Two royal films.

The other day, I finally got to see The King's Speech.

This is one of those instances where you are almost positive you are going to like a movie before you even see it. Does that happen to any of you, or am I the only one? Here are the things The King's Speech had in its favor: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, the fact that it takes place in Great Britain, the era (1920s-30s), and the fact that it revolves around the royal family. The whole idea of it was enough to make my little period drama-loving heart burst.

So what took me so long to see it? The rating, for the most part. It's rated R for language. Actually, for the language in two little scenes, in which King George VI lets out streams of swear words during sessions with his speech therapist, because the only time he doesn't stammer is when he's singing or swearing.

I may have mentioned this before, but I absolutely despise swearing. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. It's sometimes unavoidable to overhear it in real life, but it is avoidable in films. So if a movie has a lot of profanity, I usually just don't watch it (especially when profanity is combined with other inappropriate content, which is common. That's why most PG-13 films are garbage that I'm not comfortable seeing and that 13 year olds surely should not be seeing. I'm talking mostly about comedies, not films rated PG-13 for action and violence. But I'll save my rant about the skewed ratings system in our country for another post :).

But I have a language block on my DVD player, so I figured it would be safe to finally see this movie. Actually, I forgot to even set the block, but it's pretty obvious when the language is coming so the mute button is just as handy. :)

The King's Speech is an incredible movie. It's beautiful and funny and touching. So it blows me away that those added swear words earned the film an R rating, when, had they been left out, the film would likely be rated PG and therefore a lot more accessible to families and children.

Like I said, I loved it. The casting was great, the pacing was perfect, and the score really fit. I loved the clothes and historical details! I find the royal family pretty fascinating, especially the history of it all. Although at times I wanted to strangle the king for his pompousness and harsh words, I really did like him. It's hard not to, when you see where he came from and what he had to go through. I mean, can you imagine being the extra heir and never expecting to have to become king, and then suddenly having to?

Lionel Logue, the speech therapist, completely cracked me up. I (for the most part) really enjoyed his unusual tactics, especially the way he would egg on King George to make him angry, in order to help him realize something. The whole St. Edward's chair scene was one of my favorites. :) I loved to see their friendship and respect for each other developing, one small step at a time.

And I have to admit, I didn't catch the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth reunion until after the fact. I didn't even recognize her! Though looking at this picture, I can't see how I missed it. That is definitely her Elizabeth Bennet look.

And even though Colin Firth is not my favorite Mr. Darcy, I do like him a lot. It's like he's made for period films. Whenever I see pictures of him with modern hair and clothes, it really throws me off. Anyway, watch this film! Don't let the rating hold you back from seeing it...just mute those two scenes or use a language filter. :)

Even my parents liked it. My dad doesn't get my obsession with England and English films. But I'm hoping this film will lead to him watching more British historical films...maybe even a BBC mini series? Maybe, someday, Cranford? :)

Now I'm going backwards a little bit in the history of the royal family. I have meant to post about The Young Victoria ever since I saw it for the first time several months ago, and since I watched it again last night, this is a good opportunity.

This is a really sweet, interesting film. Another one that I knew I would like before I watched it. I actually took a chance and bought it when one of our movie rental stores was going out of business, and I'm so glad I did.

The cinematography and costumes are beautiful. Though some of the hairstyles are a little odd. :)

There is interesting information about how Victoria was raised and some of the historical stuff that was happening at the time, but this film basically focuses on the courtship and romance between Victoria and Albert. Their relationship is really sweet, and it seems to have been that way in real life, too. Which I like.

Plus I think Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend are so adorable together. Could you tell, with all of the pictures of them I couldn't resist including? :)

The Young Victoria also made me curious about the real Victoria and Albert. I did a little research online, but I plan on getting a couple of books about them from the library sometime. I think that's a sign of a really good historical film: that it makes you want to know more.

Until next time,