The Oscars and Period Drama 2011

Period Drama of the Year 2011, The King's Speech

I will be thrilled if The King's Speech sweeps the Oscars. It is nominated for an incredible 12 Oscars, so the chances are good.  As I am writing this, the pre-Oscar show is playing in the background and I just saw Colin Firth arrive, probably wearing Tom Ford.  Helena Bonham Carter is wearing her usual dark round shades and a really cool black dress with sliced up puffed sleeves and a bustle (I love her!).  Who else would dare wear a late Victorian inspired dress designed by a costume designer?  No one but Helena of course. Here is a photo with her unusual garter!

Helena Bonham Carter Oscar Dress 2011- Patriotic and wacky at the same time!

Geoffrey Rush has shaved his head for a new role and so looks quite different from Lionel Logue at the moment.

Geoffrey Rush bald at the Oscars 2011 (and wearing straight top bifocals!) No Hollywood vanity here. How refreshing!

Colin Firth's wife is wearing a "green" dress which is detailed on her blog at vogue.com. She describes it as being recycled, repurposed, upcycled.  "Eleven dresses in one, vintage/thrift/charity shop buys all from the era of The King's Speech",  and here it is:

Livia and Colin Firth getting ready for the red carpet at the Oscars

And for a few more of Livia getting ready with a bit of help from her adoring husband.  Also check out the amazing jewels, all fair trade!

Livia Firth getting laced into her corset with a little help from her adoring husband

Gorgeous fair trade aquamarine earring on Livia Firth

I'd love that aquamarine ring, but I'm afraid I couldn't pull that one off!

Couldn't resist this one last photo from the film. Sooooooo cute!

Adoring looks abound for Colin Firth

And now for something completely different...

The other Period Drama which has been really overlooked is True Grit.  Although nominated for 10 Oscars, I think it hasn't gotten nearly the attention that was anticipated when it was released.  I quite enjoyed this one, although it wasn't in the same league as The King's Speech.  I truly enjoyed the performance of the young star Hailee Steinfeld.  She reminded me somewhat of Megan Follows in Anne of Green Gables.  Quite a joy to watch.  Although Jeff Bridges has been mocked a little for his rather difficult to understand diction in this film as Rooster Cogburn, he was obviously having a lot of fun and so did I watching him!

Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross

It's been years since I watched a western and this one was definitely worth seeing.  Perhaps a rental as opposed to one you might want to own.  The King's Speech, however, will be in my library as soon as it's available.

Well, the awards are starting, so off I go for now.  I'll update with the wins later!  Bye!!!!!

#1 Congrats to David Seidler for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
#2 Congrats to Tom Hooper for Best Achievement in Directing (Listen to your mother!)
#3 Congrats to Colin Firth for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
#4 Congrats to Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin for Best Motion Picture of the Year

Night, night!

The King's Speech- My impressions

Poster for The King's Speech

Last night, my husband and I drove to Toronto (about 90 minutes from here) to see this wonderful film.  I was afraid that my expectations were too high and that I would end up disappointed.  I was not disappointed.



It only opened in 5 theatres in all of Canada this weekend, so we bought our tickets online and drove in early.  We ended up in line about an hour before showtime and there were already at least 50 people ahead of us.  My social husband (I like to call him the Squire) started chatting with two ladies in front of us after they asked us to hold their spot in line.  It ended up as a hilarious dissertation by the ladies on why my Squire could not just put on Wellington boots and end up looking like Mr. Darcy.  "It's the brooding, you have to be brooding and mooning... you can't just put on the boots!"   He looked slightly crestfallen as they were laughing at him.  I told the ladies to watch out for Jennifer Ehle as Lionel Louge's wife as she likely wouldn't look much like Lizzy Bennet anymore, especially dressed in 1930's fashion.

Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue

Then as the earlier showing of the film started pouring out, another slightly older lady came up to the four of us and said "You are going to love this film.  Enjoy it!"  Now we were really getting excited.  It was a sold out show and we had our popcorn.

Colin Firth as Bertie (King George VI) in full uniform

The film itself is a story of friendship developing between two men from very different backgrounds.  At the beginning of the film, Bertie is the Duke of York and he is seeking out the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue because his stammer is interfering with his public duty.  This is a prince who has had no contact with the common man and an Australian who has never encountered royalty and doesn't buy into the British class system.  The plot concerns the lead-up to the speech, The Speech, where Bertie (King George VI) has to get on the radio and tell his people that for the second time in a generation, their country was going to war.  Not just any run of the mill speech.  That is a lot of pressure for anyone, never mind a King with a stammer who thinks that everyone prefers his brother who had recently abdicated in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

A sweet look between King Bertie and Elizabeth (the Queen Mum)

So I won't tell you any more about the film, other than that Jennifer Ehle does not look anything like Lizzy Bennet in this (except for her little mole on her left upper lip) but there is a really funny scene with her and Colin Firth together on the screen again.  This must be weird for her as she and Colin Firth had a fling during the filming of Pride and Prejudice.  It would be sort of like running into an old boyfriend at a party I would think.
Anyway, there are many other familiar faces in this such as David Bamber (Mr. Collins from P&P) in a very brief cameo.  There are quite a few Harry Potter alumni also such as Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) as Elizabeth (Berties wife and the future Queen Mum) looking as sane as we have ever seen her onscreen.  Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) as Winston Churchill was a bit of a stretch, but Michael Gambon (Dumbledore as well as appearing in most Period Dramas) always gives a great performance, here as Bertie's father King George V.

Poor Bertie with one of those anxiety causing microphones

On the way out of the theatre, I overheard a teenage boy behind me say "Thanks for dragging me to see this Dad.  I thought it would be boring but it was great!"  So feel free to drag family members, even teens to this.  There is some swearing (although only for comedic effect and the teens will think it's really cool anyway) so you may want to prepare Grandma if you are taking her.  The music is fabulous and the Squire leaned over during the dramatic speech and whispered "They're playing Beethoven's 7th", just in case you needed to know that!

I had tears in my eyes as I made the customary run to the ladies room after the film and I was not the only one.  I think the fact that my parents would have heard that speech on the radio, and my grandparents and even my great grandparents really got me emotional and even now the tears are pricking at my eyes.

So there is my enthusiastic review of The King's Speech.  Now go see it as soon as it comes to your city.

Shakespeare in Love- I love it!

You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.

Two things made me think of Shakespeare in Love in the past week.  First of all, my teenage son's girlfriend was appearing as Juliet in a local production of Romeo and Juliet (and it was very good production, as was she in the titular role).  I said to my son at one point in the evening "Now aren't you glad that I made you watch Shakespeare in Love so many times?" and he actually said yes!  (If you would like to see the YouTube video promoting the Lost and Found Theatre production, the link is here.)  By the way, he had a hard time seeing his girlfriend kiss Romeo multiple times, but he met Romeo after the show and they shook hands (very cute).

Then I was blogging about the new film The King's Speech and I realized that I had seen Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in a film together before....hmmmm......which film was it?  Of course, they both had supporting but key roles in this Best Picture of 1998 and Geoffrey Rush was nominated for an Oscar in his role as Philip Henslowe, owner of The Rose Theatre.  Colin Firth plays the baddie in this one, the unromantic Lord Wessex, to whom Gwyneth Paltrow's character Viola De Lesseps is betrothed and is forced to marry, even though she is in love with the married Will Shakespeare.  Poor Gwynnie, I'll take Lord Wessex off  your hands if you like!

Lord Wessex: My lady, the tide waits for no man, but I swear it would wait for you.

Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.

If you want to watch a period drama with any of the men in your life, this one is a good one to pull out of your collection or to rent.  The costumes are sumptuous, the music will swell your heart and the story will sweep you along and have you in tears by the end.  Gwyneth Paltrow won her Oscar for playing Viola (anyone else remember her pink Ralph Lauren Oscar dress that looked like it needed shorter spaghetti straps?) and Judi Dench stole all the scenes she was in (and a "Best Supporting" Oscar to boot).

In Justin Long's Guide to Rom-Coms, he says "Oh God, then there’s Shakespeare In Love. I feel immediately more romantic just thinking about it. After watching that it makes me want to swoop out and seduce someone with a sonnet."  So, if you want your special someone to seduce you with a sonnet, then this film is your pick.

The King's Speech promotional tour

Colin Firth is starting his promotional tour for his new film, The King's Speech, the story of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II, his dramatic ascension to the throne and the Australian speech therapist who helped the struggling monarch find his voice.  I can't resist joining in the excitement with this post.



Director Tom Hooper, whose heritage is both Australian and English was particularly drawn to this unlikely story, largely unknown, about the friendship which developed between King George VI and his Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.  The screenplay writer David Seidler, was a young stammerer himself during WWII and derived great inspiration from the King's struggles with his speech.  After writing the screenplay for the film Tucker, (for Francis Ford Coppola in 1988), he turned to this story.  However, after approaching the Queen Mother (widow of King George VI) for permission to tell the story, she asked that he wait until after her death, as the events were still too painful for her to relive.  Little did he realize that she was to live until the age of 101!  He was aware that some diaries and documents belonging to Lionel Logue existed, but by the time he finally got to write the story (after the death of Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002), it was only a few weeks before the film shoot began when the documents were finally found in the London attic of Logue's descendant.

Apparently, the script was reworked at the last minute to include much of the authentic information from the diaries and medical records.  There was also a three week rehearsal involving Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and the director and writers where each line was worked on and some jokes even added by the actors. Apparently when Lionel Logue asks the King if he knows any jokes, and the King replies "Timing isn't my strong suit", that line was written by Colin Firth!

The film is largely about the friendship which develops between the two men and swings back and forth between drama and comedy (something the Brits do so brilliantly) and is already generating Oscar buzz.  So you all know where I will be on December 10th when this is released in North America.  I don't care if I have to drive to Toronto, I'll be seeing it on opening night!