Mark Logue and Peter Conradi - The Kings Speech

review by Maggie Perkovich on show June 2011

THIS IS AN INTERESTING AND ILLUMINATING BOOK RETELLING THE WELL KNOWN STORY OF HOW LIONEL LOGUE HELPED THE KINGS FATHER WITH HIS VERY SEVERE SPEECH IMPEDIMENT TO END UP MAKING CLEAR AND POSITIVE SPEECHES TO HIS PEOPLE.
IT IS QUITE FASCINATING TO SEE THE PHOTOS OF THE KING AND HIS FAMILY AND TO REALISE JUST HOW CLOSE THEY WERE, HOW HIS WIFE SUCH A SUPPORT AND HOW LOGUE GAVE UP MANY CHRISTMAS DAYS TO HELP THE KING THROUGH HIS PRESENTATIONS.
WE ALL KNOW I THINK HOW HIS FATHER GEORGE V WAS AN IMPATIENT MAN AND URGED THE BOY TO 'SPIT IT OUT MAN' WHEN HE WAS STUCK ON A WORD - NOT VERY HELPFUL. HOW HIS NURSE WAS NOT AT ALL SYMPATHETIC, HOW HE WAS BULLIED IN THE NAVY AND WAS QUITE UNPREPARED TO BECOME KING. WHEN EDWARD HIS BROTHER DECIDED TO ABDICATE, THE COUNTRY WAS NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THE NEXT IN LINE WITHOUT THE CHARM AND CHARISMA OF HIS BROTHER HE SEEMED A POOR REPLACEMENT AND TOGETHER WITH THE SPEECH PROBLEMS, WELL, THE THRONE SEEMED SHAKEY!!
HOWEVER, HIS LOVELY FAMILY, QUEEN AND TWO LITTLE GIRLS WERE GREAT ASSETS, HIS DEDICATION AFTER THE BEHAVIOUR OF HIS BROTHER ALL WENT INTO HIS FAVOUR AND THE HARD WORK HE PUT INTO LEARNING TO SPEAK WITHOUT A STAMMER WON THE HEART OF BRITAIN AND BEYOND.
LOGUE CHANGED CERTAIN WORDS THAT WERE PROBLEMATIC, TAUGHT HIM TO BREATHE, HELPED HIS DIAPHRAGM TO EXPAND AS IT SHOULD AND BEST OF ALL GAVE HIM UTTER CONFIDENCE TO PRESENT HIS WORDS AS THEY SHOULD SOUND.
TOWARDS THE END OF HIS ASSOCIATION WITH LOGUE HE BEGAN TO ACTUALLY DO HIS SPEECHES WITHOUT LOGUE HELPING ALTHOUGH HE ALWAYS RANG HIM AFTER FOR COMMENTS.
LOGUE USUALLY COMPLIMENTED HIM BUT ONCE COMMENTED HOW HE HAD PAUSED ON A WORD.
'YES' SAID THE KING '[I HAD TO LET THEM KNOW IT WAS STILL ME'. THEY BOTH LAUGHED.
I FELT HUMBLED TO REALISE HOW MUCH STRESS THE KING SUFFERED WHEN HE DID HIS SPEECHES, HOW HE DREADED THE CORONATION (WHICH WENT PERFECTLY) AND HOW HARD HE WORKED ON TOURS, ON VISITS, ON SEEING HIS COUNTRY THROUGH THE WAR AND FINALLY DYING IN HIS FIFTIES, BELIEVED BY MANY TO BE THE STRAIN OF KINGSHIP AND CAUSING HIS WIFE TO BLAME THE DUKE OF WINDSOR EVER AFTER.
LOGUE HIMSELF DIED A YEAR OR SO AFTER ALSO WORN OUT AND GRIEVING FOR HIS WIFE MYRTLE, WHO HAD ALSO BEEN HIS SUPPORT THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FILM ONE DAY.
review by Mags