Academy Awards Best Picture Focus: 'The King's Speech'

In Yidio's Academy Awards Best Picture Focus section, we take an in-depth look at all 10 films nominated for the 2011 Oscar. Today we take a look at one of the films most likely to succeed on Sunday, "The King's Speech."

About the film:

"The King's Speech" tells the story of King George VI's battle with a debilitating stutter has he ascended to the throne during WWII. Colin Firth plays the young prince, who begins speech therapy with the unorthodox Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. As the young George reluctantly takes the throne and continues to struggle with his speech impediment, his duties expand and he must eventually present a wartime speech to the entire country...without missing a beat.

Why the nomination for Best Picture?

"The King's Speech" stands as one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. Tom Hooper handled the project expertly as director, taking a well-written screenplay and giving it a level of intimacy not often found in movies about historical figures. The film is bolstered by excellent performances from a cast of veteran UK and Australian actors, as Firth and Rush are joined by Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, and Michael Gambon.

Other awards nominations:

"The King's Speech" leads the pack at the Oscars with 12 total nominations: Actor in a Leading Role (Colin Firth), Actor in a Supporting Role (Geoffrey Rush), Actress in a Supporting Role (Helena Bonham Carter), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing (Tom Hooper), Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay, and of course Best Picture. The film won top awards at the BAFTAs, including Best Film, and the cast won Best Ensemble at the Screen Actor's Guild awards. Tom Hooper won Best Director at the Director's Guild of America awards. Firth has already won Best Actor at the BAFTA awards, Golden Globes, and SAG awards, and is heavily favored to win at the Oscars as well.

What are the chances?

While "The King's Speech" has won a BAFTA award, "The Social Network" won at the Golden Globes. The two are neck-and-neck for the Oscar, but with a late surge from numerous wins in other categories at previous award shows (especially in acting categories), "The King's Speech" might have found the momentum it needs to beat "The Social Network" at the Oscars. It's a close race, but "The King's Speech" may be holding a slight lead going into the ceremony on Sunday.

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