The King's Speech demonstrates how powerful cinema can be. Directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler, The King's Speech features Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi & Michael Gambon. Alexandre Desplat composed the music, and Danny Cohen handled the cinematography. The film’s concept arose when Seidler learned about how King George VI (Firth) overcame his stammer through a friendship with his speech coach Lionel Logue (Rush). Having himself dealt with a stutter as a child, Seidler wrote the story using personal experience. A fortunate discovery occurred before filming began: notebooks belonging to Logue were made available for use, allowing Seidler to incorporate writings from those books into the script. The narrative begins shortly before George’s brother, Edward (Pearce), abdicated, unexpectedly placing the stammering George on the throne of England. With war looming, George must deliver a crucial speech to calm his nation, but first he needs to work closely with the friendly Logue and hope it resolves his speaking difficulties. I watched The King's Speech just a few days before the Academy Awards that year, so I wasn’t sure how well it would do. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director (Hooper), Best Actor (Firth) and Best Original Screenplay (Seidler), receiving 12 nominations overall. That was one of those years when Oscar and BAFTA—where it took home 7 awards out of 14 nominations, including Best Film and Best Actor for Colin Firth—got it right. At the time I saw it, the film had already earned over $230 million, a figure that would certainly increase as it continued to play in packed theaters across the UK (which proved to be true, with the final total reaching $412 million). I went to see it myself on February 22nd, 2011, more than six weeks after its initial release in Britain. As I approached the cinema, I noticed a line! A queue? It had been ages since I waited in line for a movie like I did for Jaws, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind! There were quite a few young people in that line, so I assumed they were going to see Yogi Bear or Gnomeo & Juliet. But it turned out they were all there to watch The King's Speech, an audience ranging from 12-year-olds to elderly day trippers. For the next two hours, the only sounds I heard were laughter, quiet expressions of appreciation for what was on screen, and even a few tears during some of the more touching scenes. There were no cell phones, no conversations about pimples or crushes, just widespread approval of skillful filmmaking. That’s why The King's Speech did so well at the box office and broke records as it gained popularity. It has broad appeal—a film without gimmicks, simply a captivating story acted superbly by a cast of accomplished performers. It conveys genuine emotion while also providing a visual history lesson for those interested in the British monarchy and the political turmoil that was about to unfold as Adolf began his rise. Even with so much dialogue and focus on human interaction, the pace is quick and never drags; the quieter moments only build anticipation for what’s coming next. Ultimately, The King's Speech became a success due to word of mouth—it started as an independent film intended for limited release in select theaters, but now it stands out as one of the best films of 2010/2011. Trust me, believe the buzz: if you haven’t seen it yet, you should make time to see this beautiful movie. 10/10

Source on TMDB