IN 2010, the historical drama film "The King's Speech" was played across movie theaters. It depicted the struggle of Britain's King George VI, played by actor Colin Firth, to deliver a speech on a radio broadcast in the face of an approaching war with Germany in 1939. Due to King George VI's stuttering impediment, he was coached by a speech therapist, played by actor Geoffrey Rush. The film was a blockbuster success, earning more than $427 million with a budget of only $15 million.
"The King's Speech" resonated well with the world's movie audience because it showed how an underestimated would-be king stepped up and overcame his speech defects to shore up his people's courage against Nazi Germany's war machine. As King George VI ascended to the throne, his first broadcast speech strengthened his people's resolve to confront the greatest threat to their national existence since becoming an empire and reverse the fear sweeping the British archipelago.
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