wallis, and his speech for his abdication is touching. Abdicating to his brother was probably the best thing he ever did.
** King George V as well: Bertie's speech problems are at least partly result of his abusive, controlling behavior, but he is genuinely concerned for the future of his nation and recognizes Bertie's character and bravery on his deathbed (though he never tells him so.)

-->'''Logue:''' Do you know the F-word?
-->'''Bertie:''' F... f... fornication?
-->'''Logue:''' Oh, ''Bertie.''

-->'''Lionel:''' What are friends for?
-->'''Bertie:''' I wouldn't know.

* OddFriendship: Pretty much the whole point of the movie.

* PorkyPigPronunciation: King George VI, [[BasedOnATrueStory true to his real life counterpart]].

* PrecisionFStrike: Like ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'', there's only one scene with the f word, but it's said constantly.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: George VI complains that he has no power as a King, except as being an inspiration for the people such as in giving public addresses, which he has no confidence doing so with his stammer. However, with Lionel Logue's help, he does that role marvelously. This is in contrast with his brother, David, who seems more interested in carrying on with his mistress than being a competent king.
** Furthermore, Bertie earned the rank of Commander in the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Navy]], and even saw combat during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. The uniform he wears during the final speech is just that, the uniform he wore in the last war.

* ShownTheirWork: Albert's line about purposely stammering a couple times in the climactic speech "so they'd know it was me" was taken directly out of his diaries.

* [[SpartanSibling Spartan Family Member]]: When Bertie was younger, his father encouraged his brother to make fun of his stammer because he was convinced this would make it go away.

* StiffUpperLip: This is expected of royalty in particular, so much so that when Edward breaks down at the death of his father, rather than comfort him everyone looks shocked and a little embarrassed, with Albert saying, "What on earth was that?" Absolutely truth in television, too - at that time, among the royal family, his breakdown was completely unseemly. Note that when Bertie has ''his'' later on, the only person there to witness it is his wife. Also when Queen Mary is listening to King George VI, there is a glimpse of a smile, and then returns to a stiff upper lip.
** Upon accession to the throne Bertie did have a breakdown in real life, it was in front of the Queen Dowager (Queen Mary, his mother), not his wife.
** This scene also adds to Edward's Jerkass level since, if you pay careful attention to what he mentions at the end of his blubbing, he's only really concerned how this will affect his relationship with Wallis Simpson. He didn't break down over his dead father, or hardly at all, it seems.
* StupidStatementDanceMix: Swede Mason has created the ClusterFBomb StupidStatementDanceMix. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq7Vj3GMd1M Watch it here]]. Warning: two minutes of nonstop swearing.

* TakeThatMe: Thankfully, Bertie isn't too depressed about his problems to not make fun of them.
--> '''Lionel''': Do you know any jokes?
--> '''Bertie''': T-..timing is n-not...my strong suit.

** By some accounts, it was Bertie's younger brother [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George,_Duke_of_Kent George (the fourth son, Duke of Kent)]] who developed anorexia, apparently on his own. The nanny who blew the whistle on, then took over from the cruel one, was very warm and motherly to all the kids, and is also remembered for (off-duty) swearing like a sailor.
*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bill Lalla Bill]]. You can see her in ''Series/TheLostPrince ''. She became Johnnie's full-time companion when he was "hidden from view". She was with him when he died.

** Queen Elizabeth lets Mrs. Logue know how to pronounce "Ma'am" when addressing her.

* TrainingMontage: Numerous reviews have compared the film to a sports movie like ''Film/{{Rocky}}'', except the sport is public speaking. Oddly enough, there's only two such montages in here. Director Tom Hooper had to be pushed to insert them by Geoffrey Rush, as he doesn't like the montage as a film device in the least.
** The first such sequence may be an ''Anti''-training montage; Albert goes through a ton of humiliating exercises, juxtaposed with his latest speech in which he ''still'' sounds horrid. Of course, [[BatmanGambit that's exactly what Lionel wants]], since his point is that mechanics alone won't fix Albert.
* TricksterMentor: Logue.

* WellDoneSonGuy: George V was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} to his kids when they were young, leaving them feeling a bit alienated from him. Unlike most instances of this, by the time the story takes place, George V actually ''does'' approve of the adult Albert/George VI (though still frustrated by his speech problems), certainly compared to his older brother, but past experiences mean that Albert doesn't think he's sincere. In real life he expressed preference for Albert ''and his daughter Elizabeth'' (who was 9 years old at the time) over Edward for the throne toward the end of his life. His exact words were, "I pray to God that my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."
** George V's last words were acknowledgments of Bertie as superior to his brother, which he never actually told Bertie.

* TheWisePrince: George VI.

* {{Adorkable}}:
** Albert, Albert, Albert.
** Logue performing hilariously hammy Shakespeare for his children. His sons can't help but be simultaneously amused and embarrassed.
* AffectionateNickname: "Bertie" for Albert.
* AllGirlsLikePonies: Bertie's daughters. TruthInTelevision, as the future Queen Elizabeth II is an enthusiastic equestrienne.
* AlwaysSecondBest: Bertie to his father and brother.

-->'''Lionel:''' Am I considered the enemy?
-->'''Elizabeth:''' You will be, if you remain unobliging.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "SHIT! AND FUCK! AND tits..."

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Averted. Though George VI rehearses his coronation, it happens off-screen, leaving his speech as the film's climax. He later watches the edited newsreel version with his wife, girls and the Archbishop, and even then, we only catch a glimpse of it.
** Although it's [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome not shown]], Lionel Logue was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, an order of chivalry for direct services to the monarch.

* BlingOfWar: George's uniform at his accession council.

* BrickJoke: The shilling.

-->'''[[spoiler: George VI]]'''[[spoiler: (sobbing after learning he's to be king) I'm just a naval officer! It's all I know how to be...]]
** Earlier when Logue and Elizabeth meet for the first time:

'''Elizabeth (Incognito):''' ''He can't''.\\

** [[spoiler: At his Accession Council, Bertie is struggling with his speech to the Privy Councillor, and he looks above their heads to a large portrait of Queen Victoria. Then around at all the other monarchs' portraits looking down at him, finishing with his own father.]]
* ChekhovsArmoury: Albert breaks out nearly every trick Lionel teaches him during the last rehearsal scene (Swearing, singing, etc).

* CigaretteOfAnxiety: Bertie tries to have a cigarette after a particularly bad session with a speech therapist. His hands are shaking too much, though, and his wife lights it for him.
** He lights up again (despite Lionel trying to discourage him from the habit) after his argument with Lionel in the park.

* ClusterFBomb: A single scene featured this, thus earning a film that would otherwise be rated PG (and did in Canada, albeit with the advisory, "Language may offend") an R rating in the USA - all due to the MPAA's rules concerning the usage of profanity.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: Invoked in the ClusterFBomb scene.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Logue acting as 'conductor' for the final speech.
* [[DontCallMeSir Don't Call Me Doctor]]: Lionel Logue is insistent with future King George VI to call him "Lionel" and not "Doctor" [[spoiler:and it turns out to be justified: Lionel is not a doctor, by any means, and if you check carefully, he has never once claimed that he was. He became a therapist by dint of helping PTSD-inflicted veterans of World War I in Australia. Albert is furious at first, but grows to accept it]].

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: The story Bertie tells his daughters near the beginning. Presumably it's a joke on the black-and-white suits of the day.
** The story is actually based on one that Colin Firth would tell his children.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: At Lionel's audition for ''Theatre/RichardIII'' (paraphrased): "That does not sound like a deformed creature yearning to be king. [...] We're looking for someone younger... and more regal."
** The words he speaks are also meaningful, mentioning the "son of York". Bertie is, after all, the Duke of York.

* WellDoneSonGuy: George V was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} to his kids when they were young, leaving them feeling a bit alienated from him. Unlike most instances of this, by the time the story takes place, George V actually ''does'' approve of the adult Albert/George VI (though still frustrated by his speech problems), certainly compared to his older brother, but past experiences mean that Albert doesn't think he's sincere. In real life he expressed preference for Albert ''and his daughter Elizabeth'' (who was 9 years old at the time) over Edward for the throne toward the end of his life.

* ThisIsMyChair: Lionel riles George up by having the audacity to sit in St. Andrew's Chair, which is meant only for monarchs when they are being crowned. And not just sitting on it, but lying on it sideways like it was a lounge chair.

** Deliberately {{invoked}} with Edward's casual comment about the troubles in Europe, "Hitler will sort it out." While it could be considered merely naive, to modern audiences, that statement feels positively horrific and despicable to see the King of England ''want'' Nazi Germany to begin its rampage of mass death and destruction. Sadly enough, this is actually a ''favorable'' portrayal - in real life, Edward was a vocal supporter of Nazi Germany, guesting with Hitler multiple times, to the point that he had to be KickedUpstairs to Governor of the Bahamas because the British government was ''that worried'' their once-king would try and sabotage the war effort.

*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bill Lalla Bill]]. You can see her in ''The Lost Prince''. She became Johnnie's full-time companion when he was "hidden from view". She was with him when he died.

** By some accounts, it was George himself who developed anorexia, apparently on his own. The nanny who blew the whistle on, then took over from the cruel one, was very warm and motherly to all the kids, and is also remembered for (off-duty) swearing like a sailor.

* EmpatheticEnvironment: The weather is mostly dull, overcast, or muted colors throughout the film, except for the last scene [[spoiler:when Bertie/King George VI steps out to see the crowds gathered outside applauding his wartime speech. It's the only time the sun is shining without clouds, and the most triumphant moment of the film.]]

''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 period film, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Creator/ColinFirth, Creator/GeoffreyRush, and Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter.

** This scene also adds to Edward's Jerkass level since, if you pay careful attention to what he mentions at the end of his blubbing, he's only really concerned how this will effect his relationship with Wallis Simpson. He didn't break down over his dead father, or hardly at all, it seems.

** Following his 1934 Christmas speech, George V tells Bertie that they face grave threats with "Herr Hitler intimidating half of Europe, and Marshal Stalin the other half." Hitler consolidated power in 1934 and did not make territorial demands until a few years later. While the Soviet Union had supported a number of revolutionary movements, by the 30s, they were focused on internal matters.

* AnachronismStew: The film opens with Bertie giving the closing address at the 1925 Empire Exhibition. The BBC announcer introduces the program as "National Programme and Empire Services," two separate BBC radio services which would not be launched for at least five years.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: George V references the two men who threaten the stability of Europe: [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Herr Hitler]] and [[UsefulNotes/JosefStalin Marshal Stalin]]. However, Stalin did not award himself the title of "Marshal" until UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. At the time, he would have been referred to as "Comrade Stalin."

** Wallis Simpson is not just an American divorcee, she's also sharing her favours with a used car salesman and getting roses from the German ambassador.

* AnachronismStew: The Film opens with Bertie giving the closing address at the 1925 Empire Exhibition. The BBC announcer introduces the program as "National Programme and Empire Services," two separate BBC radio services which would not be launched for at least five years.

** Probably left, out of embarrassment.
** Or maybe he finished the speech and it took him quite a long time to do so. Anyway, there isn't really a need to show all those speeches from the beginning to the end, they just imply whether he's made progress or not.

* HypocriticalHumour: Logue encourages Bertie to face his fears, only to hide in the corner when his wife unexpectedly walks in on the Queen, because he never told her he was treating a member of the royal family. Bertie tells him to stop being a coward and calmly steps out and greets Myrtle.

* PorkyPigPronunciation: King George VI.

-->'''Logue:''' Do you know the F word?