It was a big thrill after yesterday's TIFF screening of Colin Firth's new film The King's Speech, when the director Tom Hooper, Firth and Geoffrey Rush came out to do a Q & A for the audience (which gave the film a deserved standing ovation). The film focuses on the relationship between George VI and his Australian speech therapist, played by Rush, who is trying to cure him of a lifelong stammer. The script was wonderful, the acting absolutely fantastic (both Firth and Rush deserve Oscar nods) and there's a great supporting cast including Helena Bonham-Carter, Claire Bloom and Derek Jacobi.
If you are currently reading the Booker short-listed novel C by Tom McCarthy, which explores the early scientific experiments with radio, this movie will be of particular interest. In the 1930s, Hitler and Mussolini were using radio broadcasts to great effect; it was the key way to get your message to the masses and the film explores the very private struggle of this man who so desperately wanted to do his duty - made more imperative by his brother's abdication - amidst the fears of being publicly humiliated.
2 comments:
OK, I really need to know whoever it is that you know...would have loved to have been in the audience, I'm so jealous!
Sharron S.
Hee hee - Sharron, I know no one! This is the lovely thing about TIFF, it really is also a festival just for ordinary film buffs. Many times the director and/or actors will also come to the regular screenings to do a Q & A, along with all the red carpet stuff they do. I have a friend who saw Never Let Me Go (and loved it!)and at the end, the director, Carey Mulligan and surprise of all, Kazuo Ishiguro came out to answer questions! He got the biggest applause from this obviously bookish audience.
I also passed by Paul Gross coming out of a theatre as I was going in. That's it so far for a brush with fame.
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