Why P-Noy should watch 'The King's Speech' and 'True Grit'

Last, but by no means least, courage — moral courage, the courage of one’s convictions, the courage to see things through. The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It’s the age-old struggle — the roar of the crowd on one side and the voice of your conscience on the other.

— General Douglas MacArthur

To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage.               — Confucius, “The Analects”

This writer takes back his earlier forecast and high hopes that the well-crafted, Facebook-inspired movie The Social Network should win the Best Picture Award in the Oscars.

I’m betting a hundred pizzas that the Oscar winner will be either one of these two inspiring films on courage which I highly recommend to everyone — The King’s Speech directed by Tom Hooper with talented actor Collin Firth as the lead star; and True Grit written and directed by the amazingly talented Coen Brothers with actors Jeff Bridges, part-Filipina Hailee Steinfeld and Matt Damon.

Of course, Black Swan is also magnificent and my favorite actress Natalie Portman should win the Best Actress award or else I’m hereby threatening an Egypt-style people power revolt via Twitter to protest! First of all, this movie buff is aghast and very disappointed that none of our film industry stalwarts and entrepreneurs have imported the entertaining and excellent movie The King’s Speech which should be required viewing for all our leaders as well as ordinary mortals like us. Perhaps the Mandarin-speaking and young British Ambassador Stephen Lillie can remedy this situation and arrange for this film’s showing here in Manila (which, incidentally, was briefly occupied by Britain from 1762 to 1764 all the way up to Cavite).

If Philippine STAR columnist Boo Chanco was right when he recently wrote that our well-intentioned but not politically ambitious President Noynoy C. Aquino seems tired of his gargantuan job and should just become a ceremonial figurehead leader like the British monarch, I believe it is imperative that Kris Aquino or her best friend Boy Abunda should immediately buy a DVD of The King’s Speech for P-Noy to watch.

Uncannily similar in some aspects to the improbable story of our very own not-so-politically-ambitious president, who was thrust into power by the inexorable tidal wave of history, The King’s Speech is a well-made movie about a man who didn’t expect to become king and who wasn’t regarded as national leader material.

After the death of the British empire’s King George V (played by Michael Gambon) and the controversial abdication of the arrogant and selfish King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), the next in line to the throne, Duke Bertie (Colin Firth), suddenly finds himself in line as the next king. The problem is, all his life since childhood, Bertie has struggled with a debilitating speech defect. The new King George VI — great-grandfather of Prince William who is marrying this year in a much-awaited royal wedding that is expected to boost the lackluster British economy — needs to lead and inspire his nation at a time of danger.

In contrast to the stammering British monarch, Europe is on the brink of world war, with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler — one of the world’s most electrifying public speakers, and most dangerous megalomaniacs — on the rise.

Luckily for King George VI, his loving and devoted wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) arranges for him to seek the help of innovative but eccentric Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). The monarch and his first commoner friend undertake a series of unorthodox treatments. The king also has the support of his family, his government and the magnificent Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall). This film somewhat obfuscates the true facts — Churchill at first supported King Edward VIII, and not his younger brother, in the throne.

Collin Firth deserves to win the Best Actor Award in the coming Oscars for his excellent and convincing portrayal of a stammering British king. The King’s Speech is good entertainment, edifying and inspiring, though it is not overly sentimental or melodramatic.

Our very own good-intentioned and decent but seemingly politically reluctant President Noynoy C. Aquino should watch this film, because it tells a story of quiet courage and heroism, about the sacrifice of personal comforts and pleasures for the sake of the greater good.

The King’s Speech is the story of how a good and decent person rises above his human frailties and inadequacies in order to fulfill his public duty exceeding well. P-Noy and all of us should watch this story and be encouraged to overcome our personal struggles with indomitable courage!

True Grit should inspire us to be fearless and never give up!

Congratulations again to the intellectually brilliant and multi-talented Joel and Ethan Coen for creating another interesting, fun film with True Grit. The Princeton-educated Ethan and New York University graduate Joel are among my favorite filmmakers.

I highly recommend everyone go out and watch True Grit, a western about tenacity and personal courage which deserves to win the Oscar for the Best Picture, Best Director or other categories due to its outstanding quality and entertainment value.

This movie celebrates that seemingly long-lost and old-fashioned characteristic of outstanding people — true grit. From the young Bible-quoting and driven girl seeking justice for her slain dad, the foul-mouthed and drunkard marshal with an honest and fearless heart, the girl’s dependable horse to the stark yet beautifully-shot scenes across harsh snow-covered Indian territories of the American West, the whole film evokes the rugged spirit of true grit and quiet courage which we all need to make this cynical and often morally confused world a better place.

The movie is remake of a 1969 western that starred John Wayne, based on a 1968 novel by Charles Portis. I asked our local bookstores Powerbooks and Fully Booked to import copies of True Grit, the novel; they told me they had just ordered it and copies were still on the way to the Philippines. I look forward to reading this book.

This 19th-century saga is narrated by the adult Mattie Ross (Elizabeth Marvel), who recounts the cold-blooded murder of her father by an employee named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and how she was only 14 years old when she tried to hire a marshal to arrest Chaney and to recover her dad’s stolen horses and two California gold pieces.

The young Mattie (played so well by 14-year-old first-timer actress and part-Filipina Hailee Steinfeld) haggles for money with a horse trader, then she goes to seek out the old, drunken, obese but rugged and reputedly merciless marshal named Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her track down her dad’s despicable murderer.

The killer has gone off to what was then known as “Indian territory” and reportedly joined a gang of murderous criminals. Along the way, the girl encounters a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who also wants to get Chaney for murdering a Texas politician and his dog. The arduous and adventurous journey of the girl with the two dissimilar and often quarrelling marshals is a pleasure to behold on film, most especially the girl’s endearing innocence and inspiring gritty determination.

After watching True Grit, I’m reminded of the many unsolved murders and injustices in Philippine society, and how it is possible that we as Asia’s most vibrant political democracy and staunchly Christian nation has allowed a seemingly national penchant for historical forgetfulness to just let them fade away from headline-making bloody nightmares to lost memories.

Why can’t we as a society set aside our often over-emotional nature, and steadfastly uphold justice and truth against all odds and obstacles like 14-year-old girl Mattie Ross? The 1983 Ninoy Aquino assassination, the Maguindanao Massacre, the “Hello, Garci” case, the shocking culture of corruption among high echelons of the military, police and other segments of government — can we please seek out the truth and uphold justice with indefatigable national will?

We just recently expended a lot of government resources and emotions to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the EDSA uprising which restored political democracy in our archipelago. However, I believe the struggle is unfinished. A lot of battles lie ahead. We should work harder with true grit, for what is the meaning and substance of political democracy if our Philippine society doesn’t have economic democracy, if we don’t uphold justice and truth with determination and courage?

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