Thought for the DayGood Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
February 1st, 2011
I am not Colin Firth.
Hopes that my congregation might start calling me Father Darcy have all been dashed. I remain to them unremarkable and not very glamourous. People in my congregation have, though, been crowing about the recent film "The King's Speech". While there is enthusiasm about the script and the story - much of it has to do with the leading man.
Every generation has its heart-throbs. Often they've been stars of the big screen. The facts about the lives these people lead - either as rogues or as timid and ordinary folks - are unimportant to many of us. There is, I gather, a Mrs Firth who wakes up next to Mr Firth every morning and who knows the real story.
For his admirers this matters little.
Actors get rather a poor rating in the New Testament. The word "hypocrite" which Jesus uses to describe his religious opponents comes from the world of the theatre and means, essentially, an actor - somebody inauthentic who doesn't believe the words he's saying and using.
The fact remains that there are, today, real men and women around the world who stand in the breach, who do battle against injustice, who champion good ideas, who do what they say they'll do and who make sacrifices for others. We tend to be cynical about real life heroes. There's a market out there for books and articles claiming to tell "the real story" behind our heroes and to knock the stuffing out of any person or institution which presumes to stand too tall.
At least some of it is jealousy. We're uncomfortable with our own lack of heroism.
In "The Kings Speech" it takes a failed actor to make a stammering King able to speak to a nation.
In a world filled with troubled families, failing political will, divided communities and crushing indifference, might not the stories of real life heroes do something to straighten our backs and increase our resolve?
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An audio link is available HERE for a limited time. TFTD begins at 1:23.20 - about halfway along the audio bar.
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2 comments:
Very true but the person Colin Firth protrays was a remarkable man (King) for his time and his wife was the one who protected and ensured he overcame his concerns in speaking.
Rob H
Wel , last night Liz and I went to see the King's Speech (George VI) at our local theatre for about 5 GBP each.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aS4hoOSlzo
She bought her popcorn , sweets and pop and we settled down for a lovely show.
She did not go nuts over Colin Firth and in fact only commented on the fact Lionel Logue's screen wife played a part in some other film.
The film was based on true events and the discovering of Logues notebooks certainly helped in us viewers understanding the Kings; stutter problem (which I can relate to in my own life including the left vs right hand comment).
It shows two real people overcoming hurdles together.
Can you imagine the quack who had the King put marbles in his mouth yet he registered as a Doctor where Lionel who was not a Doctor but had worked with WW1 patients was a real practitioner.
For me the events are part of what I am, born during the War in England.
When I look at those events and time I praise God for allowing events to occur where Churchhill and George VI were in place for the leadership needed.
Lionel Logue went on to work with George VI for the rest of the war in his speeches.
He was later awarded an award into the Royal Victorian Order.
What is amazing is to know they remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Do I admit to an eye problem during part of the film when some water found its way from whence I know not, 'yes'
To me it was all the events and those two people that make the film.
Seeing Logue's three sons around the radio knowing his oldest will be drafted for sure the next month or so.
Seeing the room full of radio equipment up to the ceiling for the broadcast remined me of two things, my father working on early radar and radio signals soon to be present and my own early computer days when our computer memory was stored in a cabinet as large with wires and cells.
This film came across more than I expected.
End of my muse.. / Rob H
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