“The King’s Speech” was directed and produced by Tom Hooper in 2010. It starred Colin Firth as King George VI, Geoffrey Rush and Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth.

The Duke of York, second son of King George V had a debilitating speech stammer since he was five. Although many attempts for correction were made with many doctors with no luck, his wife, Queen Elizabeth, came across an unknown Australian speech defect therapist. The therapies were quite unconventional and were not fully accepted by the Duke of York. Upon the death of King George V, the first son was the heir to the throne. The brother was obligated to resign from the throne shortly following his choice to marry his love as he would not be accepted in the church as his fiancé was divorced. At this time, Germany had declared war on England and the newly appointed King George VI was required to make a speech to all commonwealth countries announcing the current situation. With the help of the therapist, he made a remarkable speech with little visibility of his speech difficulty. It is an astonishing accomplishment for the King.

The King’s Speech was a remarkable drama, and a carefully crafted period piece from Europe between the two world wars. By paying attention to the small details, such as his father’s negative forcefulness to speak clearly, Hooper makes the obstacles facing someone with a speech handicap in that era ring true, allowing the viewer an engaging window into George VI’s struggle to live up to the crown he reluctantly assumed.