Movie review: The King's Speech "B-B-B-Bertie and the bloody microphone"

Sometimes, we fail to find untold stories because we don't really want to. But when we do, we learn there's something far beyond that silence, that pause, making us realize how we know very little of fear, of hope, of friendship.

Judging by its cover, I must admit The King's Speech (2010, directed by Tom Hooper) was quite intimidating at first. I once thought it would be hard to understand because of the characters' British accent and its foreign history basis. But, simple, and hilarious as it is, the movie was mainly about the untold story of the king's speech.

If we hear it on the radio, we'd think it's just a mere pause. If it was a longer pause or even "two minutes of radio silence" after it was announced live, we'd think something's wrong with our wretched device. No one would ever think it was because "he stammers so beautifully".

The movie is about King George VI's (Colin Firth) struggles with his speech defect and how he managed it with the help of a "peculiar" speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After many "medieval" treatments from  knighted and officially "idiot" shrinks, Bertie (King George VI) had given up hope, save for his supportive and loving wife Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Helena Bonham Carter), who found Logue from the classifieds and gave him a shot.

After a rather unpleasant conversation between a proud then-prince and a radical therapist, the odds for another session were obviously ground at level zero, until Lionel won the bet and Bertie heard himself orating Shakespeare's "To Be or Not To Be" like the great orator himself.

And so the hilarious and drastic sessions begin. Tongue twisters. Physical therapies. Sway-while-you-give-a-speech techniques. Vowel deliveries. Sing-it strategies. With Lionel by his side, Bertie not only gained more confidence and less stammers in his speeches, but also a friend "he would never know what's for."

It was such an eye-opening story when Bertie began to pour his heart out to Lionel, saying how he was punished to correct his speech defect, like knocking his knees with metal splints and whacking his left hand so he would be right-handed. He shared how he was always teased by his family "B-B-B-Bertie" and how he feared to be king because his stammer spoils it all while he claims he's no more than a Naval officer than a king.

On the other hand, the movie was also a comedy hit especially during Bertie's therapy sessions with Lionel and when he shouted bad words in anger and frustration.

I was very amused at how the Harry Potter characters reunited in this movie, like Albus Dumbledore as King George V (Michael Gambon), Bellatrix Lestrange as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Helena Bonham Carter) and Peter Pettigrew as Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall).

Movie on Storm: Darker Harry Potter--and better watched at IMAX!

In times where no place is safe, trust is the hardest thing to get. And you might just want paranoia to be your friend.

Although our real chaotic "muggle" world matches this description better, Harry's world equally faced a dark apocalypse at Deathly Hallows. And I must say the eerie and shocking sounds of David Yates' movie almost made me fall off my seat, and I truly appreciated it more at SM North IMAX with family two days after its premier night.

And so the end for Harry Potter begun. All kinds of betrayal, misunderstandings, death and uncertainties clouded J.K. Rowling's last book, where the trio must find and destroy Voldemort's seven souls (hidden in Horcruxes) to save both Hogwarts and the muggle world.

The amusing part for this epic finale was the comeback of certain characters from the previous series. New characters were also highlighted at the first half of Deathly Hallows, but I believe friendship still and has always ended the life of Harry Potter.

WHO SACRIFICED THE GREATEST?

Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Hermione at Malfoy's Manor, engraving the word "muggle" onto her arm

I believe Hermione Granger lost and sacrificed the greatest in this part. We have seen in the beginning of the movie, she deliberately erased her parents' memories of her from them, because she doubted if she could still come back to the muggle world after the war. She also protected Harry at all costs, and even sacrificed at leaving her partner Ron at one point just to complete the mission.

DOBBY REVISITED
 

Dobby's back to save Harry Potter

Dobby from the Chamber of Secrets (remember the stick with an orange that served as the servant elf behind the scenes of HP2?) became essential in the last book as he saved and died for the team at Malfoy's Manor.

Dumbledore's deluminator in the Sorcerer's Stone and Hagrid's "fatherly" job to take care of Harry from beginning to end were all reminisced as well.

As everyone knew J.K. Rowling's first HP book was refused a couple of times, we now realize she didn't just invent Harry or Hogwarts to simply entertain and escort the youth to a magical world. If we can observe in the last six HP movies, they always ended with Harry, Ron and Hermione--a symbol of lasting friendship. The existence and support of a family not necessarily meaning one's own relatives connected in bloodline also made the story evolve within the walls of the fictional wizard world. And I believe these are what she wants us to learn from The Boy Who Lived.

David Yates directs the trio at the New York scene

David Yates on the other hand, did a great job in making the movie darker and surprising as ever, not leaving much essential detail from the book and ending the first part like it was the end, but as equally suspense as well with fans itching to watch the the next Part II premier on July 2011.

Where could you better watch Harry Potter than at IMAX theater? Even my mom and dad enjoyed the movie on the big screen while they munched on their rather-salty popcorn.

For IMAX movie reservations, visit www.imax.com/