Queen Elizabeth On 'The King's Speech': 'Moved,' Reacts Favorably

So what's The Queen's Review of 'The King's Speech'?

Two royal thumbs up.

Queen Elizabeth II of England, depicted as the young daughter of King George VI (played by Colin Firth) in the Oscar-nominated film 'The King's Speech,' received a screening about her father's struggle with public speaking and his eventual triumph in inspiring his nation in the face of a German invasion. According to producers The Weinsten Company, she was "moved" by the movie.

The film was only made following the death of her mother, The Queen Mum, who is played by Helena Bonham Carter in the film. She asked writer David Seidel to refrain from committing his screenplay to film until her passing, as it was too painful for her to watch.

Firth has won all the major film awards thus far, including the Golden Globe, for his role as King George VI, and the film, nominated for 12 Oscars, is considered by some to be the favorite after a number of Guild wins over 'The Social Network.'

Here's the full release from The Weinstein Company.

New York, NY, February 4, 2011 - The Weinstein Company (TWC) is honored to learn that Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, has enjoyed a private screening of THE KING'S SPEECH, as reported by Duncan Larcombe, Royal Editor, in today's edition of The Sun. The film, directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler, tells the story of Her Majesty's father, King George VI, as he struggles to overcome a crippling speech impediment while grappling with his sudden, unexpected ascension to throne and the mounting danger of Nazi Germany. THE KING'S SPEECH stars Colin Firth as King George VI, Geoffrey Rush as the King's speech therapist, Lionel Logue, and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

THE KING'S SPEECH has been seen and admired by many notable public figures, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, who hosted a private screening at his home over the Christmas holidays; Prince Andrew; Lord and Lady William Astor; Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill; and Edwina Sandys, the granddaughter of Winston Churchill (portrayed in the film by Timothy Spall).

Screenwriter David Seidler said, "To learn Her Majesty has seen the film, and was moved, in turn moves and humbles me greatly. When, thirty years ago, the Queen Mother asked me to wait and not tell this story during her lifetime, because the memory of these events was still too painful, I realized the depths of the emotions involved. Now this story has been written and filmed with a great deal of love, admiration, and respect for Her Majesty's father. That Her Majesty has responded favorably to this, is wonderfully gratifying."

Said Harvey Weinstein, TWC co-Chairman and executive producer of THE KING'S SPEECH, "On behalf of the director Tom Hooper; the producers, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin; Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and our entire ensemble cast: we are deeply honored and humbled by Her Majesty's appreciation of the film. It was a labor of love for all of us and this is high praise, indeed."

Comments

[janha]

04:42 PM on 02/09/2011

It's a great film. My personal favorite of the last year.

[Getalifealready]

03:37 PM on 02/07/2011

The Queen moved? Are they sure? The only sign of any emotion she has ever shown in public was during the decommissioning ceremony for yacht Britannia.

[Mischief Managed]

01:59 PM on 02/07/2011

Colin HAS to win the Oscar for his depiction of King George VI. I went to see The King's Speech yesterday & it's nothing short of a masterpiece. Definitely go and see it if you have the chance.

[chicamorena]

01:48 PM on 02/07/2011

It's nice she enjoyed the movie. I wonder what she thought about Stephen Frears' excellent film "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren (if she even saw it)? That movie had Prince Philip looking like a constipated snob and the Queen Mother being a straight-up b!tch. Helen Mirren's performance as Elizabeth was spot-on perfect but she made Elizabeth look like a clueless anachronism stuck in a time warp. Bet the royal family won't be handing out any kudos for THAT one!

[Guytar]

01:01 PM on 02/07/2011

I saw this wonderful movie last week. Go see it if you can.

[zest]

12:59 PM on 02/07/2011

Loved the movie; can't wait for the sequel.

[Social Shrink]

12:47 PM on 02/07/2011

Amazing movie and can't wait to see how it does at the Oscars.

www.thesocialshrink.blogspot.com

[Daws]

12:35 PM on 02/07/2011

That's sweet that they waited to film it out of respect. Great film and great performances.

[theredqueen]

10:55 AM on 02/07/2011

A moving story and a pleasant treatment of the subject matter. Firth, Rush and Bonham-Carter all splendid in their roles. The costumes, locations and music all top-notch. I'll add this one to my collection as soon as it comes out on dvd.

[ontariogirl]

10:09 AM on 02/07/2011

One of the best films I have seen in years. It is rare these days that people applaud and give a standing ovation at a movie theatre. This is a keeper.

[sweatermoose]

11:21 PM on 02/06/2011

I'm glad she liked it, and I am not surprised. It was certainly another nail in the coffin of the "Duke and Duchess of Windsor as Romance of the Century", a narrative which the Queen and her Mum have always despised. One of the intriguing aspects of this film, to me, was their portrayal. It seems as time goes on, the former King and Mrs. Simpson are generally treated less sympathetically than they were in former decades, at least here in the US.

[Anne Mccormick]

11:51 PM on 02/06/2011

well, you have to remember that Queen Elizabeth remembers all too well what happened when Edward abdicated the throne in favor of Mrs Simpson. George V1 never wanted to be king and Elizabeth knows that.

[sweatermoose]

12:36 AM on 02/07/2011

Oh, yeah, it's understandable. I've read that she and her mother both attribute her father's early death with the stress of all of it.

[Getalifealready]

03:47 PM on 02/07/2011

He didn't jump he was pushed. His connection and sympathies for the Nazi party were an embarrassment that could no longer be tolerated. The whole Mrs. Simpson thing was a cover and a way out for him to save face. He had many relationships with many married woman, it was his thing. Edward got a good financial settlement. As with Charles, he was told to marry her and he did what he was told - just like Charles. There are many weak character similarities between them. It's amazing how these stories become the truth after time. Same with Princess Margaret. She gave up her married man because she was given an ultimatum - marry him and you lose your title, status and money. We know what she chose but the press prefers to write it up as a love story.

[Leadsled]

09:04 AM on 02/07/2011

Partly at least you can attribute that to the fact that the more we learn about Edward, particularly during the war, the more his abdication appears to be one of the happier accidents of history.

[chicamorena]

01:42 PM on 02/07/2011

From what I've read about Edward he seems to have been a perfectly dreadful individual. And his wife wasn't much better.

[schatsie]

10:53 PM on 02/06/2011

much better pic of the queen....the colors are very good for her and the hat is fairly stylish. and you actually look at her face instead of her clothes....deal is she looks like she is gritting and bearing it...jaw is too tight.....

[aceshigh11]

12:23 PM on 02/06/2011

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN...WE MEAN IT, MAN.

WE LOVE OUR QUEEN...GOD SAAAAAAAVE...

[Said One]

02:08 PM on 02/06/2011

Theres no such thing as a queen.

[nervousexpat]

02:13 PM on 02/06/2011

what about Lindsey Graham

[Marla Thurman]

03:00 PM on 02/06/2011

Really? Then what is that word?

[Libby123]

03:02 PM on 02/06/2011

Thank you for a long overdue Sex Pistols reference!

[oxjr]

04:11 AM on 02/06/2011

Carter is a scene stealer (she just can't help it) but she was able to give such an understated performance her. Bravo.

[schatsie]

10:23 PM on 02/06/2011

The casting was fabulous and Derek Jacobi as the Archbishop was quite good...

[Daws]

12:32 PM on 02/07/2011

Agreed. There's just something magnetic about her.

[SteveSFM]

01:03 AM on 02/06/2011

Ahahahaha. No one runs an Oscar campaign like Harvey.

That said, it's a fine film with a truly extraordinary performance by Firth. In my heart I'm Team Black Swan, but I won't mind if it wins Best Picture.

[ltague]

07:17 PM on 02/06/2011

Colin Firth is my favorite actor. I'm so happy he's been getting great roles these last few years in order to really show his talent!

[Rock Jocelyn]

04:36 AM on 02/24/2011

Agreed. Now if only we can get him into a roll where he has to grow some Darcy-esque sideburns again. *sigh*