The King's Speech - Censored or Not?

A very interesting look at how one Oscar-winning movie has been re-released as a PG-13 rated film.

“The film that won Best Picture of the year is now the family event of the year.” Is it good for Hollywood to edit movies to make them more “family-friendly?” Or is it artistic compromise?

After my husband and I saw The King’s Speech, an Academy Award for Best Picture about the Duke of York who would become king, we knew our twelve year would love it.

A history buff, this film seemed to be tailor made for her. After the death of his father and his brother’s abdication of the throne, Bertie (Colin Firth) is crowned King George VI of England. However, he has a debilitating speech impediment. How can he effectively lead his country (on the brink of war) if he can’t even string sentences together? An eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) uses unconventional sessions to get Bertie to loosen those royal lips. At one point, he goads him by asking, “Do you know the F-word?”

Well, Bertie was apparently familiar with it… and the ensuing string of profanity was a cathartic explosion of unbridled speech.

This tirade caused the movie to earn the rating of R.

“Well,” I said to my husband. “What do you think? Should we let her see a rated R movie?”

It would’ve been her first.

Read the entire article here.