The King's Speech, by David Seidler

The King’s Speech
script by David Seidler


David Seidler tonight accepted the Academy Award for Best  Original Screenplay  “On behalf of all the stutterers throughout the world.  We have a voice, we have been heard.”
The climactic moment in The King’s Speech is Colin Firth’s rendition of King George VI’s announcement to England, the Dominions, the Empire, and the world that England was at war with Germany which had just invaded Poland.  I don’t know what resemblance it has to the historical record.  But it impressed me as not only a masterful piece of rhetoric, but for something that I never expected to feel: sympathy for a British monarch.  Here is the speech, as scripted by David Seidler:

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my  peoples, both at home and overseas, this message spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself.For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war.  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.  But it has been in vain.  We have been forced into a conflict.  For we are forced with our allies, to meet the challenge of a principle, which, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to any civilized order in the world.  Such a principle, stripped of all disguise is surely the primitive doctrine that might is right.  For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear, and of the world’s order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should fail to meet the challenge.  

It is to this high purpose that I now call my people at home and my peoples across the seas, who will make our cause their own.   I aks them to stand calm and firm, and united in this time of trial.  The task will be hard.  There may be dark days ahead, and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield.  But we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God.  If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, then, with God’s help, we shall prevail.

UPDATE:  Thanks to John Steele below is the recording of the actual George VI delivering the address.  Actually Colin Firth did a much better job.