FDR (Bill Murray), seated, greets Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and King George VI (Samuel West), right, in the new film 'Hyde Park on Hudson.' It is the second time in as many years ('The King's Speech') that King George VI and Queen Elizabeth have been portrayed on the silver screen.(Photo: Nicola Dove, Focus Features)
TORONTO -- Hyde Park on Hudson doesn't just speculate about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's private affairs of the heart.
The historical drama that opens Friday also acts as a prequel to the 2010 best-picture Oscar winner The King's Speech.
Both
films share depictions of England's King George VI, the stuttering
royal who reluctantly sat upon the throne -- after brother Edward
abdicated to marry an American divorcee -- as World War II threatened
in the pivotal year of 1939.
"In some ways, it is good for us," notes Hyde Park director Roger Michell. But, considering that critical comparisons are inevitable, "in some ways it's bad."
While Speech showed the king declaring war against the Germans in a radio address, Hyde Park
takes place several months earlier as Bertie, as he was known, becomes
the first reigning British monarch to visit the United States. His
mission: convince the president to support his country's fight against
the Nazis while being a guest at FDR's upstate New York getaway.
Whereas Colin Firth couldn't help but lend some actorly charm to Bertie -- winning an Oscar in the bargain -- Samuel West(Howards End)
is a more timid ruler, fearful of being humiliated by being forced to
eat his first-ever hot dog at a picnic organized by first lady Eleanor.
"It
was a very conscious political act by Eleanor," says Michell, "showing
the royals a kind of informal hospitality that they wouldn't find at the
White House."
Bertie is also constantly henpecked by his wife (Olivia Colman, more of a nag than Helena Bonham Carter's soulmate queen in Speech) who unfavorably compares him to his more popular elder brother.
In the
United States, "There wasn't a lot of sympathy for this awkward
stuttering man and plump wife," says the British director. "But a
special relationship between these countries was struck on this summer
weekend."
Many critics have called the cocktail-lubricated meeting
of the minds between the insecure, stammering king and a cagey,
polio-impaired FDR, played with humor and easy authority by Bill Murray,
the highlight of Hyde Park. It's a much different but no less
inspirational and confidence-building relationship than the one shared
by Firth and co-star Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist.
Basically, their mutual handicaps seal their bond.
When
the king declares, "This goddamned stutter," FDR counters with, "What
stutter?" He then adds, "This goddamned polio." When the president
follows with the observation that his paralyzed legs are never mentioned
by his constituency, it's as if a weight is lifted off of Bertie.
Although
the popularity of the previous movie led to a trimming of scenes that
revolved around stuttering, Michell feels that any familiarity with King
George VI will ultimately pay off and put the audience at ease. In
other words, "We didn't have to start from scratch."
USA Today