A Sucker for the Underdog

I'm a true sucker for underdogs. For the last 2 weeks, I've been curious about "The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Geoffrey Rush.

This Oscar-nominated film recounts the story of Bertie [King George VI thank you], and his struggle with speech impediment. Well, I do have to say that with that alone triggered my curiosity to find out more about this "impediment". What I found was even more inspiring than what I thought. There was a point where his brother David, yeah, that Duke of Windsor, his friends, and even the Mrs. Simpson, thought of poor Bertie and Elizabeth as square pegs. As I kept digging for more info via good old Google and YouTube, voila!, there it was, the recording of the infamous address that Bertie delivered to the British population in the mist of World War II. I am so glad that someone in Buckingham Palace was smart enough to record it. And be aware that in his 16 years as King, he dealt with World War II, the independence of India, and the reconstruction of a new Britain; the establishment of Social Medicine, whew! And I am impressed....VERY IMPRESSED! And then I remember a famous line from "It's A Wonderful Life" that says "A Man Is No Failure When He Has Friends". Bertie had more support than what he expected; from his wife Elizabeth, his daughters, his mother Queen Mary, and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. But most of all, of the British population.

So why do I want to see the film? I do love history pieces. I'm always intrigued by what was like at that time, at that place; the fashion of the times; the technology; what did they do to entertain themselves...all that mumbo jumbo. I'm also curious to see how a man who admitted his defects found the courage to hold a position in the Monarchy that he didn't want, despite of his brother's selfish action to abdicate just to be with the woman he "loved"[sorry people, but for me, it was his abandonment of the Royal Family's mantra "Duty First, Service Second"].

I do admit that Colin is a sight for a woman's sore eyes, but he's also the perfect actor for period pieces. Interesting enough, the first time I saw Firth was on "Bridget Jones' Diary", and I just said "Hubba! Hubba! Whatta good lookin' Englishman". But besides that, his performance as "Bertie" made him earn his second Oscar nomination as Best Actor, and a huge contender in that category.

Well, after digging information, I do believe that this would be a "feel good" movie, rich in history, an inspiration for us to pursue and preserve all that's good in life. I look forward to see it and, honestly, I hope the film gets the award for "Best Picture".