BEHOLD THE GLORY OF MY YULETIDE GIFT
"and hate the bright stillness of the noon" is my yuletide story, and it is BEYOND AWESOME. This kind writer took my desire for a George/Amber story for the ABC Family show "Huge," mixed it with my desire for a Dorothy/Wayne story, and created a 12,000-word epic complete with natural disasters, desperate teenage longing, difficult adult relationships, daring rescues in caves, sexual yearning, daring rescues of other sorts, poetry quotations in difficult circumstances and women being kick-ass as all get-out. All this story lacks is nifty disguises and a volcano, and I feel confident the writer could have folded them in had she so wished. If you ever watched "Huge," heard about "Huge" or just want to give an awesome story a try, check this one out. I am delighted all the way up to 11.
**
Thank goodness for my story, because I had a not-so-hot Christmas, one of the ones where I had a headache from suppressing crying so often. Another high spot, though, was seeing "The King's Speech": In many ways, this is very standard biopic Oscar fodder, and yet a reminder that this genre, when done well, really can shine. Principally this movie is a showcase for the talents of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, who are each extraordinarily good -- even by the standards of their own past work.
I also thought it provided an interesting window on Edward VIII, showing a version of him and Wallis Simpson that portrayed them neither as extraordinary lovers nor loathsome villains. As shown, several people say unkind things (not least Queen Mary in the guise of Helena Bonham Carter) about them, but they may be no worse than irresponsible hedonists. However, when George V dies, Edward VIII breaks down sobbing -- partly because of the death of his father, but probably mostly because he's now trapped in a kingship he knows himself to be ill-suited for. He leans against his mother the queen ... who refuses to touch him, holding her arms out awkwardly at an angle rather than acknowledge her son's grief and distress. As simply as that, the movie makes the case that Edward VIII might have been so slavishly devoted to Mrs. Simpson because she was the first person who let him feel that open emotion was acceptable. We also learn -- truthfully, I think -- that one nanny abused George VI so badly that he was underfed almost to malnourishment ... and it took his parents, the king and queen, three years to notice.
The main flaw of the film, I thought, was a minor one, but it pertains to the climax. This is, of course, the King's speech at the beginning of WWII. On the day that war is declared, George VII has to get up and rally the nation via radio as best he can. The film has perfectly set up his dread and fear about this, and as it is the only contribution he can make to the war effort, it feels exactly right when it comes to him. However, the film goes a step further and shows Churchill, Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury all beside themselves with nerves about this speech, then delighted and relieved afterward. I'm guessing that on the day England went to war with Hitler, the king's speech was not actually priority number one for any of these individuals. And I'm betting "relief" and "delight" figured less in their emotions afterward than the sickening dread of what was to come. So ... it overreaches a bit, but only there at the end, and the focus of the film is tight enough on the king and his therapist that it doesn't matter so much. Well worth seeing.
**
Thank goodness for my story, because I had a not-so-hot Christmas, one of the ones where I had a headache from suppressing crying so often. Another high spot, though, was seeing "The King's Speech": In many ways, this is very standard biopic Oscar fodder, and yet a reminder that this genre, when done well, really can shine. Principally this movie is a showcase for the talents of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, who are each extraordinarily good -- even by the standards of their own past work.
I also thought it provided an interesting window on Edward VIII, showing a version of him and Wallis Simpson that portrayed them neither as extraordinary lovers nor loathsome villains. As shown, several people say unkind things (not least Queen Mary in the guise of Helena Bonham Carter) about them, but they may be no worse than irresponsible hedonists. However, when George V dies, Edward VIII breaks down sobbing -- partly because of the death of his father, but probably mostly because he's now trapped in a kingship he knows himself to be ill-suited for. He leans against his mother the queen ... who refuses to touch him, holding her arms out awkwardly at an angle rather than acknowledge her son's grief and distress. As simply as that, the movie makes the case that Edward VIII might have been so slavishly devoted to Mrs. Simpson because she was the first person who let him feel that open emotion was acceptable. We also learn -- truthfully, I think -- that one nanny abused George VI so badly that he was underfed almost to malnourishment ... and it took his parents, the king and queen, three years to notice.
The main flaw of the film, I thought, was a minor one, but it pertains to the climax. This is, of course, the King's speech at the beginning of WWII. On the day that war is declared, George VII has to get up and rally the nation via radio as best he can. The film has perfectly set up his dread and fear about this, and as it is the only contribution he can make to the war effort, it feels exactly right when it comes to him. However, the film goes a step further and shows Churchill, Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury all beside themselves with nerves about this speech, then delighted and relieved afterward. I'm guessing that on the day England went to war with Hitler, the king's speech was not actually priority number one for any of these individuals. And I'm betting "relief" and "delight" figured less in their emotions afterward than the sickening dread of what was to come. So ... it overreaches a bit, but only there at the end, and the focus of the film is tight enough on the king and his therapist that it doesn't matter so much. Well worth seeing.