'The King's Speech; a film that must not be seen at all costs.

Unless you are a hermit, the cultural chatter is unavoidable. It is in that tom tom way you hear of a film like The King’s Speech. It is lauded by everyone. Even the more respected commentariat are moved by it.

So I pass this cinema showing The King's Speech and the entrance is garlanded with rave reviews; with this level of thought police information in my head I am tempted to go in and fork out my £10 to see this supposedly ‘blue riband’ of films. Yet it is so long since I have seen a film and have felt it for many years, a visceral rather than cerebral 'sus', that the whole film making enterprise is one big money making scam.

But my refusal to go and see the film engenders the usual doubts in me; am I just trying to be superior by not going to the cinema. Is there a certain cachet in not being one of the main stream?You know, not following the Sunday supplement herd over the cultural cliff called Cinema ...and then I am rescued by Christopher Hitchens.

Hitchens calls The King’s Speech, ‘...a blatant rewriting of history, packaged with a seductive human-interest plot, very prettily calculated to appeal to the smarter filmgoer.’  He goes on to argue that ’...it perpetrates a gross falsification of history.  A film that drifts on with ever more vaseline and air brushing being applied to the lens.’ This is compelling reading, better than any film.'

Hitchens goes on to point ou that ‘...in fact the chief protagonist played by Colin Firth was a conceited, spoiled, Hitler-sympathising Nazi sympathiser... and that odd, little German dynasty (the Royal Family) is invested in the post-fabricated myth of its participation in "Britain's finest hour". In fact, had it been up to them, (that odd little German dynasty called the Royal Family) our ‘finest hour’ would never have taken place.’  Hitchens concludes by saying that the ‘...King’s Speech is a major desecration of the historical record - now apparently gliding, on false winds, unopposed toward a baptism by Oscar.’

So I am glad I did not go and see the King's Speech for that way ‘lies’ Hollywood.

to read Christopher Hitchens review see:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/31/the-kings-speech-gross-falsification