David Seidler, the screenwriter, who has died aged 86, was inspired by his experiences of struggling with a childhood stammer to write the true story of how King George VI overcame his own crippling speech impediment with the help of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, to give his first radio speech after the outbreak of the Second World War...He had to wait two decades to write his script after the Queen Mother asked him to wait until she died .....

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/19/david-seidler-obituary

Mig.Rhodes <mig73allenford2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>David Seidler, the screenwriter, who has died aged 86, was inspired by
>his experiences of struggling with a childhood stammer to write the true
>story of how King George VI overcame his own crippling speech impediment
>with the help of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, to give
>his first radio speech after the outbreak of the Second World War...He
>had to wait two decades to write his script after the Queen Mother asked
>him to wait until she died .....

>https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/19/david-seidler-obituary

It's such a shame that great success came so late in life for him. I
wonder what screenplays he might have written for good movies had The
King's Speech been produced two decades earlier when he first wanted to
do it.

This was a fantastic movie, with the exception of Timothy Spall as
Churchill. That was a poor performance. Also, Churchill stood in for
other politicians who would have said those things, not Churchill. One
of the nicest portrayals of Princess Margaret ever as a sweet little
girl, not endlessly criticized as a young woman which she mostly didn't
deserve.

Adam H. Kerman wrote:

> It's such a shame that great success came so late in life for him. I
> wonder what screenplays he might have written for good movies had The
> King's Speech been produced two decades earlier when he first wanted to
> do it.

> This was a fantastic movie, with the exception of Timothy Spall as
> Churchill. That was a poor performance. Also, Churchill stood in for
> other politicians who would have said those things, not Churchill. One
> of the nicest portrayals of Princess Margaret ever as a sweet little
> girl, not endlessly criticized as a young woman which she mostly didn't
> deserve.

Agreed. Brilliant movie, though Colin Firth was probably the wrong build for the cadaverous George VI. Spall's Churchill pales into insignificance next to Gary Oldman's portrayal in Darkest Hour.

-=-

Mig.Rhodes <mig73allenford2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman wrote:

>>It's such a shame that great success came so late in life for him. I
>>wonder what screenplays he might have written for good movies had The
>>King's Speech been produced two decades earlier when he first wanted to
>>do it.

>>This was a fantastic movie, with the exception of Timothy Spall as
>>Churchill. That was a poor performance. Also, Churchill stood in for
>>other politicians who would have said those things, not Churchill. One
>>of the nicest portrayals of Princess Margaret ever as a sweet little
>>girl, not endlessly criticized as a young woman which she mostly didn't
>>deserve.

>Agreed. Brilliant movie, though Colin Firth was probably the wrong build
>for the cadaverous George VI.

He was also a decade older than the character. In any event, it was such
a good performance, we could suspend disbelief.

>Spall's Churchill pales into insignificance next to Gary Oldman's
>portrayal in Darkest Hour.

Not to mention, Churchill supported Edward VI and opposed the
abdication. The script should have included the real politician, much
less familiar to the British public than Churchill, to make the needed
points for drama.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>Mig.Rhodes <mig73allenford2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>>David Seidler, the screenwriter, who has died aged 86, was inspired by
>>his experiences of struggling with a childhood stammer to write the true
>>story of how King George VI overcame his own crippling speech impediment
>>with the help of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, to give
>>his first radio speech after the outbreak of the Second World War...He
>>had to wait two decades to write his script after the Queen Mother asked
>>him to wait until she died .....

>>https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/19/david-seidler-obituary

>It's such a shame that great success came so late in life for him. I
>wonder what screenplays he might have written for good movies had The
>King's Speech been produced two decades earlier when he first wanted to
>do it.

>This was a fantastic movie, with the exception of Timothy Spall as
>Churchill. That was a poor performance. Also, Churchill stood in for
>other politicians who would have said those things, not Churchill. One
>of the nicest portrayals of Princess Margaret ever as a sweet little
>girl, not endlessly criticized as a young woman which she mostly didn't
>deserve.

In honor of the screenwriter, I rewatched the movie last night, on
demand on HBO. It's also on Max streaming. I know the music is cliche,
but I love the use of the second movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony
(with variations in the tempo and dynamics to match the action) over the
king delivering the wartime radio address. It's one of my all time
favorite bits of music and its use was quite effective.