The Music in The King's Speech (plus the real speech at the end)

I wanted to write something about the music in “The King’s Speech”. I loved the film and was hardly aware of the score, although it’s quite good by itself.


But there's a moment in the film that absolutely soars. It comes near the end when our poor hero has had his coronation and has become George VI after his brother abdicated the throne.

Superbly played by Colin Firth, he dreaded public speaking because of a speech impediment. He was horrified when he had to ascend the throne in 1937 because he knew what the job entailed.

Two years later, he gave a major speech that BBC Radio broadcast throughout the empire, announcing Britain's entry into World War II. The speech serves as the climax of the film.

The film lets time drag as we see him struggle to form words. It's excruciating. I found myself tensing up each time he tries.

The buildup to the climax begins as he and Logue (his speech therapist) walk Buckingham Palace's endless corridors toward the broadcast room, passing dozens of broadcasters who wish him well. At last, they enter the room with the microphone. They're alone. Logue throws open the window -- he believes fresh air helps -- as the King tries to compose himself.

The countdown begins -- four blinks of a red light followed by steady red. The King’s fear is hard to watch.

And then as he first struggles, we hear ominous musical chords. Moments later, the calm, gentle Allegretto of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony spreads over the pulsing rhythm.

With Logue silently prompting him through the difficult spots, the sweet, melancholic music unfolds, building in intensity, then subsiding, lasting exactly as long as the speech.

The scene brims with feeling between patient and therapist, who went on to became lifelong friends. It's a wondrous moment. If ever music and plot matched, this is it.

A moment later, at the movie's ending, we hear more Beethoven: the slow movement of the "Emperor" Piano Concerto. It too, is a perfect fit.

Music never really plays a crucial role as the events of The King’s Speech play out. There is this but one powerful example of music in the film’s climactic scene,

The musical score for The King’s Speech is by Alexandre Desplat,

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, the allegretto movement has been heard in a few other films, most recently in the film “Knowing”’ with Nicholas Cage”.










King George's actual speech ::

http://archives.cbc.ca/on_this_day/12/25/