Screenwriting Lessons: “The King’s Speech” — Part 3: Talismans
As I watched The King’s Speech recently, I was struck by how many screenwriting lessons could be gleaned from the movie. So I decided this week and next to analyze The King’s Speech and The Social Network, the most likely winners of this year’s Academy Awards for Best Screenplay (Speech for original, Networkfor adapted) to see what takeaway we could derive from both movies and their excellent screenplays.
Today: The King’s Speech — Talismans.
It’s interesting to ponder the importance of objects in movies: Andy’s Bible in The Shawshank Redemption, Cobb’s spinning top in Inception, the box of chocolates in Forrest Gump. When an object takes on some sort of emotional or symbolic meaning, we call that a talisman. As storytellers, talismans are powerful tools at our disposal — to track a character’s metamorphosis, change the plot, signify the passing of a visual message from one character to another, and much more.
There is a terrific example of a talisman in David Seidler’s script for The King’s Speech. And it is the most mundane of items: a shilling. But as is often the case with talismans, the events of the story can take an ordinary object and imbue it with extraordinary meaning.
Frustrated beyond all measure by his stuttering, Bertie (Colin Firth) reluctantly goes to see Lionel (Geoffrey Rush) who has a reputation for helping people with speech impediments. In their very first meeting, Lionel lays down this challenge:
LIONEL
Bet you a bob you can read flawlessly,
right here, right now.BERTIE
(bitterly)
Easy money. You’re on.LIONEL
See your shilling then.BERTIE
Royals don’t carry money.LIONEL
How convenient.Logue fishes a coin from his pocket and puts it on the table.LIONEL (CONT’D)
I’ll stake you. Pay me back next time.
Lionel wins the bet, but loses a client as Bertie vows not to return:
BERTIE
The bloody man did parlour tricks and
cheated me out of a shilling.
What does the shilling represent at this point? As far as Bertie is concerned, nothing more than Lionel’s fakery when it comes to his speech pathology practices.
The shilling comes up again in one of the best scenes in the movie: Continuing to be challenged by political events and his stuttering, Bertie visits Lionel to request further of his services. Interested in one of Lionel’s son’s model airplanes and encouraged by Lionel to go ahead and build one — so as to distract Bertie’s self-control — the Prince shares secret after secret about his upbringing, helping us to understand much of what lies at the source of Bertie’s stuttering. Then this:
BERTIE
I made a smudge!LIONEL
Touch it up.BERTIE
You want me to beg for help?LIONEL
I advise you never to beg. Especially if
you might be King.BERTIE
Don’t say that!LIONEL
I see. For reasons you cannot disclose,
fearing ramifications you will not explain,
you feel sufficiently anxious to embark
upon a course of therapy in which you have
no faith? You already owe me a shilling.Bertie takes a coin out of his pocket, hesitates, then offers it
to Logue.BERTIE
I brought it along. You won, fair and
square. I’ll pay you generously.Lionel pockets the coin.LIONEL
I’ll continue to ask questions.BERTIE
That’s what I was afraid of.
What does the shilling represent now? A sign of Bertie coming around to Lionel’s approach and payment to seal their ‘contract’ to be fully engaged in the process together.
Later according to the fits-and-starts nature of their relationship, Bertie blows up again at Lionel. And again finds himself forced back to Lionel for help:
BERTIE
(gathering resolve)
I was frightened and took refuge in being
‘Royal’. What I said was unforgivable.
And...LIONEL
And?BERTIE
(blurts out)
What’s the one essential thing a King must
do? He must believe he is King. How can I
possibly do that? For pity sake, Lionel, I
beg you: get me through! I’ll pay you
another shilling.LIONEL
What’re friends for?
Here the shilling demonstrates how far Bertie has come — from looking at Lionel’s ways as “parlour tricks” to an admission that they just might be the only way through the crisis confronting Bertie, now that he is ascending to the throne.
The shilling emerges yet again on the eve of Bertie’s big speech:
BERTIE
“For the second time... in the lives of
most of us... we are at war.” One-two
three. (continues on)
“Over and over again... we have tried to
find a peaceful way... out of the
differences... between ourselves... and
those who are now our enemies.” Bugger,
bugger, bugger! Fuck, fuck, fuck!LIONEL
You’ll be ready.BERTIE
(pause)
The shilling you won... still have it?LIONEL
Of course.Bertie holds out his hand, demandingly. Somewhat hurt, Lionel
hands it over.BERTIE
I’ll return it.Bertie leaves with the shilling, exiting the back way.
Now what does the shilling represent? A token of good luck. A reminder to Bertie of how far he’s come in his training with Lionel. This moment sets up a final bit of business the day of The King’s Speech [in a prior draft]:
Bertie takes something from his pocket.BERTIE
Your shilling. Told you I’d give it back.LIONEL
Keep it for good luck.BERTIE
No, you won this, fair and square.The object is a silver medal. Bertie pins it to Logue’s jacket.BERTIE (CONT’D)
Made from the melted coin. Designed it
myself, hope you like it, Lionel old
friend. May I call you that?
In the end, the shilling represents more than an acknowledgment of Lionel’s hard work. It represents their friendship.
As you brainstorm your story universe, be on the look-out for objects that pop to mind. They may become the basis of a subplot and a key one at that… one that carries with it much of the emotional meaning of your story.
Tomorrow: Shadow.
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