Genre: Drama and Biopic
Runtime: 1 hr 51 min
Rating: R for some language
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce
Synopsis: George VI, also known as Bertie, reluctantly takes the throne of England when his brother, Edward, abdicates in 1936. The unprepared king turns to a radical speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help overcome his nervous stutter and the two forge a friendship.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, not only is it well done, but I had no idea about this part of British history. All in all I enjoyed this movie thoroughly.
It took me several hours of "chewing" on this movie to decided what "spiritual truth" it spoke to. I've often found, that movies based on true stories are either very easy to read Christianly or they are nearly impossible, there is no middle ground. This one was very much the same.
After much thought and replaying the movie in my mind I have come to the very distinct decision that the character of Lional Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is a Christ figure. From the very first moment that we meet Lionel, he tells you that he is unorthodox and that if he is going to accept you as a patient that you have to follow his rules. Bertie (Colin Firth) is at first reluctant. He's already seen a number of people for his stutter and not a single one has been helpful. But finally, he decides that he'll work with Lionel, but only on his terms. So the two begin to work together and moderate progress is made. However, there are often setbacks as George attempts to carry out his role as the Duke of York.
Finally, after the death of his father, King George V, Bertie begins to open up to Lionel about personal matters, and here we see him finally start to make some real progress. It isn't until Bertie accepts the friendship that has been growing, that he is finally able to fully trust Lionel and allow him to help.
And here is the moment that we see Lionel as a Christ figure. We are all born with an impediment - we call it sin. This impediment inevitably becomes a problem and we seek help. However, when we first seek help, we often want that help on our terms instead of on His, but like Lionel, Christ is willing to work with us where we are, waiting for us to make the choice to open up. When we finally do open up to him and allow him fully into our lives and into our trust, then the transformation begins.
WARNING: mild language. For those of you who are offended by cursing or any other form of vulgar language, be aware that this movie is rated R because of the language. About halfway through the movie, Lionel tells Bertie to curse in order to loosen up. From that point on there are a couple of scenes where Bertie's nerves are frayed and he curses in order to calm himself (sounds a bit like Turrets). Other than that, I would highly recommend this movie.
Showing posts with label Colin Firth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colin Firth. Show all posts
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Monday, April 12, 2010
Nanny McPhee
Woohoo...another "fairy tale"...Sheesh.......
Genre: Comedy, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Run time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements, some rude humor and brief language
Starring: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly MacDonald, Thomas Sangster
Synopsis: A new nanny enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown and attempts to tame his seven exceedingly ill-behaved children. The children, led by the oldest boy Simon, have managed to drive away 17 previous nannies and are certain that they will have no trouble with this one. But as Nanny McPhee takes control, they begin to notice that their vile behavior now leads swiftly and magically to rather startling consequences. Her influence also extends to the family's deeper problems, including Mr. Brown's sudden and seemingly inexplicable attempts to find a new wife; an announcement by the domineering Aunt Adelaide that she intends to take one of the children away; and the sad and secret longings of their scullery maid, Evangeline. As the children's behavior begins to change, Nanny McPhee's arresting face and frame appear to change as well, creating even more questions about this mysterious stranger whom the children and their father have come to love.
Like most fairy tales, there is a hidden message in "Nanny McPhee", now whether or not this is the message that the author/scriptwriter expected, is really not something I'm going to worry about too much. Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) enters the Brown household to teach the seven children 5 lessons. Now, these seven children are absolutely adorable...some of the cutest kids you could hope to meet, but they are some of the rudest, meanest, sneakiest kids you could ever possibly meet. On the outside they are beautiful, but on the inside they are ugly. When Nanny McPhee arrives, she outwardly portrays the inner ugliness of the children. What is then very interesting - and a key part to the movie - is that as the children increase their inner beauty, Nanny McPhee's outer beauty increases.
This movie reminded me of the God's words to Samuel "Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the inside." Although the children "looked" good, their actions betrayed their true nature. However, as they learned Nanny McPhee's lessons, they truly became "beautiful" people.
So it often is with us - we may look "righteous" on the outside, but it is the heart that interests God. Not until our inner matches our outer, will his work be complete - heaven!
Genre: Comedy, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Run time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements, some rude humor and brief language
Starring: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly MacDonald, Thomas Sangster
Synopsis: A new nanny enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown and attempts to tame his seven exceedingly ill-behaved children. The children, led by the oldest boy Simon, have managed to drive away 17 previous nannies and are certain that they will have no trouble with this one. But as Nanny McPhee takes control, they begin to notice that their vile behavior now leads swiftly and magically to rather startling consequences. Her influence also extends to the family's deeper problems, including Mr. Brown's sudden and seemingly inexplicable attempts to find a new wife; an announcement by the domineering Aunt Adelaide that she intends to take one of the children away; and the sad and secret longings of their scullery maid, Evangeline. As the children's behavior begins to change, Nanny McPhee's arresting face and frame appear to change as well, creating even more questions about this mysterious stranger whom the children and their father have come to love.
Like most fairy tales, there is a hidden message in "Nanny McPhee", now whether or not this is the message that the author/scriptwriter expected, is really not something I'm going to worry about too much. Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) enters the Brown household to teach the seven children 5 lessons. Now, these seven children are absolutely adorable...some of the cutest kids you could hope to meet, but they are some of the rudest, meanest, sneakiest kids you could ever possibly meet. On the outside they are beautiful, but on the inside they are ugly. When Nanny McPhee arrives, she outwardly portrays the inner ugliness of the children. What is then very interesting - and a key part to the movie - is that as the children increase their inner beauty, Nanny McPhee's outer beauty increases.
This movie reminded me of the God's words to Samuel "Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the inside." Although the children "looked" good, their actions betrayed their true nature. However, as they learned Nanny McPhee's lessons, they truly became "beautiful" people.
So it often is with us - we may look "righteous" on the outside, but it is the heart that interests God. Not until our inner matches our outer, will his work be complete - heaven!
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