Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 8/6

I finally caught up with The King's Speech (2010), courtesy of Netflix. I was leery. A friend whose opinion I value thought it was over-rated. I disagree. I was captured immediately. The main reason it worked so beautifully is that it humanized the royals.
The Duke of York stammered. When his brother, King Edward, abdicated to marry a divorcee, George VI ascended to the throne. Although the royals by then, 1936, were figureheads with virtually no political power, they were history personified. The kings and queens of England advanced western civilization. Their pluses far surpassed their minuses. Even today they remain vital, as the weddings of Diana and Will and Kate attest. So it was imperative for the king to conquer his impediment and rally the nation against the evil of Hitler.
The cast is a dream for world cinema buffs. Colin Firth was fantastic as King George. Geoffrey Rush did his usual excellent work as the eccentric therapist. Helena Bonham Carter beautifully understated her role as the King's supportive wife. Derek Jacobi shined as the Archbishop. Jacobi, of course, played the stuttering emperor in the greatest mini-series of all time, I, Claudius (1976). Firth played Darcy in the BBC's fantastic 1995 version of Jane Austen's masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice. Michael Gambon, who played George V, was the star of another great mini-series: The Singing Detective (1986). Claire Bloom played his wife. Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker) played Edward. The only performance that did not ring true for me was that of Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. It reminded me more of Alfred Hitchcock. Churchill is seen in private moments. Perhaps his persona was different behind closed doors. I can still envision him with a big cigar clenched in the corner of his mouth, smiling, flashing the V for victory sign. He was one of the most important figures of the 20th Century. Spall has a mountain of impressive credits, and I've never done any acting, so it is most likely me that is wrong here.
The film won the Oscar as Best Picture. Tom Hooper, who has worked largely in British television, won Best Director. David Seidler, who had a speech impediment himself as a child, was the oldest winner of Best Screenplay. And Firth won Best Actor. On a scale of five, I rate The King's Speech four-and-a-half. Long live the king.
Thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway.
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