A royal endorsement for ‘The King’s Speech’?
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One of the dangers of Hollywood tackling so many real-life stories is that those real-life people can tackle back. Last year ‘The Hurt Locker’ ran afoul of some military commanders just as its Oscar campaign was heating up. Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerburg looked like he would be a thorn in the side of ‘The Social Network,’ though his early disapproval proved to be the best publicity that money didn’t need to buy.
Sometimes, though, real-life roots can help a movie. As some writers make the case that King George VI appeased Nazism a bit more than ‘The King’s Speech’ suggests, studio the Weinstein Co. is counteracting the accounts with an endorsement of an, er, unusual kind.
‘The Queen applauds ‘The King’s Speech’ ’ trumpeted a press release from the company Friday afternoon, which went on to cite a story from British tabloid the Sun that recounted a viewing by said monarch.
‘The Queen enjoyed the film at Sandringham after she was sent two copies before Christmas,’ the paper said. It then cited a ‘source’ that noted that she ‘found it moving and enjoyable. She was clearly amused by some of the lighter moments.’ (The character of Queen Elizabeth II appears in the film as a young girl, daughter to Colin Firth’s King George VI.)
But it’s not all tea and crumpets on the publicity front for the movie. The American Humane Assn. is threatening legal action against ‘Speech’ because director Tom Hooper didn’t vet the movie with the group before tacking on the standard ‘No animals were harmed’ in the making of this film disclaimer. The item in the Hollywood Reporter suggests we may be running a little thin on Oscar-season stories. Though it does make us wonder what the royal corgis thought of the movie.
[Update: ‘Speech’ Producer Emile Sherman has issued a statement saying the issue with the AHA has been resolved.]
— Steven Zeitchik
