the king's speech logue

The True Story Behind "The King's Speech"

"The King's Speech" is a 2010 dramatic biographical film, recounting the friendship between King George VI of England and his Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. The film also covers Edward VIII's 1936 abdication, and George VI's subsequent coronation and shouldering of responsibility during World War II. George VI ultimately must conquer his stammer to assist and guide Britain during the war.

As a film, "The King's Speech" takes a few liberties with the historical timeline and in regards to simplifying certain characters. One element historians took particular umbrage with was the depiction of Winston Churchill . However, overall it is fairly faithful to the historical record. For one thing, George VI really did have a speech impediment since the age of eight, and Lionel Logue did work with him for several years. They did stay friends until they both died. Certain scenes, such as George VI's coronation, were praised for their accurate recapturing of the feel of the 1930s.

The main concept the film changed was simply adding drama to certain scenes, such as the speech announcing war with Germany towards the end. It also condensed the historical timeline significantly, shortening events. This was mostly done for the sake of keeping the narrative moving. Overall, however, " The King's Speech " is a fairly accurate, heartwarming rendering of George VI and Lionel Logue's friendship.

Prince Albert had a stutter as a child

Prince Albert, later George VI, developed a stutter when he was eight that he carried through to his early adult life. His parents were not terribly affectionate with him, and he was susceptible to tears and tantrums – traits he also carried through his adult years, writes Biography . Given that many of his public duties required speeches, Albert needed to – and worked tirelessly – to fix his stammer with multiple doctors and therapists, writes Stuttering Help . He wasn't successful with any speech therapies until he worked with elocutionist and informal speech therapist Lionel Logue, beginning in the 1920s.

When Logue saw the then-Duke of York give a speech, he said to his son, "He's too old for me to manage a complete cure. But I could very nearly do it. I'm sure of that." (via Stuttering Help ). He was right, and his positive attitude helped the duke recover from previous failures that had made him believe the problem caused him to be mentally deficient instead of simply physically injured. Despite how long they worked together, the duke's speech issues had more to do with how held his jaw and pronounced words; the result was that his stammer was mainly cleared up in a matter of months as opposed to years.

Lionel Logue was a self-taught speech therapist

Lionel Logue was an Australian speech therapist who, not being formally trained, used methods he had discovered and created on his own. He worked as an elocutionist first, but fell into helping Australian World War I veterans with speech defects, writes The ASHA Leader . No one else was doing what he was with the veterans, and speech therapy and audiology programs didn't even get off the ground until the 1940s (via UNC Health Sciences Library ). Logue was even a founder of the College of Speech Therapists.

Just before World War I, Logue worked a variety of jobs as a teacher of elocution and drama, theater manager, and reciter of Shakespeare and Dickens (via Speech Language Therapy's Caroline Bowen, a speech language pathologist ). Logue worked with patients on their speech, but also on confidence and the self-belief that they could accomplish what they set out to do. He was empathetic with his patients, and learned from each case he worked on. Logue originally tried out as an actor, and as a result, his manner was somewhere between a teacher and an artist. He was serious about his life's work and resolved to avoid cheapening it by writing a book about his efforts with the king.

Logue began working with Prince Albert in 1926

Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, first encouraged her husband to work with Lionel Logue, though the meeting as depicted in the film between Elizabeth and Logue likely didn't happen (via Logue and Conradi's "The King's Speech" ). Logue thus began working with the Duke of York in October 1926, soon after he opened his London practice on Harley Street. Logue first diagnosed the Duke with, according to CNN , acute nervous tension and the habit of closing the throat, which caused him to clip words out.

Logue met with him daily for the next two or three months (in advance of a visit to Australia), and his stammer was gone (for the most part) within that time frame; it didn't take years of treatment (via Speech Language Therapy ). Unlike in the film, in reality, the Duke and Logue weren't necessarily aiming for complete fluency. However, they did continue to work together for the next two decades, mainly on the royal's speeches.

Logue worked with Albert for over 15 years

Though the film condenses the timeline to make it seem as though everything takes place over just a few years, Logue and Albert worked together for decades (via CNN ). "The King's Speech" begins in 1925 with the close of the British Empire Exhibition, which would be historically accurate, but time simply speeds by until the film depicts the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 and later the outbreak of war in 1939 in just a few hours; it doesn't really feel as though a decade and a half have passed.

Regardless, Logue and the duke worked together on speeches even after the duke had mostly mastered his stammer. Lionel Logue's methods were unorthodox and primarily self-taught. He never specifically said what course of treatment he worked on with the duke, saying, according to The ASHA Leader : "...on the matter of Speech Defects, when so much depends on the temperament and individuality, a case can always be produced that can prove you are wrong. That is why I won't write a book." Much of the ideas for the therapy sessions depicted in the film come from Logue's diaries (though plenty of the dialogue was invented), which were inherited by his grandson Mark. They were used in the film, though the director only saw them late in the film's production.

Any sort of therapy is inherently individual, not to mention personal (via Psychiatric Times ). It's no wonder that Logue decided to avoid writing about his work.

Wallis Simpson was a more complex person than the film indicates

King Edward VIII was crowned in January 1936 and abdicated in December of the same year in order to marry Wallis Simpson , who had been twice divorced (via History ). His younger brother was proclaimed king the next day. The film is sympathetic to George VI and Elizabeth, and Wallis Simpson is cast as a vaguely Nazi-supporting villain; there is little depth to her character. However, her life and motivations were shrouded in rumors from the British upper classes and the media.

The upper classes, who learned about the Edward-Wallis romance before the British media, in particular saw her as an uncouth American divorcee, and had a hard time figuring out why Edward wanted to be with her. When the media did find out, in December 1936, she was both ruined and revered by them, according to History Extra . However, after moving overseas more-or-less permanently she faded from the spotlight. Her unfortunate reputation from the nobles stuck with her.

Ultimately, George VI didn't allow his brother and sister-in-law, who had moved to France, to be productive for the royal family; they asked multiple times for jobs and were denied (via History Extra ). Awful rumors followed Wallis Simpson even past her death in the 1980s, including one that stated she would do anything to become queen of England. Though it's clear both on and off screen that she and Elizabeth disliked each other, Wallis was more than a king-stealing villain.

Churchill was actually opposed to Edward VIII's abdication

One major element of the film that historians had trouble with is Churchill's abrupt support of George VI, writes Daily History . In real life, he encouraged Edward VIII not to abdicate in 1936, and remained a supporter of the royal, believing something could be worked out without having to resort to abdication. George VI and Elizabeth didn't fully support Churchill later in life due to his actions during the abdication. However, Churchill was later knighted by Elizabeth II (via Biography ).

This element is likely written as such for the film due to the writers having a hard time writing someone as beloved as Churchill with actual flaws. The writers of "Saving Mr. Banks" had a similar issue with Walt Disney and his flaws. As a result, it is one of the only concrete historical aspects that left historians scratching their heads in confusion. Everything else that is changed in the film is mainly done for the sake of adaptation, drama, and the good of the narrative. This change seems to be for the sake of preserving Churchill's reputation. Considering the film's lead-up of events to World War II, and Churchill's role in Britain's survival, it isn't that surprising.

King George VI's coronation was less fraught than the film depicts

Logue worked with George VI on his coronation speech in 1937. Five days afterward, the king wrote a heartfelt thank you letter for the assistance (via Tatler ), attributing the success to Logue's "expert supervision and unfailing patience." Just as in the film, Logue and his wife are seated in the royal box, so high up that Myrtle Logue needed to use opera glasses in order to see, writes CNN .

However, by this time, the king had mostly mastered his speech impediment, and the dramatic scene in the film with Logue and St. Edward's chair is likely fictional. It was written for the sake of the narrative of George VI realizing he does have a voice. Reality isn't necessarily so cinematic, and after weeks of working on the speech with Logue, George VI delivered it flawlessly. Regardless, according to Daily History , the film accurately conveys the atmosphere of the 1930s and the coronation of a new king. In reality, the king and Logue likely didn't have the same miscommunication as they do in the film, and it is doubly heartwarming that Logue and his wife were seated with the royal family, just because of the services Logue had rendered the new king.

Logue was more deferential to his royal patient

Geoffrey Rush's portrayal is much more animated than Logue likely was in reality. Logue certainly addressed Prince Albert respectfully, and the scenes of swearing in Logue's office are likely invented. Logue also never referred to the prince by a nickname, much less one used exclusively by the family. They were friends in real life, but their relationship was more realistically distant.

According to CNN , the letters Logue wrote to the king are addressed to "Your Royal Highness". On the other hand, the king signed his letters with his first name, indicating a measure of friendship between the two men. Logue also apparently allowed George VI to set treatment goals due to his position. Though they did end up being friends, Logue never forgot who exactly his patient was, and treated him accordingly (via Daily History ). Historical films always add heart-to-heart speeches between people which probably never actually happened but work for the sake of drama and the narrative. "The King's Speech" is no exception.

The speech announcing war with Germany was less dramatic

Lionel Logue further assisted George VI during the 1939 speech when he announced Britain was at war with Germany. However, Logue wasn't actually in the room with him, as the film depicts, and only wrote notes on places for the king to pause to collect himself when speaking or on which words to stress, according to CNN . Keep in mind that by this point in time, 13 years after meeting Logue, the king had essentially mastered his stammer. George VI also stood to give the speech, though photographs show him in full military uniform and sitting down.

Lionel Logue's diaries also answered a previously unknown question about the speech that was added to the film. George VI stammered on some of the W's in the speech, and according to a comment he made to Logue, it was so the people would recognize him, writes CNN .

The film turns the event into a climactic event, as a culmination of the years of work the king and Logue have put into his affliction – and which the audience has just watched on screen for the past two hours. Also, though it is unlikely the information was revealed at this exact time in real life, the character of Winston Churchill tells the king just before this speech that he, too, was a stammerer as a child, writes The Lancet . This element is true, though it is positioned for the sake of cinematic drama.

George and Logue's friendship didn't fracture over credentials

In the film, coronation preparations pause when the archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Lang, mentions that Logue doesn't have any formal training. Not having known this beforehand, George VI becomes outraged and only calms after Logue provokes him into speaking without stammering, causing him to realize that he actually can speak accurately. This entire element is invented for the film, presumably for the sake of drama (and humor).

By this point, the two men had known each other for over a decade and were friends. Though their relationship was primarily professional, in scouting out Logue's help, the king must have understood his credentials and it didn't bother him; after all, he worked with Logue, voluntarily, for decades (via Daily History ). Logue's formality likely kept their friendship professional enough that they probably had few personal disagreements.

Logue and the king wrote letters back and forth for years; the earlier letters were signed "Albert" and the later letters "George" by the king, according to CNN , indicating a measure of friendship that was likely meted out to few people. When Logue asked the king in 1948 if he would serve as patron of the College of Speech Therapists, George VI immediately agreed and it became known as the Royal College of Speech Therapy, writes The ASHA Leader .

The film has an obvious pro-George VI bias

Due to being written from a historical perspective, "The King's Speech" supports George VI, Logue, Elizabeth, and even Winston Churchill as characters and historical figures much more than it does George V, Edward VIII, or Wallis Simpson. The film has an agenda and a narrative it set out to tell: the story of how George VI overcame his stammer and led a nation successfully through a war.

According to The Gazette , the film's textual inclusion of Logue's appointment as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order is accurate. The king appreciated his services enough to reward him with a title for them, and this element certainly adds to the theme of friendship the film is so fond of.

In another interesting example of bias, however, the film omits Edward VIII's Nazi sympathies entirely, though Simpson is written to seem like an outsider to the royals. This was likely done for the sake of Edward's surviving family, though it was a slightly odd omission considering the context of the film. Edward isn't cast as a villain, however, he doesn't quite seem to realize what he's forcing his brother to step into. Though he immediately supports George, Edward doesn't seem to comprehend the royal family's – and the film's – endless demand of duty.

Old News, Vintage News, Historical News, Retro News

Lionel logue: the australian speech therapist who helped an english king overcome his greatest fear.

On Sept. 3, 1939, Albert Frederick Arthur George—or King George VI—arranged a radio broadcast, despite a debilitating stutter, to address the British people on the eve of World War II.

Albert was never supposed to be king, and he feared public speaking because of his stutter. However, he proved his strength when everyone said he was weak, delivering his speech beautifully and passionately, and he became the leader that his country needed during those terrifying times.

Word by word, spoken in serene fashion and with no stutter in between, the king started his speech:

“In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself.

For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war.”

Now, let us forget briefly that he was a king, and imagine him for a moment solely as a human being with a task that seemed beyond his reach. Let us think about how agonizing it would be that your personal task, the one thing you must do for your people, is at the mercy of your biggest weakness, and realize that almost no one thinks you capable of living up to the challenge. Isn’t that the universal tale of heroism: a hero who, despite all of the obstacles and all of his shortcomings, still manages to find a way to do what must be done, at the very moment when it is needed the most. For this man, it was something as simple as a speech.

In 2010 this remarkable story was made into a film titled The King’s Speech , starring Colin Firth as the reluctant, stammering king, and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother. And as any other biopic that starts with the “inspired by true events” or “based on a true story” tagline, the bashing from critics who would question the historical accuracy of the movie is unavoidable. In past years, Oscar candidates such as A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan, and The Queen have been belittled on charges of factual inaccuracy and exaggeration. The King’s Speech was no exception.

These two extremely talented actors were accompanied by Geoffrey Rush, who portrayed Lionel Logue, an unorthodox Australian speech therapist who aided the King so that he could deliver his speech. Aside from small details that some nitpickers highlighted, the core of the story unfolds onscreen as history remembers, especially Rush’s character, who forged an unlikely friendship with the King that lasted until his death. His contribution to the events that actually occurred is as real as it can get, and so was their friendship.

For what it’s worth, he was the unsung hero behind the curtains who managed to find a way to help a man face his deepest fears. He is a character who, as we often see in movies, is introduced to help the story move forward towards its conclusion and the personal development of the main character. Lionel Logue was more than that, however.

Born in College Town, Adelaide, South Australia on Feb. 26, 1880, Logue was an established speech and language therapist and an amateur stage actor long before he made contact with Albert. He began his professional career at Perth, where he started to develop distinctive therapy treatments for Australian World War I veterans who after the war exhibited shell-shock-induced speech impairment. Aside from the traditional physical exercises, Logue found that psychology can play an even greater part in patients’ speech improvement so he tried utilizing humor, patience, and sympathy among many other methods he deemed necessary. He used all his techniques in his treatment of the king, at least to some extent.

In 1924, Logue took a holiday trip with his wife and his three sons to England, but once he got there, he came across a job teaching articulation at schools in London, and two years later he opened a speech defect practice at 146 Harley Street. Attracting wealthy clients, he used the fees paid by them so he could provide treatment for patients who were unable to do so.

In the meantime, Albert, the duke of York, was not considered an heir to the throne and was leading a somewhat quiet life with his wife and their two daughters, Elizabeth (today’s Queen) and Margaret at their London residence, 145 Piccadilly. This would change when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated.

Due to his condition, Albert avoided public speaking whenever he could. Yet there were times when he simply couldn’t, because his royal position required him to address the nation, especially since his brother Edward, the heir to the throne, on many occasions disregarded established constitutional conventions and protocols. So Albert, whose father, King George V, saw him as a true successor, had to deliver a closing speech at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley on Oct. 31, 1925. Considering his stutter, this was an ordeal for both him and his listeners. So, urged by his loving wife, he began to see Lionel Logue and work with him on the stammer and his fear of public speaking.

Logue diagnosed him with poor coordination between his larynx and thoracic diaphragm and prescribed vocal exercises to do on a daily basis. After witnessing that the treatment was not going as smoothly as it should, he gave the duke breathing exercises and instructed the duchess to rehearse them with him patiently. The treatment was supposed to give him the confidence to relax and avoid tension-induced muscle spasms while speaking. A short while after, he was able to speak with less hesitation.

In no more than two years, Albert was already speaking confidently and managed to speak clearly and without stammering at the opening of the Old Parliament House in Canberra.

After his father’s death on Jan. 20, 1936, Prince Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII, only to renounce his position a year after so he could marry his mistress, Wallis Simpson, who had two divorces behind her. After the abdication, Albert became king, a position he was reluctant to accept. With the new situation at hand, the pressure on his shoulders became even greater. So, fearing he would regress back to his stuttering self, he asked Logue to work with him even more intensely than before.

They continued to work together through the 1930s and 1940s with Logue applying tongue-twisters and special phrase-singing games to help his patient prepare his for major speeches, including his coronation. After he became king of the United Kingdom, adopting the name George VI in continuation of his father’s legacy, Albert never ceased to improve himself and resumed his work with Logue, who helped him give his radio broadcasts to the British Empire throughout the Second World War up until his death in 1952.

Lionel Logue was in the same room at the time of the King’s radio broadcast, now referred as the King’s Speech, which gave great comfort to his nation and its people throughout the war. While on the surface, the charismatic Edward VIII seemed to be better equipped to be king than his brother who eventually took his place, George VI displayed fortitude and dignity and rose to the challenge placed in front of him. It was much due to the help he got from the maverick Australian speech therapist, and the beautiful friendship he enjoyed with him.

Read another story from us: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the pioneering Flemish painter, wore peasant’s clothes to find his inspiration

Ralph Waldo Emerson once famously wrote, “What is Success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded.” And if this, especially the last bit, is taken as a measurement of success, then this unusual speech therapist from Australia reached the sky.

The King's Speech

56 pages • 1 hour read

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Summary and Study Guide

The King’s Speech is a 2010 non-fiction book about King George VI and how he was treated for a speech impediment by the Australian Lionel Logue . Their unlikely friendship is credited for saving the British monarchy during a difficult time in world history. The King’s Speech was co-authored by Mark Logue (grandson of Lionel Logue) and Peter Conradi (an accomplished author of historical nonfiction) as an accompaniment to the Oscar-winning 2010 film of the same name. 

Plot Summary

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The book begins in May 1937. King George VI wakes up on the morning of his coronation, already nervous. The British monarchy is facing “one of the greatest crises” (16) in its history following the abdication of Edward VIII. Also in London, an Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue wakes up and begins to travel to the coronation with his wife Myrtle. The King is expected to deliver a speech, and the stammer he has suffered from since childhood has made this a difficult prospect. The streets are packed as the crowds gather to watch the ceremony. The coronation goes well. That evening, Logue travels to Buckingham Palace to help the King prepare for a radio broadcast. The next day, the King’s speech is hailed as a success.

Logue was born in Adelaide in 1880. He develops an interest in elocution and begins to perform speeches onstage for rapt audiences. He meets and marries a woman named Myrtle, and the two have a son together. They travel the world in 1908, leaving their son Laurie at home. They plan to move to Britain but do not do so until 1924. Logue becomes famous in Australia for his skills as a speech therapist. 

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By the time the Logue family moves to Great Britain, they have three sons. The country is still recovering from World War I and an economic recession. Logue sets up a speech therapy practice. He develops a number of key techniques to treat speech impediments. 

The future King George VI is born in December 1895. His grandmother is Queen Victoria. With his brother, he is raised mostly by nurses and governesses, leading to a distant relationship with his parents. Whereas his brother is charming and fun, he has developed a terrible stammer. Bertie (as he is known) attends naval college and does not excel. His father is eventually proclaimed King. Bertie struggles to give speeches and frequently falls ill. In adulthood, Bertie slowly becomes his father’s favorite while his brother argues with the King and has developed a reputation for socializing. Bertie meets Elizabeth, and they marry, which pleases Bertie’s father, though his stammer remains an issue. Public speaking makes him incredibly nervous. One speech ends in humiliation for Bertie. Logue hears him speak and believes he can help. Bertie has sought medical advice, but it has always failed him. At Elizabeth’s request, Bertie agrees to meet with Logue.

Logue and Bertie meet at Logue’s office. Logue declares that he can cure the stammer but demands that his patient apply a tremendous amount of effort. They meet often, and two well-delivered speeches are seen as evidence of improvement. A royal trip to Australia goes very well, and Bertie is commended for his speech. The lessons continue.

Logue takes Myrtle to the Palace, where they are presented at court. Bertie’s improvement is noted in the press, though Logue declines to answer questions on the matter. The story is eventually published, and Logue is credited for his work, becoming famous. Bertie continues to toil and the beginnings of a real friendship between him and Logue emerge.

The narrative moves into the 1930s. Bertie is becoming more involved in the monarchy while his daughters are becoming world famous. He visits Logue less frequently but remains in touch. The Great Depression affects both men’s families. King George V dies in 1936, precipitating change for both men.

Edward takes the throne as a popular King, but his romantic relationship with twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson is scandalous. When he announces that he wants to marry Wallis, he is told it is not possible. Edward abdicates the throne. Bertie takes the throne as his brother leaves the country. Bertie becomes King George VI. His speech impediment is now an even bigger issue, even if his treatment has been going well.

Logue helps the new King prepare for his coronation. There will be a speech to the crowd and a radio broadcast for the Empire. Rehearsals do not go well, though the Queen is a calming influence. A back-up recording is made from practice speeches in the event that something should go wrong.

Both speeches are a triumph. Logue continues to help the King prepare his speeches. The monarch’s new workload is notably draining. The King delivers a Christmas day speech in the mold of his father, which Logue helps prepare. They spend Christmas day together, and the King gives Logue a present as a means of thanking him. Myrtle returns to Australia, where she is treated like a celebrity. Everyone wants to know about her husband’s work with the King.

As Europe moves closer to the Second World War, the King travels to Europe. He delivers speeches and meets with President Roosevelt. Logue grows closer to the royal family, and when the King returns from America, they chat informally about the trip while preparing for a speech.

The Second World War begins. The Logues’ Bavarian cook returns to Germany. Air raid sirens encourage everyone to move to shelters. The King and Logue prepare a special radio broadcast to reassure people. Rationing is introduced. The Christmas speech becomes a yearly tradition.

The war continues. The King’s hair is beginning to grey as he and Logue prepare a speech for Empire Day. Logue listens to the speech, marveling at the progress the King has made. The King is proud. The Nazis are winning in the war. Logue’s eldest son is conscripted. London is bombed. Logue assists with another Christmas speech. As he listens, he stops following along because he realizes that there is no need.

By 1943, the war has turned in the Allies’ favor. The King visits North Africa. All three Logue boys are now serving in the military. Logue’s business suffers due to the war and the King donates £500 as a means of thanking Logue. They prepare a speech for the eve of D-Day, which is a great success. The war continues, as does the bombing of London. The King delivers the Christmas speech without Logue, and it is a great success.

The Allies win the war. The entire country celebrates. Later, while Logue is undergoing surgery, Myrtle suffers a heart attack. Logue is devastated. Logue continues to work, though he sells the large (and now empty) family house. He is lonely and develops an interest in psychics. The King’s daughter marries, and the King’s health worsens.

The King delivers his final Christmas speech in 1951 and dies in his sleep a short time later. He and Logue corresponded up until his death. Logue recovers from his own illness to write to the Queen, mourning the loss of her husband. Princess Elizabeth is crowned Queen Elizabeth II. Logue dies in 1953 as a result of kidney failure. He does not survive to see Elizabeth’s coronation, though he is invited.

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How historically accurate is the movie The King's Speech

In 2010, The King’s Speech won the Oscar for Best Picture and grossed over $414 million worldwide. It was an unlikely box office champion because it was based on a true story about King George VI of Britain (1895-1952) and an Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (1880-1953). It shows how Logue helped the king overcome a crippling stammer and how this helped him lead his country during World War II. The movie was directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler.

Critics have widely praised the editing, cinematography, directing, and acting. The movie was able to express the main characters' inner life by the clever use of lighting and other cinematic techniques. Colin Firth won an Oscar for his portrayal of George IV/ The King’s Speech was produced by a British company, and it was shot mainly in London. Among the supporting cast was Helen Bonham-Carter, who played Queen Elizabeth, the wife of the king. The movie was nominated for 12 academy awards, and it won four awards, including one for Best Picture.

Before the movie began filming, the writer, Seidler, found Logue's journal and incorporated elements from the journal into the movie. However, despite this, the historical accuracy of the movie has been questioned and even widely criticized.

When does the King's Speech take place?

The King's Speech takes place mainly in the 1930s at a critical juncture for Britain and its Empire. The nation and its various dependencies had still not recovered from the ravages of World War or the Great Depression. Internationally, Hitler was in power in Germany, and many feared, correctly, that there would be another World War. [1] The rather bleak mood of the time is captured very well by the director. At this critical point in its history, the British Royal Family faced its crisis.

After George V's death, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Edward VII in 1936. Edward VII's reign was both brief and controversial. Edward wanted to marry a divorced American, Wallis Simpson. Marrying a divorced was unacceptable to many in Britain at this time as the King was also head of the Church of England. Divorce was socially unacceptable, and the Anglican Bishops and others denounced the idea of the monarch marrying a divorced woman.

When Edward VII decided to marry Wallis Simpson, he was forced to abdicate his crown soon after his Coronation. This meant that his younger brother George or Bertie, as he was known, became king. [2] The depiction of these events in the movie has been fictionalized but is reasonably accurate.

However, there were some inaccuracies in the movie that troubled viewers. One of the scenes that caused the most controversy was when Sir Winston Churchill, the future leader of war-time Britain, supported the accession of George V. This scene misrepresented Churchill's view of Edward's abdication entirely. Churchill supported Edward VII (1894-1972) and believed that he should remain as king despite his marriage to Wallis Simpson. He was friendly with the abdicated king and remained a supporter. [3]

Unlike in the movie, Churchill did have grave doubts about the ability of George VI to carry out his Royal duties. He was not alone in the belief, and many others shared that view in the highest circles of the British government. Over time, he did come to accept the younger brother of Edward VII and came to respect him as an able monarch and leader . [4]

The King and his Stutter

The movie's central theme is the difficulties faced by George VI because of his stutter and how Logue was able to help him overcome his speech defect. This depiction is historically accurate, and the future George VI had a serious speech impediment. In the movie, Firth's character is shown as having a terrible stammer and that when he became nervous or anxious, he was almost unable to communicate. His stammer made public speaking almost impossible for the monarch.

The movie shows that his speech impediment was a result of his insecurity and shyness. [5] This was very much the case, and George VI did have a terrible stutter from childhood. The King’s Speech accurately shows the real problems caused by the future George VI and the entire Royal Family. In one scene at the opening of an exhibition celebrating the British Empire, George struggles with a speech and becomes visibly upset. The movie shows many senior officials and members of the Royal Family becoming gravely concerned about this. In the 1930a, when the movie is set, for the first-time, Royalty members were expected to speak in public and be effective communicators because of the growing importance of the mass media. [6]

The inability of George VI to publicly speak clearly was a real problem, and it was feared that it could damage the Royal Family and even undermine confidence in the government of the British Empire. The movie does somewhat exaggerate the importance of the king’s stutter, but it was a significant issue for the Royal Family.

When did Lionel Logue begin treating George VI?

Perhaps the biggest inaccuracy in the movie is that Logue was, in reality, able to help the King to overcome his stammer before the abdication crisis and his coronation rather than after these events. He first began to treat the second son of George V in the 1920s and continued to do so for many years. The movie shows that the treatment took place in the 1930s, and this was no doubt done for dramatic effect, but this is not strictly correct.

Cooper’s movie relates how George had been seeking help all his life for his stammer, and he tried every technique and treatment available for the time, which is true. The 2010 motion picture does really capture the sense of desperation and anxiety that the future George VI had over his speech impediment. He is shown as going in desperation to the Australian Logue, and this is also correct. The therapist is shown as using innovative techniques to help George overcome his stammer, which is right. The Australian was an early pioneer in speech and language therapy, and he was an innovator. [7] The film shows Rush trying to instill more confidence in the Royal. He adopts several strategies, but none are shown to work.

How did Logue treat George VI's speech impediment?

Eventually, he provokes the king, and in his anger, he can speak stutter-free. In reality, the speech and language therapist gave the monarch a series of daily vocal exercises, such as tongue twisters, that were designed to help him to relax. This helped the future king to relax, and this was key to the improvements in his speech. The motion picture does show that the treatment was not a total success, and the king continued to have a very slight stammer. This was indeed the case. However, the improvement in the speech of George VI was remarkable, which is accurately shown in the 2010 movie. It shows George having grave doubts about Logue and his treatment when he hears that he is not formally qualified as a therapist.

In real life, this did not cause a crisis in the relationship between the British sovereign and the Australian therapist. It is correct that Logue was not formally qualified because there was no education system for language therapy when he was young. Instead, he was self-taught and had traveled the world, studying the ideas of respected speech therapists. The movie leaves the viewers in no doubt that the king and the Royal Family owed the Australian a great debt, and this was the case, and when George VI died, his widow, the Queen, wrote to the therapist to thank him for all he had done for her husband. [8]

What was the relationship between King George VI and Lionel Logue?

The movie shows that the two men began to become real friends over time, despite their differences. This was the case, and it appears that both men liked each other and even enjoyed each other’s company. The relationship between the British king and the Australian is very realistically shown, and they remained friends until the early death of George VI. The movie shows that Logue was present when George made important Radio broadcasts to the British Public. This was the case, but Logue continued to coach the king to speak in public for many years.

In the movie, Logue is shown when George VI pronounced that Britain was at war with Germany in September 1939 during a radio address to the nation. This is not correct, but the Australian did provide the king with notes on things where he should pause and breathe, and these were a real help in the most important speech the monarch ever made. Logue continued to coach the king for many years until about 1944.

The therapist is shown as being very much at ease in the King's presence and treating him like any other client. This was not the case. Despite their genuine friendship, Logue would have been expected to have been somewhat formal and respect the Royal Person of the King at all times. In real life, Logue was not as easy-going and familiar with George VI as portrayed in the historical drama. [9]

Was George VI accurately portrayed in the King's Speech?

Colin Firth’s performance was widely praised. The British actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor. While Firth's performance was widely acclaimed, there were some concerns about how accurately he portrayed the monarch. In the main, Firth did manage to capture George VI and his character in the feature film. The British actor did correctly show that the monarch was a timid and insecure man who felt that he was not equal to his Royal duties, and this was something that greatly distressed him. [10]

His stammer may have been a result of his sense of inadequacy, but this cannot be known, for certain. Firth does show that the monarch did grow in stature after he was crowned as King. It leaves the viewer in no doubt that by the end of the movie, Firth, who has largely overcome his stammer, could lead his country in its hour of greatest danger. [11]

This was the case, and the monarch became widely respected for his leadership and his calm dignity. However, the script tended to be overly sympathetic to George and avoided his character's rather unpleasant aspects. He was alleged to have both fits of anger and alleged acts of domestic violence. Those allegations have not been confirmed.

Helena Bonham Carter's performance was praised, and she does capture the personality of Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002). She was a very supportive wife and dedicated to her husband. She did not want him to become king because she feared what it would do to him. Her family, as shown in the feature film. [12] Geoffrey Rush played the character of the speech and language therapist Logue, and he presented him as a larger-than-life figure who was charismatic, and this was indeed the case. It is generally agreed that Rush really captured the personality of the acclaimed speech and language therapist.

How realistic is the King's Speech?

Overall, the movie is historically accurate. It shows the modern viewer the importance of the King's treatment for his speech impediment. This movie also captures the real sense of anxiety in Britain in the 1930s, and it broadly captures the historical context of the Coronation of George VI. The relationship between Logue and the monarch is also largely accurate. However, this is a movie, and the need to entertain means some inaccuracies, especially concerning details such as the king's treatment. However, when compared to other historical dramas, the movie is very realistic.

Further Reading

Bowen, C. (2002). Lionel Logue: Pioneer speech therapist 1880-1953. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53

Bradford, Sara. King George VI (London, Weidenfeld, and Nicolson, 1989).

Ziegler, Philip, King Edward VIII: The Official Biography ( London, Collins, 1990).

• ↑ Thorpe, A. Britain in the 1930s (London, Blackwell 1992), p 115
• ↑ Thorpe, p 118
• ↑ Rhodes James, Robert A spirit undaunted: The Political Role of George VI (London: Little, Brown & Co, 1998), p 118
• ↑ Logue, Mark; Conradi, Peter, The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy (New York: Sterling, 2010), p 13
• ↑ Logue, p 134
• ↑ Thorpe, p. 289
• ↑ Logue, p 145
• ↑ Logue, p 115
• ↑ Logue, p. 167
• ↑ Logue, p 189
• ↑ Logue, p 192
• ↑ Rhodes, p 201
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Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush)

Character analysis, the failed actor.

You'd think, in a movie about speech therapy, it would be the failed actor-turned-speech-teacher that would be a quack and the actual doctors that would be profoundly helpful. You'd think that… and you'd be wrong.

Not in this Academy Award-winning treatise on the blending of psychology and elocution. In this bad boy, it's the bad actor/model airplane maker/swear word enthusiast that turns out being the most medically profound man in, it seems, the entire island of Great Britain.

Plus, he's super-lovable.

We find out late in the movie that Lionel Logue doesn't have any formal training in speech therapy—he's actually a pretty bad actor who just kind of fell into the business of speech therapy back in Australia when people asked him to help shell-shocked World War One vets learn how to speak again. Logue shows us his hilarious side whenever he acts, like when he gets up for an audition with an amateur theatre company and reads, "Now is the winter of our discontent/ Made glorious summer by this sun of York."

Logue's speech and pronunciation is perfect, but his emotion and general acting ability leaves a lot to be desired. You can see why he's better at the speech part than the acting part.

After Lionel has finished auditioning, the head of the amateur theatre company stops him to say, "Yes... well... Lionel, I think our dramatic society is looking for someone slightly younger and a little more regal." In other words, he is calling Lionel old and…well… common. Lionel is Australian, you see, and no English theatregoer would ever believe that a dude with an Australian accent could be King of England.

Here you can see that Lionel is the victim of several prejudices. So no matter how invincible he might seem in his sessions with Bertie, he's still a vulnerable guy with broken dreams of his own.

Psychoanalyst

When he first started working as a speech therapist, Logue didn't take long before he realized that the shell-shocked war veterans he was working with had psychological cause for their inability to speak.

Up to this point, everyone had assumed that things like stuttering were caused by physical problems. But pioneers like Logue knew that the reasons were mostly psychological. As he tells Bertie at one point,

LOGUE: I did muscle therapy, exercise, relaxation, but I knew I had to go deeper. Those poor young blokes had cried out in fear, and no one was listening to them. My job was to give them faith in their voice and let them know that a friend was listening.

His skills as a speech therapist are based only on personal experience—which is why it makes sense that he doesn't put much faith in things like social class or a person's level of education. He knows that anyone can feel isolated and unheard, whether he's just a common dude from Australia or the King of England.

In the beginning, both Bertie and his wife Elizabeth find it inappropriate that Logue would want to be on an equal level with the King of England. But as Logue assures Elizabeth,

LOGUE: I can cure your husband. But for my method to work there must be trust and total equality in the safety of my consultation room. No exceptions.

A Good Friend

Lionel Logue is as solid as a rock. He's a good and faithful friend to Bertie, even though Bertie doesn't always appreciate it. In a moment of rage, Bertie reminds Logue that he (Bertie) is King of England and Logue is "the disappointing son of a brewer!"

Logue is hurt by the comment, but like a good friend, he doesn't let it destroy his loyalty to Bertie. Instead, they make up and move on. By the end of the movie, Lionel tells Bertie at the moment of his big speech:

LOGUE: Forget everything else and just say it to me. Say it to me, as a friend.

And that's exactly what Bertie does. Bolstered by the fact that he has his friend by his side, Bertie kills it. If Logue doesn't have the qualities of a good friend, we don't know who does.

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W hy's T his F unny?

Watch CBS News

The story behind "The King's Speech"

February 20, 2011 / 11:46 PM EST / CBS News

With 12 Oscar nominations, "The King's Speech" is among the most nominated films of all time. It's based on the true story of George VI, the father of the present queen of England. George VI was a man who, in the 1930s, desperately did not want to be king. He was afflicted nearly all his life by a crippling stammer which stood to rob Britain of a commanding voice at the very moment that Hitler rose to threaten Europe.

"The King's Speech" came, seemingly out of nowhere to become the film to beat on Oscar night. And Colin Firth is now the odds-on favorite to win best actor for his critically acclaimed portrayal of George VI.

The hidden letters behind "The King's Speech" What's it like to hold history in your hands? Scott Pelley had that chance, reporting on the Oscar-nominated film "The King's Speech." Hear from Colin Firth and Mark Logue, whose grandfather's friendship with a king made history.

Segment: "The King's Speech Extra: The real King George Extra: Colin Firth, King and Queen Extra: Firth's Oscar-nominated roles Extra: Firth's "bland" looks Pictures: Colin Firth on "60 Minutes"

When correspondent Scott Pelley asked Firth if he liked being king, Firth said, "I think it's hard to think of anything worse, really. I mean, I wouldn't change places with this man. And I would be very surprised if anybody watching the film would change places with this man."

"It's a perfect storm of catastrophic misfortunes for a man who does not want the limelight, who does not want to be heard publicly, who does not want to expose this humiliating impediment that he's spent his life battling," Firth explained. "He's actually fighting his own private war. He'd rather have been facing machine gun fire than have to face the microphone."

The microphone hung like a noose for the king, who was a stutterer from the age of 8. He was never meant to be king. But in 1936 his older brother gave up the throne to marry Wallace Simpson, a divorced American. Suddenly George VI and his wife Elizabeth reigned over an empire that was home to 25 percent of the world's population.

And like the George of over 1,000 years before, he had a dragon to slay: radio.

"When I looked at images of him or I listened to him, you do see that physical struggle," Firth said of the king's public speeches. "His eyes close, and you see him try to gather himself. And it's heartbreaking."

Among those listening was a 7-yr.-old British boy who, like the king, had a wealth of words but could not get them out.

"I was a profound stutterer. I started stuttering just before my third birthday. I didn't rid myself of it until I was 16. But my parents would encourage me to listen to the king's speeches during the war. And I thought, 'Wow if he can do that, there is hope for me.' So he became my childhood hero," David Seidler, who wrote the movie, told Pelley.

Seidler had grown up with the story, but he didn't want to tell the tale until he had permission from the late king's widow, known as The Queen Mother.

Seidler had sent a letter to her. "And finally, an answer came and it said, 'Dear Mr. Seidler, please, not during my lifetime the memory of these events is still too painful.' If the Queen Mum says wait to an Englishman, an Englishman waits. But, I didn't think I'd have to wait that long," he explained.

Asked why, Seidler said, "Well, she was a very elderly lady. Twenty five years later, just shy of her 102nd birthday, she finally left this realm."

After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, Seidler went to work. He found the theme of the story in the clash between his royal highness and an Australian commoner who became the king's salvation, an unknown speech therapist named Lionel Logue.

"The words that keep coming up when you hear about Lionel Logue are 'charisma' and 'confidence.' He would never say, 'I can fix your stuttering.' He would say, 'You can get a handle on your stuttering. I know you can succeed,'" Seidler said.

Geoffrey Rush plays Logue, an unorthodox therapist and a royal pain.

They say you can't make this stuff up, and in much of the film that's true. Seidler could not have imagined his work would lead to a discovery that would rewrite history. Researchers for the film tracked down Lionel Logue's grandson Mark, because the movie needed family photos to get the clothing right.

Mark Logue not only had pictures, he also had some diaries.

Produced by Ruth Streeter His grandfather's diaries were up in the attic in boxes that the family had nearly forgotten. When Logue hauled them down for the movie, he discovered more than 100 letters between the therapist and his king.

"'My dear Logue, thank you so much for sending me the books for my birthday, which are most acceptable.' That's so British isn't it. 'Yours very sincerely, Albert,'" Logue read from one of the letters.

"As you read through all these letters between your grandfather and the king, what did it tell you about the relationship between these two men?" Pelley asked.

"It's not the relationship between a doctor and his patient, it's a relationship between friends," Logue said.

We met Logue at the same address where his grandfather treated the king. And among the hundreds of pages of documents were Logue's first observations of George VI.

"Probably the most startling thing was the king's appointment card," Logue told Pelley. "It described in detail the king's stammer, which we hadn't seen anywhere else. And it also described in detail the intensity with the appointments."

The king saw Lionel Logue every day for an hour, including weekends.

"You know, he was so committed. I think he decided 'This is it. I have to overcome this stammer, and this is my chance,'" Mark Logue told Pelley.

In the film, the king throws himself into crazy therapies. But in truth, Logue didn't record his methods. The scenes are based on Seidler's experience and ideas of the actors.

"We threw in stuff that we knew. I mean, somebody had told me that the only way to release that muscle," actor Geoffrey Rush said of one of the speech exercises he did in the movie. "And of course, little did I realize that the particular lens they were using on that shot made me look like a Galapagos tortoise."

While the treatments spring from imagination, the actors read Logue's diaries and letters to bring realism to everything else.

"The line at the end, I found reading the diaries in bed one night, 'cause this is what I used to do every night, when Logue says 'You still stammered on the 'W'," Firth said.

The line was used in the movie.

"It shows that these men had a sense of humor. It showed that there was wit. It showed there was self mockery and it just showed a kind of buoyancy of spirit between them. The fact that he spoke on a desk standing upright in this little hidden room is something we found in the diaries as well," Firth told Pelley.

"In reality he had to stand up to speak, he had to have the window open," Firth said. "And he had to have his jacket off."

"And that wonderful, specific little eccentric observation that came from reality," Firth added.

One of the most remarkable things to come out of the Logue attic was a copy of what maybe the most important speech the king ever made - the speech that gave the movie its name. This was the moment when King George VI had to tell his people that for the second time in a generation they were at war with Germany. The stakes were enormous. The leader of the empire could not stumble over these words.

Mark Logue has the original copy of "the speech," typed out on Buckingham Palace stationary.

"What are all of these marks? All these vertical lines? What do they mean?" Pelley asked, looking over the documents.

"They're deliberate pauses so that the king would be able to sort of attack the next word without hesitation," Logue said. "He's replacing some words, he's crossing them out and suggesting another word that the King would find easier to pronounce."

"Here's a line that he's changed, 'We've tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between my government.' He's changed that from, 'my government,' to, 'the differences between ourselves and those who would be our enemies,'" Pelley said.

"You know, I'm curious. Have either of you snuck into a theater and watched the film with a regular audience?" Pelley asked Firth and Rush.

"No, the only time I've ever snuck in to watch my own film I got quite nervous about it, because I just thought it be embarrassing to be seen doing that, so I pulled my collar up, and the hat down, over my eyes, and you know, snuck in as if I was going into a porn cinema, or something and went up the stairs, crept in, sidled in, to sit at the back, and I was the only person in the cinema. That's how well the film was doing," Firth remembered.

Now, it's a lot harder for Firth to go unnoticed. Recently he was immortalized with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and brought along his Italian wife Livia.

They've been married 14 years and have two sons. With "The King's Speech," we realized Firth is one of the most familiar actors that we know almost nothing about. So we took him back to his home town Alresford in Hampshire, outside London. He's the son of college professors, but Firth dropped out of high school to go to acting school.

"But you don't have a Hampshire accent," Pelley pointed out.

"No. My accent has changed over the years, as a matter of survival. So until I was about 10, 'I used to talk like that,'" Firth replied, mimicking the local accent. "I remember it might have been on this street, actually, where I think the conversation went something like, 'Oy, you want to fight?' And I said, 'No, I don't.' 'Why not?' 'Well, 'cause you'll win.' 'No, I won't.' 'Well, will I win then?' 'Well, you might not.' And so, you know, we went trying to process the logic. And I thought, 'Have we dealt with it now?"

"Do we still have to fight?" Pelley asked.

"Do we actually have to do the practical now? We've done the theory," Firth replied.

He wanted us to see his first stage. It turned out to be the yard of his elementary school where he told stories from his own imagination.

"And at lunch times on the field up here, the crowd would gather and demand the story. They'd all sit 'round and say, 'No, we want the next bit,'" Firth remembered.

Firth told Pelley he found his calling for acting at the age of 14.

Asked what happened then, he told Pelley, "I used to go to drama classes up the road here on Saturday mornings. And one day I just had this epiphany. It was I can do this. I want to do this."

He has done 42 films in 26 years, most of them the polar opposite of "The King's Speech," like "Mamma Mia!"

"How hard was it to get you to do the scene for the closing credits?" Pelley asked, referring to Firth doing a musical number in an outrageous, Abba-inspired outfit.

"I think that's the reason I did the film," Firth joked.

"You have no shame?" Pelley asked.

"I'm sorry. That's if one thing has come out of '60 Minutes' here, it's we have discovered, we've unveiled the fact that Colin Firth has no shame. I am such a drag queen. It's one of my primary driving forces in life. If you cannot dangle a spandex suit and a little bit of mascara in front of me and not just have me go weak at the knees," Firth joked.

From queen to king, Firth is an actor of amazing range who now has his best shot at this first Oscar.

Like George VI himself, this movie wasn't meant to be king. "The King's Speech" was made for under $15 million. But now the movie, the director, the screenwriter David Seidler, who made it happen, and all the principal actors are in the running for Academy Awards. It would be Geoffrey Rush's second Oscar.

"What advice to you have for this man who may very likely win the Oscar this year?" Pelley asked Rush.

"Well enjoy it. It isn't the end of anything because you will go on and do a couple more flops probably, you might even sneak into another film in which no one is in the house," Rush joked.

But on Oscar night, stammering King George may have the last word. A lot of movies are based on true stories. But "The King's Speech" has reclaimed history.

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The King's Speech

• The story of King George VI , his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
• Britain's Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI , but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth hires Lionel Logue, an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence. — Jwelch5742
• Tasked with serving as the voice of freedom and leading a nation into conflict with Adolf Hitler 's Nazis, the future King of the United Kingdom, King George VI , must first address a chronic, debilitating condition. As Prince Albert of York struggles to overcome his stammering problem to no avail, his wife, the worried Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother , seeks help from unconventional London speech therapist Lional Logue . But to deal with the terrible speech impediment, Prince Albert must persevere through fear and humiliation to take on the burden of the monarchy. And with courage, determination, and unexpected friendship, the nation will eventually have a leader. — Nick Riganas
• The true story of the journey of King George VI to the throne and his reign as he develops a friendship with a therapist who helps him overcome his speech impairment to help him in life and all of his duties in the British Monarch while he is king. — RECB3
• Biopic about Britain's King George VI (father of present day Queen Elizabeth II) and his lifelong struggle to overcome his speech impediment. Suffering from a stammer from the age of four or five, the young Prince Albert dreaded any public speaking engagement. History records that his speech at the closing of the 1925 Commonwealth exhibition in London was difficult for both him and everyone listening that day. He tried many different therapies over many years, but it was only when he met Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, that he truly began to make progress. Logue did not have a medical degree, but had worked as an elocution coach in the theater and had worked with shell-shocked soldiers after World War I. Through a variety of techniques and much hard work, Albert learns to speak in such a way so as to make his impediment a minor problem and deliver a flawless speech heard around the world by radio when the U.K. declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939. The King and Logue remained life-long friends. — garykmcd
• Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), "Bertie" (Colin Firth), the 2nd son of King George V, speaking at the close of the 1925 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, with his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) by his side. His stammering speech unsettles the thousands of listeners in the audience. The prince tries several unsuccessful treatments and gives up, until the Duchess persuades him to see Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist in London. In their first session, Logue requests that they address each other by their Christian names, a breach of royal etiquette. Logue is unorthodox in his approach & Albert is not convinced it will be of any help. Logue makes a recording of Bertie with full music in background (so Bertie can't hear himself) & gives it to Bertie. In 1934, King George V (Michael Gambon) declares Bertie's older brother unfit for the throne & demands Bertie to improve his speech. He plays Logue's recording & finds himself speaking perfectly. He returns to Logue & he gently probes the psychological roots of the stammer. The Prince reveals some of the pressures of his childhood: his strict father; the repression of his natural left-handedness; a painful treatment with metal splints for his knock-knees; a nanny who favored his elder brother-David, the Prince of Wales--deliberately pinching Bertie at the daily presentations to their parents so he would cry and his parents would not want to see him, and--unbelievably--not feeding him adequately ("It took my parents three years to notice," says Bertie); and the early death in 1919 of his little brother Prince John. Logue & Bertie become friends. On 20 January 1936 George V dies, and David, the Prince of Wales (Guy Pearce) accedes to the throne as King Edward VIII, & wants to marry Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), an American divorcee, which would provoke a constitutional crisis. Bertie confronts David, who only accuses Bertie of having designs of his own & makes fun of his speech impediment. Even Logue suggests that Bertie can be King, & this causes a rift in their friendship as Bertie is not thinking in that way. When King Edward VIII does in fact abdicate to marry, Bertie becomes King George VI. Feeling overwhelmed by his accession, the new King realizes that he needs Logue's help and he and the Queen visit the Logues' residence to apologize. When the King insists that Logue be seated in the king's box during his coronation in Westminster Abbey, Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Derek Jacobi), questions Logue's qualifications. This prompts another confrontation between the King and Logue, who explains he had begun by treating shell-shocked soldiers in the last war. When the King still isn't convinced about his own strengths, Logue sits in St. Edward's Chair and dismisses the Stone of Scone as a trifle, the King remonstrates with Logue for his disrespect. The King then realizes that he is as capable as those before him. Upon the September 1939 declaration of war with Germany, George VI summons Logue to Buckingham Palace to prepare for his radio speech to the country. As the King and Logue move through the palace to a tiny studio, Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) reveals to the King that he, too, had once had a speech impediment but had found a way to use it to his advantage. The King delivers his speech as if to Logue, who coaches him through every moment. As Logue watches, the King steps onto the balcony of the palace with his family, where thousands of Londoners, gathered to hear the speech over loudspeakers, cheer and applaud him. A final title card explains that, during the many speeches King George VI gave during World War II, Logue was always present. It is also explained that Logue and the King remained friends, and that, "King George VI made Lionel Logue a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1944. This high honor from a grateful King made Lionel part of the only order of chivalry that specifically rewards acts of personal service to the Monarch."

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The King’s Speech

A stirring, handsomely mounted tale of unlikely friendship starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Americans love kings, so long as they needn’t answer to them, and no king of England had a more American success story than that admirable underdog George VI, Duke of York, who overcame a dreadful stammer to rally his people against Hitler. A stirring, handsomely mounted tale of unlikely friendship starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush , “The King’s Speech ” explores the bond between the painfully shy thirtysomething prince and the just-this-side-of-common, yet anything-but-ordinary speech therapist who gave the man back his confidence. Weinstein-backed November release should tap into the same audience that made “The Queen” a prestige hit.

Though hardly intended as a public service message, “The King’s Speech” goes a long way to repair decades of vaudeville-style misrepresentation on the subject of stuttering, which traditionally serves either for comic effect (think Porky Pig) or as lazy shorthand for a certain softness of mind, character or spine. Screenwriter David Seidler approaches the condition from another angle entirely, spotlighting a moment in history when the rise of radio and newsreels allowed the public to listen to their leaders, shifting the burden of government from intellect to eloquence.

These pressures are too much for Prince Albert (Firth), whose crippling speech impediment causes public embarrassment at 1925’s British Empire Exhibition. Director Tom Hooper (HBO’s “John Adams,” “The Damned United”) alternates between nervous Albert and the fussy yet professional BBC announcer in this opening scene to contrast one man dragged into public speaking with another who’d elected the bloody job for himself.

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Albert’s father, King George V (authoritatively played by Michael Gambon), is no more fond of the wireless, but eventually embraces the device for a series of annual Christmas addresses. Though tough on his tongue-tied son, he views Albert as a more responsible successor than his reckless brother Edward (Guy Pearce), who indeed will famously renounce the throne to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson ( Eve Best ). But George V fears the stammer is unbefitting the throne. “In the past, all a king had to do was wear a uniform and not fall off his horse,” he laments.With responsibility for the crown looming, Albert’s wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter, in her most effectively restrained performance since “The Wings of the Dove”) seeks out the services of Lionel Logue (Rush), a frustrated Australian actor turned speech therapist. As portrayed by Rush, Logue is what some politely call a “force of nature” — all bluster, no tact, yet incredibly effective in his unconventional approach, rejecting the institutional thinking of the time in favor of vocal exercises and amateur psychotherapy.

While Seidler cleverly uses the prince’s handicap as a point of entry, “The King’s Speech” centers on the rocky connection that forms between Bertie (as the speech therapist calls the prince) and Lionel, whose extraordinary friendship arises directly from the latter’s insistence on a first-name, equal-to-equal dynamic quite unlike anything the Duke of York had previously encountered. Though few would deem it scandalous today, the film rather boldly dares to humanize a figure traditionally held at arm’s length from the public and treated with divine respect, deriving much of its humor from the brusque treatment the stuffy monarch-to-be receives from the irreverent Lionel (including a litany of expletives sure to earn the otherwise all-ages-friendly film an R rating).

While far from easy, both roles provide a delightful opportunity for Firth and Rush to poke a bit of fun at their profession. Firth (who is a decade older than Albert-cum-George was at the time of his coronation, and a good deal more handsome) has used the “stammering Englishman” stereotype frequently enough before, in such films as “Pride and Prejudice” and “A Month in the Country.” Here, the affliction extends well beyond bashful affectation, looking and sounding more like a man drowning in plain air as his face swells and his throat clucks, yet no words come out. Rush’s character, meanwhile, is that most delicious of caricatures, a recklessly bad actor whose shortcomings are embellished by someone who clearly knows better.

On the surface, Rush appears to have the showier of the two parts. But the big scenes are indisputably Firth’s, with two major speeches bookending the film (the latter one being the 1939 radio broadcast with which King George VI addressed a nation entering into war with Germany) and a surprisingly candid confession at roughly the midway point (in which Albert reveals the abusive treatment that likely created his stammer in the first place).

Hooper, who nimbly sidestepped the pitfalls of the generic sports movie in “The Damned United,” proves equally spry in the minefield of blue-blood biopics by using much the same m.o. — focusing on the uncommonly strong bond between two men (the director reunites with Timothy Spall here as a rather comical-looking Winston Churchill). Another repeat collaborator, production designer Eve Stewart, re-creates both royal digs and Logue’s wonderfully disheveled atelier, while Alexandre Desplat’s score gives the film an appropriate gravitas.

• Production: A Weinstein Co. (in U.S.) release presented with U.K. Film Council of a See-Saw Films/Bedlam production in association with Momentum Pictures, Aegis Film Fund, Molinare, FilmNation Entertainment. Produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin. Executive producers, Geoffrey Rush, Tim Smith, Paul Brett, Mark Foligno, Harvey Weinstein, Bon Weinstein. Co-producers, Peter Heslop, Simon Egan. Co-executive producers, Deepak Sikka, Lisbeth Savill, Phil Hope. Directed by Tom Hooper. Screenplay, David Seidler.
• Crew: Camera (color), Danny Cohen; editor, Tariq Anwar; music, Alexandre Desplat; music supervisor, Maggie Rodford; production designer, Eve Stewart; art director, Leon McCarthy; set decorator, Judy Farr; costume designer, Jenny Beavan; sound, John Midgley; re-recording mixer, Paul Hamblin; supervising sound editor, Lee Walpole; special effects supervisor, Mark Holt; visual effects supervisor, Tom Horton; line producer, Peter Heslop; associate producer, Charles Dorfman; assistant director, Martin Harrison; second unit camera, Matt Kenzie; casting, Nina Gold. Reviewed at Aidikoff screening room, Beverly Hills, Sept. 1, 2010. (In Telluride Film Festival; Toronto Film Festival -- Gala Presentations; London Film Festival -- Gala.) Running time: 118 MIN.
• With: King George VI - Colin Firth Lionel Logue - Geoffrey Rush Queen Elizabeth - Helena Bonham Carter King Edward VIII - Guy Pearce Winston Churchill - Timothy Spall Archbishop Cosmo Lang - Derek Jacobi Myrtle Logue - Jennifer Ehle Stanley Baldwin - Anthony Andrews Queen Mary - Claire Bloom Wallis Simpson - Eve Best King George V - Michael Gambon

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Forgotten archive reveals true story behind 'king's speech'.

• The grandson of the Geoffrey Rush character in the movie has the real Lionel Logue's papers
• They include letters between King George VI and his grandfather
• The two men were really friends for a quarter of a century
• Mark Logue's discovery helped "King's Speech" director Tom Hooper

London (CNN) -- There were always three pictures of King George VI on the mantelpiece of the various houses Mark Logue lived in when he was growing up -- including one signed and dated by the king on the day of his coronation -- but as a boy in the 1970s and 1980s, Logue doesn't remember wondering why.

Only years later, after his father died and Logue inherited a box of papers and scrapbooks, did it all begin to make sense.

Logue's grandfather was Lionel Logue, the Australian speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush in the Oscar nominated movie "The King's Speech."

Mark Logue -- born 12 years after his grandfather died -- had inherited some archive: Christmas cards from the king and queen, a condolence card from George VI to Lionel Logue when his wife died, and a letter of thanks from the queen for a letter Logue wrote when the king himself died several years later.

The papers also include hundreds of letters exchanged by the king and the speech therapist, whom he met more than a decade before he was crowned.

"The content of the letters between them is incredibly friendly as you'd expect between two friends," Mark Logue says. "But there is a kind of etiquette that Lionel still abides by," addressing George VI as "your Royal Highness."

George VI addressed his friend as "Dear Logue," and signed the early letters "Albert" -- his name before he was crowned king. The later letters are signed "George."

Also among his grandfather's papers is what Mark Logue believes is the actual copy of the speech George VI read at the outbreak of war with Germany 1939 -- the climactic scene of the movie.

"In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history..." the speech begins.

The copy in Logue's archive contains handwritten pencil notes, indicating what words to stress and where to pause.

"The King's Speech" condenses the friendship of the monarch and commoner into about a year, but the real George and Logue knew each other for a quarter of a century.

"The first thing that I came across that startled me was his appointment card," Mark Logue says.

In tiny handwriting, Logue assessed his new patient, Albert, Duke of York in 1926.

The duke "has acute nervous tension which has been brought on by the defect. He is of nervous disposition... Contracts teeth and mouth and mechanically closes throat... an extraordinary habit of clipping small words - an, in , on - and saying the first syllable of one word and the last syllable of another," Logue wrote.

The Duke saw Logue almost every day for next two or three months, in advance of a royal visit to Australia, Logue's records show.

The friendship lasted for the rest of their lives, although it seems they were never photographed together.

At the Coronation in 1937, Logue is seated in the royal box, with his wife, Myrtle. They are so high up, she's using opera glasses.

Myrtle died suddenly of a heart attack after World War II, prompting the king to write: "Dear Logue, I must send you one line to tell you how terribly sorry I was to hear of your bereavement. And I send you all my deepest sympathy in your great grief ...I do so feel for you as I know you had a perfect companionship with her. I am yours sincerely. George."

Mark Logue gets choked up reading the letter generations later.

"It's something about thinking about him hurting after Myrtle's death... makes it kind of real," he says.

The archive inspired him to write a book with the author Peter Conradi.

"King's Speech" director Tom Hooper starting looking at Logue's material about seven weeks before starting filming, Logue says -- and was able to add some details to the movie as a result.

Hooper hadn't known, for example, that the king took off his jacket and stood to deliver the 1939 speech, since photos of the event show him seated and in full military uniform.

And, from Logue's diary, a joke was added.

"I went to Windsor on Sunday for the broadcast... only one mistake... W in weapons," Logue wrote. "After the broadcast I shook hands with the King and congratulated him. And asked him why he stopped on the W. He replied with a grin. I did it on purpose. I exclaimed -- on purpose ? And he said yes -- if I don't make a mistake they won't know it's me."

The movie did make some changes, of course: The real Lionel Logue was more deferential than Geoffrey Rush's character, and rather shorter than his movie counterpart.

And another thing the movie does not tell audiences is that the king and the therapist remained close until the end of their lives. George VI died in 1952. The following year, his friend Lionel Logue died too.

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'The King's Speech' as history: Did he really call the duke 'flabby'?

Hand-written notes by Lionel Logue, the speech therapist portrayed in the Oscar-winning 'The King's Speech,' shed light on his close, direct, and unadorned relationship with the future king.

• By Gloria Goodale Staff writer

March 1, 2011 | Los Angeles

Still basking in the glow of a Best Picture Oscar win, “The King’s Speech” continues to pique curiosity about just how true some of the film’s details really are.

When the mere suggestion of a protocol lapse during the Obamas’ visit to Buckingham Palace created an international protocol “grande scandale” (Did Michelle Obama really touch Queen Elizabeth ?!), is it really possible that more than 80 years ago a commoner could sit on the floor with the future King of England and call him “flabby?”

While some historians are dubious, the president of the International Protocol Officers Association, Chris Young , says, “why not?” Everyone, no matter how high their elected office or inherited position, needs – and almost always finds – someone with whom he or she can be completely normal, he adds.

The Oscars 2011: How real are the reality-based Best Picture nominees?

Perhaps the best place to start is at the beginning – the first encounter between Australian therapist/Shakespearean actor/son of a brewmeister Lionel Logue and then Prince Albert.

The second in line to the British throne came for help with a lifelong and debilitating stutter . The notes from those sessions, recorded in tiny pen-and-ink handwriting on 12-by-4-inch cards – now yellow with age – tell a story of their own. They have been passed down from the original Logue to his son and now to his grandson, Mark Logue , who lives in London.

Here we pick up the narration as Mark Logue, in a telephone interview, reads snippets from the cards, jotted down at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on October 19, 1926:

“Acute nervous tension which has been brought on by the defect. … Albert has a nervous disposition … physical state well-built with good shoulders… waistline very flabby,” reads Mr. Logue.

Since the film depicts Geoffrey Rush ’s character tsk-tsking the duke over his flabby tummy, Logue is quick to note, “Whether this is an observation he just wrote down without saying, I’m not sure, but it’s consistent with his approach, which was basically direct.” The unconventional therapist asked the Duke of York to meet in his own premises not at the royal residence, says Logue, because “getting the duke out of protected royal enclosures was important to his therapy.”

Continuing with more notations, Logue reads that his grandfather wrote: “On his physical state: Top lung breathing good … non control of solar plexus and nervous tension, consequently areas of … bad speech and depression.”

Here, Logue notes how unusual it would be for a diagnosis of depression to appear during a preliminary session, which he suggests adds credence to the idea that the duke opened up to an unusual degree with his grandfather.

“He’s obviously interested in the duke’s psychological state and uses that word depression. The duke has been quite honest. You can’t tell depression from one hour[-long] interview, so the duke was probably confiding in him what was making him depressed. Otherwise,” he says, “why would he write that down after just one interview?”

The clinical observations go on, says Logue, with other notes about the duke’s stutter. “Contracts teeth and mouth and mechanically closes throat,” Logue continues, noting that the cards, which had been long tucked away in large grey filing cabinets, now “are yellow on the edges and smell of antiquity.”

Logue is quick to say that his grandfather was not anti-monarchist. This is important, he says, because if his lack of ceremony with the duke had been rooted in antagonism, he says there is little likelihood that the two men could have built a respectful and friendly relationship that lasted until the king’s passing in 1952.

Indeed, a simple note from the duke to Lionel Logue after their first round of appointments illuminates their bond.

Between October 1926 and January of the following year, the two met for a single hour every day, notes Mark Logue, some 53 appointments in all. After this, the duke set sail for Australia where he was to speak before the Australian Parliament .

“January 5th was his last appointment,” says Logue, “after that he writes to Logue, ‘Thank you so much for the help you have given me. I feel confident. I feel better equipped so I can do the speeches. You have given me the confidence to go on.”

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Lionel Logue and the king

When we came home last Sunday from The King's Speech we began to talk about the House of Windsor and all we'd forgotten about it or never knew.

"So how many brothers did George VI actually have?"

"Well, there's Edward the Abdicator and there's the other one mentioned in the film – John, the one we never used to hear about, who had epilepsy and died young. And then there's a couple of dukes, Kent, the one who died in the air crash, and the other one – Norfolk?"

"You mean Gloucester," my wife said, and so I did. Norfolk is the Catholic duke who lives in Arundel; he has nothing to do with it. "But George VI had a sister, too. A total of five brothers and a sister is what I remember."

"Princess Marina?"

"No, I think Marina married Kent." She looked towards the ceiling like a spiritualist. "I'm getting the name the Hon Angus Ogilvy here. Whoever he was or is, he's mixed up in this somewhere."

In fact, she meant the Earl of Harewood, whom George VI's sister Princess Mary (aka the Princess Royal) married when Harewood was still Viscount Lascelles. As to Ogilvy, he married Princess Alexandra, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent – see Princess Marina (of Greece and Denmark) above.

From our imperfect knowledge we assembled what we could of the Windsor tree, going no further back than George V and Queen Mary; Michael Gambon and Claire Bloom play them in the film. "Mary of Teck", we remembered, and I thought how odd it was that the world's most famous liner, excepting the Titanic, should owe its name to a woman titled after an obscure dukedom in the kingdom of Wurttemberg. Our mothers could have set us straight instantly: they knew these things, though I don't think of either of ours as particularly royalist and in my own mother's case, not at all. In the house of my childhood, as in millions of others, the monarchy was rarely discussed. The late king might get a mention as "Stutterin' Geordie", though more often it was as a harmless and ineffectual soul. And yet somewhere in the maternal head was a plan that could link dukes to princesses and nieces to uncles, and accorded some family members (Princess Alexandra was one) special points for dress sense or sympathetic personalities. "Women's stuff", our fathers would have said, though even they knew that Queen Mary wore a toque.

The King's Speech returns us to this time. "Ind.Imp." was still stamped around the king's head on the coinage, but the monarchy had begun its journey to a more homely image – "the Royal Family" – rather than of proud emperors who ruled India. It's a fine film. David Seidler's script and Eve Stewart's sets offer a persuasive version of the age but never lay it on with a trowel. The details look right. Stanley Baldwin (Anthony Andrews) speaks to the king as you believe he might well have done: formally but fluently and sincerely, and not as a stereotype of Old England. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush give performances as the king and his speech therapist that are utterly pleasurable and convincing and deserve any number of awards. As a piece of drama, there's never a false note in the dialogue, or none big enough to puncture your suspension of disbelief. Even the film's relationship to the historical record seems fairly scrupulous, with the large exception that the part Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) played in the abdication crisis has been stood on its head: he famously supported Edward, so why in the film is he encouraging George? Perhaps only because any film about the 1930s and 40s in Britain needs Churchill to be there somewhere.

Of course, events have been sometimes compressed or rearranged; the crowd outside Buckingham Palace at the outbreak of war in 1939 didn't actually turn up until 1945. There again, some things I took to be inventions turn out to be true; Edward did fly his own plane to Sandringham when his father was dying in 1936 – he learned to fly in the first world war. The biggest distortion doesn't attend the royal personalities and their behaviour, which is what the film-makers meant when they stressed their determination to be historically accurate. It comes instead with the speech therapist, the Australian Lionel Logue .

He has consulting rooms in Harley Street and yet his home seems to be a mean terraced house in the East End. The front door opens straight to the pavement, where ragged children play in the fog. The point is to show that Logue's friendship with the man who became king bridged all kinds of divisions: between a ruler and his colonial subject, between privilege and a state close to poverty, between a chippy Australian and a shy prince. In fact, during the 20-odd years the two men knew each other, Logue and his family lived first in a flat in The Boltons, Kensington, and then in a Victorian villa called Beechgrove on Sydenham Hill. Beechgrove had 25 rooms, five bathrooms, five acres of garden, a tennis court and a cook; it was probably bigger than the Piccadilly house his patient moved into when he and his duchess were married. Logue had never been poor – he was a respectable middle-class Australian who delighted in his intimate access to the monarchy and gladly deferred to its members. According to his diaries a typical exchange went like this. King: "Goodnight, Logue, I thank you very much." Logue: "The greatest thing in my life, your majesty, is being able to serve you."

For obvious dramatic reasons, this wasn't the kind of personality the makers of The King's Speech had in mind. According to his grandson, Mark Logue, the speech therapist's character was originally drawn "more crudely, so that he would be instantly recognisable as an irreverent, almost verging on revolutionary Australian" with no respect for royal etiquette. Changes were made a few weeks before filming began after Mark Logue unearthed more of his grandfather's letters and diaries and showed them to the writer and director, and it may be that Logue's humble home and his swearing-to-cure-stammering therapy ("fuck, fuck, fuck") survive only as the remnants of his fictional ocker original.

It hardly matters. The film is true to the substance. Logue and the king had a remarkable friendship that is attested to on both sides, and which grew from the relationship between the healer and the (at least partly) healed – a friendship that promoted the healing. The king was always rather keen on friendship. In his last Christmas broadcast before he died, he said that in "an age which is often hard and cruel . . . I think that, among all the blessings which we count today, the chief one is that we are friendly people."

It may not be true now; it may never have been particularly true. But one of the film's achievements is to remind us of a time when Britain could hear those words without laughing, when the Windsor tribe opened hospitals and launched ships and, after the abdication, zealously kept any troubles to itself. We were glad to have seen it.

• Colin Firth

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The King's speech

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The King's Speech Paperback – November 26, 2010

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• Print length 242 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Union Square & Co.
• Publication date November 26, 2010
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
• ISBN-10 140278676X
• ISBN-13 978-1402786761
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Union Square & Co.; First Edition (November 26, 2010)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 140278676X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1402786761
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
• #984 in Historical British Biographies
• #1,152 in Royalty Biographies
• #3,607 in Great Britain History (Books)

About the authors

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