By John C.

The King’s Speech has been widely embraced by critics and audiences alike, captivating and inspiring people with it’s powerful story of a monarch, King George VI (Colin Firth), overcoming a debilitating stutter.  Even Queen Elizabeth II has enjoyed the film, in which Firth portrays her father.

On it’s way to potentially pulling what could arguably be called an upset by beating The Social Network for the top prize of Best Picture at the forthcoming Oscars, this is a complete package of everything we look for when going to the movies.

But some audiences apparently feel the film has too much of a certain thing.  In a story that’s been floating around the industry for a couple of weeks now, controversial distributor Harvey Weinstein has plans to re-edit certain scenes that prominently feature swearing as a means of speech therapy, in order to lessen the film’s American R rating.  David Seidler’s script apparently has over forty uses of the f-word in particular, but it’s integral to the story that the King discovers he speaks clearly when cursing.

The thing is, the film has been embraced by audiences and I’ve scarcely heard a complaint about the swearing.  It’s one of the funniest and most freeing scenes, offering a moment when King George VI is finally able to break away from the constraints of royalty, and ultimately his stuttering.  It’s also a scene that brings him closer to his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), as they are able to relate on a simple and human level.

When Harvey Weinstein was faced with an NC-17 rating for sexually explicit scenes in the recent relationship drama Blue Valentine, he merely got the rating appealed and is now proudly advertising the film as “uncut and uncensored.”  What bothers me is that he even feels the need to censor a crucial scene of swearing in an otherwise clean film.

Some 30 years ago, 1980’s beautifully acted Best Picture winner, Ordinary People, shocked certain audiences with its use of the four letter f-word.  In a scene surprisingly akin to the one in The King’s Speech, a teenager suffering from depression is encouraged by his psychiatrist to let loose with a string of swear words.  It’s a crucial moment when the audience finally witnesses the anger brewing inside the character due to the challenges that he must overcome, and editing would just dull the effect.

How much wider an audience does Harvey Weinstein expect to get?  Unless they have a personal connection to the subject matter, teenagers are the youngest moviegoers that are actually going to be captivated enough by The King’s Speech to want to buy a ticket.  Audiences seeing the movie are mature enough to hear those words, and put into perspective both the setting and subject matter.

It can’t be a ploy to better the film’s Oscar chances, because the edited version wouldn’t even hit screens until after the Academy Awards are announced on February 27th.  The one being screened for Academy members is the one with all the dirty words still on display.

The film only has a PG rating here in Canada, which means those of all ages can already see the film with an accompanying adult.  It is true that we have perhaps become too desensitized to extreme language as we are currently living in an era of mainstream, R-rated comedies, but The King’s Speech is an excellent example of the powerful dramatic or comedic effect that swearing can have when used properly in a screenplay.