Last Friday I had the distinct pleasure to briefly chat with Mr.
. Yes, the same
Too be honest I thought I would wait for the Blu-ray but we were enthusiastically invited to see it by a Darcy fan who was quite chuffed that both
Darcy Colin Firth and
Elizabeth Bennet Jennifer Ehle were in a film together again. And I’m so glad I did it’s a moving portrayal of individuals, friendship and overcoming demons. Much has been made of
Colin Firth’s performance and after listening to a recording of
King George’s original 1939 speech I can appreciate Firth’s chameleon like performance with more understanding but I really enjoyed
Geoffrey Rush’s performance as Lionel Logue. Humorous, bold and endearing.
The King’s Speech is a damn fine film but is also important for a number of reasons:
- It reminds the world that the UK not only excels at making knock off gangster, juvenile street crime & flying wizard films and harkens to a time when Britain was known for it’s high standard of film making. When quality was unquestionable.
- It is a triumph of independent film making proving yet again that big isn’t necessarily better.
- It is one of a dying breed of films that doesn’t need special effects, aliens, a twist in every scene, guns or explosions - it allows, as well as relies on performances & the humanness to tell it’s story.
- It raises awareness of just how much the UK Film Council will be missed.
- Possibly and most importantly it is not only a film, but a time capsule, showing us the hidden world behind an event that would otherwise be lost.
But I wasn’t invited down to the swanky Sanctum hotel in Soho on behalf of Live For Films along with film bloggers Alan Simmons and James Kirby just to talk about
The King’s Speech and it’s staggering 33 nominations, 1
Golden Globe and 5
BIFA wins. It had in fact just announced that the so hot right now
Tom Hooper will be head of the
Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds Competition. And this was a rare opportunity to chat with a leading filmmaker and hear his thoughts on the
Done in 60 Seconds Competition as well as glean as much advice from his experience.
As exact specifics were kept under wraps my interview questions had to be fairly flexible so to allow for any changes closer to the interview time. As the day worn on and
Tom Hooper’s availability became tighter our interview window became smaller. Fortunately my fellow bloggers were quick on their feet and as flexible, so we agreed that we would conduct the interview session in a round robin panel style hopefully allowing everyone to ask their priority questions.
My heart pounding in my ears due to, well nervousness and copious amounts of strong coffee I made my way into the plush, state of the art deco screening room of the Hotel – an suitable arena for a chat with
Tom Hooper.
After setting up and some chit chat. Tom strode confidently into the room; tall, lanky, sharply dressed, and exuding an air of approachability he took his seat. He was exactly what you would expect of a man that draws incredibly engaging performances from some of the world’s finest talent - knowledgeable yet quietly authoritative.
It fell upon me to kick the session off and after a bumpy start, mainly due to my impromptu impression of
Colin Firth’s stammering performance in
The King’s Speech - we were away. It should be noted that due to time constraints and in order to get as many questions out as possible – we minimised banter and tried to keep discussion brief to hear Tom’s thoughts.
Firstly, congratulations on
The King’s Speech, it’s a phenomenal success and an incredible achievement. Thank you for taking time out to day to chat with us.
Tom Hooper on the Done in 60 Seconds Competition
Craig Grobler: We are here today to talk about The Jameson and Empire Done in 60 Seconds Competition. Can you tell us a little bit about the competition itself?
