Trailer for "The King's Speech" released

And it certainly doesn't disappoint!

"I intend to be a very good queen - to a very great king."


The new movie The King's Speech has had its trailer released online - and you can watch it, here.

The movie follows the political career of the Queen's father, the late King George VI (Colin Firth), as he struggles to overcome his crippling speech impediment with the help of his wife, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Helena Bonham Carter) and an Australian speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush), in the wake of his unexpected succession to the throne and the British Empire's coming struggle with Nazi Germany. Timothy Spall co-stars as Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Michael Gambon appears as King George V.

George VI was one of this country's most underrated sovereigns and the courage, honesty and fundamental decency with which he lived his life is, I think, admirable and heroic in a way which so many people overlook. It's the dignity of the quiet struggle to better himself and live up to his duty, which I think is truly inspiring. Sympathetic and moving, The King's Speech is already generating an Oscar buzz for all three of its leads and I can't wait to see it.

September 22nd, 1515: The Birth of Anne of Cleves

"On this day in history, the 22nd September 1515, Anna von Jülich-Kleve-Berg, or Anne of Cleves, was born near Düsseldorf. She was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Jülich, Cleves and Berg, an important German ruler, and Maria of Jülich-Berg. Elizabeth Norton writes of Anne’s grand lineage – not only was she descended from Edward I, she was also, on her father’s side, closely related to Louis XII of France and the Duke of Burgundy."

Claire at The Anne Boleyn Files commemorates the anniversary of the birth of Anne of Cleves, Queen of England, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. To date, Anne holds the record of having held that title for the shortest period of time amongst the confederacy of consorts, having been Queen from January until July of 1540. In second place is another unlucky German princess, Caroline of Brunswick, the consort of George IV, who held the title from January 1820 until her death in August 1821. Anne's predecessor, Jane Seymour, her successor Catherine Howard, Richard II's child-bride Isabelle de Valois and Richard III's wife, Anne Neville, were other women who did not long enjoy their throne.

"A gift of the Grace of God": Reflections on Mozart's Requiem

The Introit to Mozart's Requiem Mass is perhaps my single favourite piece of music and so I was pleased to hear the current Pope, Benedict XVI, praise it so highly.

Despite being routinely present as either an enthusiastic Freemason or an equally enthusiastic agnostic, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Mozart did not remain a sincere Catholic for all of his conscious life. In one of his final letters, he wrote that his faith had given him the ability to no longer fear death - "And I thank my God for having given me the good fortune of having the opportunity of recognizing in it the key to our happiness. I never lie down without thinking that perhaps the next day I might not be. And yet anyone who knows me will not be able to say that in their company I am sad or in a bad mood."

Via Tea at Trianon comes the current Pope's reflections on Mozart's Requiem, to quote: -

"Everything is in perfect harmony in Mozart, every note, every musical phrase is as it is and could not be otherwise; even those opposed are reconciled; it is called "mozart’sche Heiterkeit" (Mozart's serenity), which envelops everything, every moment. It is a gift of the Grace of God, but it is also the fruit of Mozart's lively faith that, especially in sacred music, is able to reflect the luminous response of divine love, which gives hope, even when human life is lacerated by suffering and death..."

Point of Information

A few of this blog's readers have been e-mailing or commenting to me on Anne Boleyn's age, pointing out that I have it wrong and that she was, in fact, born either in 1500 or 1501.

I am always very grateful that people feel like getting in touch and passing on information, but, in this case, I wanted to clarify that it's not that I am unaware that many historians argue that Anne Boleyn was born at the turn of the century, it's simply that I don't agree with them.

I've tackled the debate before, on the post The Age of Anne Boleyn, which you can read here.

Many thanks to all those who have been in touch!

"The Special Relationship" Trailer

Having already tackled his relationship with his successor, Gordon Brown, and the monarchy in The Deal (2003) and The Queen (2006), Stephen Frears has returned to the subject of Tony Blair's career as Prime Minister in HBO's amazing new movie, The Special Relationship, which tells the story of Blair's relationship with the then-President of the United States, Bill Clinton, at the time of the Northern Irish Peace Process.

President Clinton, played by Denis Quaid, is joined by Hope Davis as First Lady Hillary Clinton, with the amazing Michael Sheen reprising his role as Blair, with Helen McCrory returning as Cherie Blair and Mark Bazeley playing New Labour's spin doctor, Alistair Campbell, as he did in The Queen.

The trailer can be watched here.

The Queen Mother's Movie Request

More news on the forthcoming movie The King's Speech, which is already generating a buzz for next year's Oscars.

Starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham-Carter (above) as the current Queen's parents, King George VI and the late Queen Elizabeth (better known to us by her widowed title of the Queen Mother), The King's Speech tells the true story of King George's speech impediment, which he and his wife worked to overcome with the help of a republican speech therapist (played by Geoffrey Rush), after the abdication of George's brother in 1936 propelled a reluctant George onto the throne.

The writer, David Seidler, who wrote the script for The King's Speech, actually began researching the story back in 1981 and even wrote to the late Queen Mother, asking her permission to tell the story of her brother-in-law's Abdication, the political crisis and her husband's journey to the throne.

"I wrote and asked her permission to tell the story in a film," Mr. Seidler told the Mail, "But it was still so raw for her - the whole business of having to relive what her husband and her family went through, with the Abdication and him becoming King. It was too much, and still painful, so she wrote and asked that the film not be made until after her death."

Bonham-Carter, who has already played two queens of England - Lady Jane Grey in 1986's Lady Jane and Anne Boleyn in 2003's Henry VIII - put an enormous amount of research into playing Queen Elizabeth, as did Colin Firth, who has spoken affectionately of the late King in interviews: "It never occurred to me the enormity of what he was up against. But he had inner steel, and that's what I had to bring out."

The King's Speech will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival next week and will be released in the United Kingdom on January 7th. 

I'm very excited about this one.

And as soon as the trailer is available on Youtube, I shall post a link.

The full Daily Mail article can be read here.

Anne Boleyn: The Mother

"Courtiers were often embarrassed by Anne’s displays of affection for her baby and that she loved to have Elizabeth next to her on a cushion, rather than shut away in a nursery."

Back in March, Claire Ridgway at The Anne Boleyn Files posted an excellent and personal reflection on Anne Boleyn's role as a mother to the future Queen Elizabeth I.