Fantastic news about The King’s Speech. Its 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay, mean it’s just two short of the all-time record. The film has also been a box-office smash, taking over $57 million in America and over £18 million in the UK.
Why has the film been such a critical and commercial success? It has plenty going for it: great direction, good performances, gripping story, witty dialogue. But then, so did Made in Dagenham and that hasn’t been anything like as successful.
The key is in the subject matter. Our royal family is still a subject of universal fascination, practically the only one we have left. American audiences may develop the occasional crush on lower-class Brits — Michael Caine, Russell Brand, Piers Morgan — but their first love will always be for the upper classes.
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