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The Problems of Being King in The King’s Speech Film

Thursday 20th of January 2011 03:45:31 AM

Ever wondered who does the research for historical films. Who is it that knows an actor shouldn’t wear polo shirts because they haven’t been designed yet? Who researches the cars driven during the period the film is set in? Who watches out for the details like the font type used on props in a movie?

You might be thinking, “Who Cares?” But there are those who enjoy spotting the anachronisms in films. In the highly rated movie The King’s Speech about King George VI, the wrong font was used on BBC control room broadcast station signs. The one used was not invented until 1950-something.

Actually, most films have a mistake or two. Someone gets caught on camera in the wrong type of clothing or a prop is used that was not actually made until years after the movie time period. In the acclaimed ballet film Black Swan, there are production trailers in one film scene. The film The Fighter is supposed to show action in the 1920s but a truck in one scene has a 2011 inspection sticker.

Still, British film goers would have liked the mistakes to have been left out of The King’s Speech. They are somewhat distracting if you are a historical buff. For example, women are wearing hosiery that does not have seams but panty hose didn’t exist back then. And there is even a plastic airplane model when models were only made in wood.

But if you go to the movies, you shouldn’t let the mistakes throw you off balance. Just try to sit back and enjoy the film. It doesn’t matter if someone is wearing sweaters when it’s supposed to be the middle of a hot summer day. After all, it’s just make-believe.

© Image by Name Hidden, www.sxc.hu/

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