- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Discs: 1
- Studio: The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: April 19, 2011
- List Price: $39.99
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UESJHE[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The King’s Speech on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
A film about personal struggle remarkable both for its spectacular performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush and its ability to make one feel sympathetic toward one of the most privileged men history has ever known, The King’s Speech is worthy of all its accolades, including all four of those Oscars it scooped up this year.
Firth plays Albert, Duke of York, and second in line to the British throne. He is a shy quiet family man happy to keep in the shadow of his older brother Edward. It’s the dawn of the radio age and the world is on the brink of war with Hitler threatening to rampage across Europe.
Albert’s father, King George V in a bid to toughen him up has burdened his son with public speaking and radio addresses, despite his terrible speech impediment – he’s been a life-long stammerer. It hasn’t helped his public profile, but it’s all been fine since he has only needed to be in the wings his entire life.
Meanwhile, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) has been quietly trying to help her husband find help through an endless procession of speech therapists with their own brand of seemingly inane solutions, before stumbling upon the failed Australian actor turned speech therapist Lionel Logue (Rush) who seems to have the winning solution.
Logue’s stubborn stance that in his office he and all his clients are equals, including the Duke of York, brings out the subtle class distinctions hinted at in the film, but also allows for an interesting look into the psyche of the Duke. Albert, finally feeling at ease after a few sessions, blurts out a spate of curse words, revealing the pent up anger and other secrets from childhood that may be at the root of his stuttering, deepening this unlikely friendship.
When their father, the king, dies, the family is thrown into turmoil, as Edward is unable to fulfill his duties as King due to his ongoing love affair with the married American divorcee Mrs. Simpson, and abdicates the throne for his love. Albert is then thrust into the limelight and upon the throne of Britain, eventually having to give the most important speech of his entire life, an address to the entire British empire before heading into the Second World War.
Tom Hooper’s direction is impeccable, spanning years and various story lines with ease, while the acting of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is of the highest standard. Their chemistry together makes watching The King’s Speech an absolute pleasure.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The King’s Speech is clean, as one one would expect a film of recent vintage to be, and shows good detail and color reproduction. There is strong shadow detail, but black levels are a little washed out in dark scenes and grain levels are definitely heavy in darker areas as well.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is front-heavy, as to be expected in this sort of film. The surround channels offer only some mild atmospheric sound effects. There was at least one moments when a discrete sound effect of a plane flying overhead was panned from back to front, which seemed awkward and out of place given the subtle nature of the rest of the mix.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Of particular interest here will be the actual speeches of King George VI and an interview with the grandson of Lionel Logue.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Feature Commentary with Director Tom Hooper
- The King’s Speech: An Inspirational Story of an Unlikely Friendship (1.78:1; 480i/60; 0:23.01)
- Q&A with the Director & The Cast (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:22.02) – A live Q&A with the main cast as director.
- Speeches from the Real King George VI:
- Pre-War Speech – Radio Broadcast September 3, 1939 (As Seen at the End of the Film)
- Post-War Speech Filmed on Newsreel May 14, 1945
- The Real Lionel Logue (1.78:1; 480i/60; 0:10.34) – Interview with Mark Logue, Lionel Logue’s grandson and co-author of The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy.
- The Stuttering Foundation (Public Service Announcement) (1.33:1; 480i/60)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Profoundly well acted and moving on a personal level, The King’s Speech is the quintessential British costume drama. Tom Hooper manages to weave the different threads of time and lineage together in an understandable way, making the film all the more enjoyable.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UESJHE[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The King’s Speech on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
