ugh. i really didn't want to watch "the king's speech" this past friday. i saw the trailer, and the film seemed to be another one of those froo-froo british films - a typical movie Oscar voters would pick for Best Picture. i mean, come on - an underdog in the setting of WWII, trying to overcome not only his physical impediment, but his personal one? PLEASE. haven't we seen this like every 2 years? cue the stately piano score, reliable british actors, and the "based on a true story" schpeal, and there's the formula for Academy Award-winning Best Picture.
despite my judgments, anna was able to drag me into seeing "the king's speech" this past friday night. i walked into the movie with both low expectations (in that i didn't have much of a desire to see the film) and also high expectations (in that the movie won best picture and some of my friends have been incessantly raving about it).
i still think "the social network" should have won for best picture, though after seeing "the king's speech," i can at least understand why the film won. i appreciate the film's subtleties. its not in your face, let's-be melodramatic-and-saccharine-about-a-guy-trying-to-find-his-voice. i think there was a lot of room for big crazy monologues and maudlin acting, but there was restraint in both the script and the acting that i definitely appreciated.
first off, the acting was great. colin firth and geoffrey rush fit into their roles like a glove; they were so natural. even though king george VI and lionel logue are real characters, i never once considered their portrayals as mimicry. secondly, that ending was absolutely well-written and directed - definitely a good payoff for the past 2 hours. my fave lines were actually in the end after king george finished his wartime address:
Lionel Logue: You still stammered on the 'W'.
King George VI: Well I had to throw in a few so they knew it was me.
that line did it for me. for 2 hours, bertie had little to no confidence in himself. from nannies to his own blood brother and father, he was made to believe he was lesser than who he really was. but in that line, when he said, "I had to throw in a few so they knew it was me," a brilliant self-confidence burst through that simple line. "so they knew it was me." finally. finally, he garnered pride and confidence in who he was. finally, he was a man who could be proud of his identity. and this slice of dialogue was brilliant because that newfound confidence was linked to the very impediment that had brought so much shame and self-doubt. "You still stammered on the 'W.' " "Well, I had to throw in a few so they knew it was me." brilliant. the script has some beautiful subleties and im not surprised the script won for best original screenplay.
another part of the ending that i appreciated was the music. when he walks out of the private rooms and into the public hallways where the politicians and his daughters await him, beethoven's "piano concerto no. 5" plays. i like the song in itself - its really a beautiful concerto. but in the context of the movie, its genius because when the full orchesta swells, waxing and waning, king george looks to lionel before walking out onto the balcony to greet the people. and the orchestra fades and quiets for that first magnificent note of the piano solo as the new king waves to the crowd. its lovely. its lovely because this piano concerto is also known as the "emperor concerto." what a beautiful way to end the movie. there stood a man, his head high with the self-confidence we were waiting for and even the music, "emperor concerto," was rooting for him too.
but. but. but. despite the well-made ending, on the way back home, i still felt like the social network deserved the prize for best picture. they're both great films, but i think both movies sit at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. i think "the king's speech" is representative of the old age of the Oscars, the age of the 80s, 90s, 2000s. but that age is gone now. this is the new age. and the social network is representative of the new age of film that is upon us. move over, old Oscar farts. you guys voted for a good movie, i'll give u that. but that's cuz the Oscar committee is probably all over the age of 65. welcome to the new age of film.
yes, both movies are based on true stories. but here's where the old and the new diverge.
"the king's speech" was about a king. a king in the old age. back when being a "king" actually meant something. back when "your royal highness" might have carried some legitimate weight. "the social network" is also about a "king" of sorts. mark zuckerberg is one of the youngest billionaires in the world. as the creator of facebook, he has had a substantial impact upon this generation. these social networking entrepeneurs - these are the new kings.
"the king's speech" was all about subtle - subtle screenwriting, a subtle score, subtle directing. "the social network" was completely opposite of subtle. the script was in-your-face and razor-sharp. there's nothing subtle about "f*ck you flip-flops." additionally, trent reznor's score from "the social network" was far from subtle - its loud, in-your-face, and intense. and yes, "the king's speech" had some fine acting - by men who are all well past their physical prime. meanwhile, the social network had a young cast, an up-and-coming cast, actors who might represent the next generation of motion picture artists. who wasn't mesmerized by andrew garfield when he finally gave jesse eisenberg's zuckerberg a piece of his mind?
yes, these were both great films. and maybe, maybe, maybe the king's speech was the right film to win this year for best picture. but if that's the case, then films like "the social network" are going to be the winners for the next decade.
ok wow. that ridiculous film essay was completely unexpected. haha...i didn't think i'd get so carried away with a simple review. i love movies and when unbridled, i guess this is what happens. yikes.
well anyway, after watching "the king's speech," i had a sleepover with jenny-tan. haha. oh man. i think i feel way too comfortable with this girl. our conversation was harmless at first, but then i think we both got carried away, and all the filter that i usually have with younger brothers and sisters just kind of flew out the window. i've been trying to be more careful about that filter with jenny this past year, especially when i reflect upon how immature i was years prior when i was around her. but i think i must have been super out-of-it because that cautious filter was pretty much nonexistent with her friday night. haha. its so much easier to just be my raw and real self when i'm around her because i've known her for almost 5 years now, ever since she was a freshman. and she's seen me at my worst. its hard to be anything but real with her.
but i think one strange thing that was confirmed for me during our sleepover was the distance that's grown between us this past year. in previous years, i feel like we've always been on the same page. but this year, we're on totally different wavelengths. its weird and slightly disconcerting because i have no idea how and why, and i have no idea when the disparity started. hmm. and its disconcerting because im not sure if its a natural and harmless distance or if its something that needs to be repaired.
hmm. or maybe. we're on different wavelengths because i'm like "the king's speech," all old-age, and she's "the social network," new-age! ahhhh!
oh! and one other fave line from "the king's speech"...when king george and logue are at westminster abbey and lionel is sitting on the coronation throne.
King George VI: What are you doing? Get up! You can't sit there! Get up!
Lionel Logue: Why not? It's a chair.
King George VI: No, that. It is not a chair. That... that is Saint Edward's chair.
Lionel Logue: People have carved their names on it.
King George VI: That chair is the seat on which every king and queen has...That is the Stone of Scone you are...you are trivializing everything. You trivialize -
Lionel Logue: It's held in place by a large rock. I don't care about how many royal a**holes have sat in this chair.
King George VI: Listen to me. Listen to me!
Lionel Logue: Listen to you? By what right?
King George VI: By divine right if you must, I am your king.
Lionel Logue: No you're not, you told me so yourself. You didn't want it. Why should I waste my time listening?
King George VI: Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice!
Lionel Logue: [pauses] Yes, you do. [Longer pause] You have such perseverance Bertie, you're the bravest man I know.
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