Hollywood’s awards season reaches its apex Sunday night at the Oscars — and the royal drama the King’s Speech is expected to continue its dominating run.
The film is such a favourite in the best picture category that the big question among pundits is how many other Oscars the 12—time nominated film will garner.
Few could have predicted such success for the British movie — least of all its stars. After all, the trials and tribulations of a stuttering king do not really have much sex—appeal.
“It just didn’t feel like a thing that people would want to go and see,” co—star Geoffrey Rush conceded.
Yet, made for just 15 million dollars, The King’s Speech has had an amazing art house run, earning some 200 million dollars worldwide already.
In the film, Colin Firth plays Britain’s King George VI, a lifelong stutterer who is forced to take the throne on the eve of World War II after his elder brother’s scandalous abdication. He engages the services of an unconventional Australian speech therapist, played by Rush, and they develop a powerful bond that enables the king to overcome his impediment and inspire his country to victory over the Nazis.
Now, everyone is tabulating its omens for success Sunday night when actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco host an Oscars ceremony that will be watched by hundreds of millions of film fans around the globe.
The King’s Speech is the leading Oscar nominee with 12 nods from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscar voters have a history of supporting movies where the characters speak in plumy British accents. The movie is produced by those masters of Oscar lobbying, Bob and Harvey Weinstein. It has dominated many of the other awards show already this season.
According to the bookmakers, it is the hottest favourite of all time to scoop the best film award, with British bookies William Hill posting odds of 1:6.
There are many reasons for the film’s critical success. But at its core is a story that works on many levels.
Start with the glamour of the British royal family — contrasted with the human frailty and insecurity of the king. Throw in the burgeoning and unlikely friendship between the king and his tutor, two men who bridge divides of class and country to form their bond.
Then there’s the humanization of the film’s central protagonist and the epic context of the king’s personal struggle. And, most importantly, we also have a happy ending tailor—made for Hollywood.
The film’s most prominent best—picture rivals, The Social Network and True Grit, cannot even begin to check all these boxes.
The Social Network, about Facebook founder Marc Zuckerberg, did win the Golden Globe for best drama but was beaten by The King’s Speech in the three most important indicators: the awards shows by the directors, actors and producers guilds, whose members are also the people who vote for the Oscar winners.
True Grit, on the other hand, looks set to continue its role as a top nominee but never a winner, especially because the film’s creators, the Coen Brothers, were honoured by the Academy for No Country for Old Men in 2008.
While Firth is a shoo—in for best actor — and the movie looks certain to win best picture — director Tom Hooper is expected to be strongly challenged by the Social Network’s David Fincher, while Rush could be pushed all the way by Christian Bale from The Fighter for the supporting actor Oscar.
True Grit’s young star, Hailee Steinfeld, is expected to beat Helena Bonham Carter in the supporting actress category, while Annette Bening from The Kids Are All Right and Natalie Portman from The Black Swan are considered favourites for best actress.
