The King's Speech
The King's Speech (See-Saw Films/Bedlam Productions) saw The Damned United director Tom Hooper return to the region in December 2009 with this feature-length depiction of the unorthodox relationship between England's King George VI, to be played by Colin Firth, and his Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue - played by Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush - who helped him to overcome his stammer. The King's Speech filmed for seven weeks at locations across the country, and shot partly at the Bradford Bulls Stadium and Leeds United's Elland Road. Screen Yorkshire provided ongoing crew and locations support during the Yorkshire leg of the shoot, which employed a number of regional crew and also features hundreds of local extras in period costume.
The film is due to be released in UK cinemas on January 7th 2011.
THE KING'S SPEECH is based on the true story of Queen Elizabeth II's father and his remarkable friendship with maverick speech therapist Lionel Logue. As the second son of George V, Prince Albert "Bertie" was not expected to ascend to the throne, but when his brother Edward chose to abdicate to marry Wallis Simpson, Bertie was his successor and in 1936 he became King George VI. Thrust into the international spotlight, he engaged Lionel Logue who helped him find a voice to lead the nation.
Emmy award-winning director Tom Hooper is no stranger to filming in Yorkshire as his previous feature THE DAMNED UNITED filmed at locations across the region including Leeds United, Elland Road, Headingley Stadium, The Royal Hotel in Scarborough and Bradford Police Station. Made with the support of the Screen Yorkshire Production Fund, The Damned United stars Micheal Sheen as Brian Clough and charts the story of his fated 44-day tenure as Manager of Leeds United in 1974, and was released to rave reviews in March 2009.
Three-time BAFTA nominee Colin Firth (A Single Man, Mamma Mia!) stars in THE KING'S SPEECH as Prince Albert, alongside his Shakespeare in Love colleague, Oscar®-winner Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean, Shine), as speech therapist Lionel Logue. The multi-award-winning cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Sweeney Todd) as Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), with BAFTA-nominee Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Glory, Pride and Prejudice) as Logue's wife Myrtle, Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker, Memento) as the abdicating King Edward VIII, Derek Jacobi (The Golden Compass, Gosford Park) as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Cosmo Lang, Timothy Spall (The Damned United) as Winston Churchill and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) as King George V.
THE KING'S SPEECH is a See-Saw Films/Bedlam Productions feature film presented by The Weinstein Company and the UK Film Council, in association with Momentum Pictures, Aegis Film Fund and Molinare London.
