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Sunday, February 6

Jane Austen Film Actor Throwdown: The King's Speech

Colin Firth, whose fame began with his role as Mr. Darcy, has won accolades for his portrayal of King George VI, and rightly so. This week's question is simple: Have you seen the King's Speech?

The King's Speech
I have seen it once
I have seen it twice
I have seen it more than twice
I intend to see it
I haven't seen it and I won't

  
pollcode.com free polls

As reported previously, Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed the film. Here is the press release from The Weinstein Company:
New York, NY, February 4, 2011 - The Weinstein Company (TWC) is honored to learn that Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, has enjoyed a private screening of THE KING'S SPEECH, as reported by Duncan Larcombe, Royal Editor, in today's edition of The Sun. The film, directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler, tells the story of Her Majesty's father, King George VI, as he struggles to overcome a crippling speech impediment while grappling with his sudden, unexpected ascension to throne and the mounting danger of Nazi Germany. THE KING'S SPEECH stars Colin Firth as King George VI, Geoffrey Rush as the King's speech therapist, Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. 
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
THE KING'S SPEECH has been seen and admired by many notable public figures, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, who hosted a private screening at his home over the Christmas holidays; Prince Andrew; Lord and Lady William Astor; Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill; and Edwina Sandys, the granddaughter of Winston Churchill (portrayed in the film by Timothy Spall). 
Screenwriter David Seidler said, "To learn Her Majesty has seen the film, and was moved, in turn moves and humbles me greatly. When, thirty years ago, the Queen Mother asked me to wait and not tell this story during her lifetime, because the memory of these events was still too painful, I realized the depths of the emotions involved. Now this story has been written and filmed with a great deal of love, admiration, and respect for Her Majesty's father. That Her Majesty has responded favorably to this, is wonderfully gratifying." 
Said Harvey Weinstein, TWC co-Chairman and executive producer of THE KING'S SPEECH, "On behalf of the director Tom Hooper; the producers, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin; Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and our entire ensemble cast: we are deeply honored and humbled by Her Majesty's appreciation of the film. It was a labor of love for all of us and this is high praise, indeed."

Colin Firth will be featured Inside the Actor's Studio, Monday, February 7th at 7 PM EST.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here is a link to a very interesting article regarding the movie and real facts: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/31/the-kings-speech-gross-falsification.

Gina said...

I've seen it twice and intend to see it many more times. :-) It's such a lovely film.