THE KING'S SPEECH

PLOT

After the death of his father King George V  and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII , Bertie  who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue. After a rough start, the two look into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill, the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice.

MAIN CHARACTERS

• King George VI (Bertie) - Collin Firth
• Queen Elizabeth (future Queen Mother) - Helena Bonham Carter
• Lionel Logue (speech therapist) - Geoffrey Rush
• King George V - Michael Gambon
• King Edward VIII - Guy Pearce
• Winston Churchill - Timothy Spall

TRAILER.

After watching the trailer, click on the link below (warm-up activities) and discuss the questions included there with your classmates and teacher.

USEFUL VOCABULARY

• Royal Family: 'Your Majesty', 'Your Highness' (treatment), abdication, to crown.
• Speech: speech disorder, speech therapy/therapist, to stammer, to stutter, swear, recite, speak in public, audition, voice.
• Radio: broadcast, off the air, on the air, radio-address. 

WARM-UP ACTIVITIES

Now that you've got an idea of what the film is about, get ready to watch the whole film in the class.

SOME MORE INTERESTING INFORMATION:

• Original oral speech by George VI, 1939. 
• Original written speech by George, Sept. 1939 (See the last two pages of the document).

BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE 

                     

 

After watching the film 'Bowling for Columbine' by Michael Moore, try to answer the following questions to check your comprehension of the film.

 

1. Michael Moore opens a bank account so that he can get what item instead of interest?

2. Where did Michael Moore grow up?

3. Charlton Heston is president of what organization?

4. Who are Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols?

5. Why does the man from the Michigan militia say you must carry a gun?

6. What happened in Kosovo on April 20, 1999? What happened one hour later?

7. What organization held a major rally in Denver 10 days after the shooting?

8. Who were some of the people/things blamed for the tragedy at Columbine?

9. How does Marilyn Manson respond to allegations that he is to blame?
    Who does he imply was influential?

10. What class were the boys enrolled in the morning before they killed at Columbine?

11. What other countries besides USA have violent pasts?

12. What does the news media want people to feel?

13. Who is the most common suspect on the US television?

14. Who most often gets in trouble for gun possession—kids in the city or kids in the suburbs?

15. Who conditions people in the United States to believe that their communities are dangerous?

16. What does the former TV producer of Cops say sells in the media?

17. How many gun murders were there in Sarnia, Canada, in the past three

years? How many in Windsor?

18. What are some misconceptions about Canada? What is the truth?

19. Does Canada have guns? In 2001, could they get guns/ ammunition easily? Explain.

20. How is Canadian TV news different from TV news in the United States?

21. How is the health care system in Canada different from health care in the United States?

22. What does Michael Moore take Richard and Mark to do at K-Mart headquarters?

23. What do Mark, Richard and Michael convince K-Mart to do about selling

ammunition in their stores?

24. Whom does Michael Moore visit at his house in Hollywood? What is the

outcome of their discussion?

25. What did you learn from the film?

26. What are some of the questions this film poses?
27. After watching this film, what else do you want to know?