Sources Wikipedia & Youtube
Seidler read about George VI’s life after learning to manage a stuttering condition he developed during his own youth. He started writing about the relationship between the therapist and his royal patient as early as the 1980s, but at the request of the King’s widow, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, postponed work until her death in 2002. He later rewrote his screenplay for the stage to focus on the essential relationship between the two protagonists. Nine weeks before filming began, Logue’s notebooks were discovered and quotations from them were incorporated into the script.
Principal photography took place in London and around Britain from November 2009 to January 2010. Hard light was used to give the story a greater resonance and wider-than-normal lenses were employed to recreate the Duke of York’s feelings of constriction. A third technique Hooper employed was the off-centre framing of characters.
The King’s Speech was a major box office and critical success. It was widely praised by film critics for its visual style, art direction, screenplay, directing, score, and acting. Other commentators discussed the film’s representation of historical detail, especially the reversal of Winston Churchill‘s opposition to abdication. The film received many awards and nominations, particularly for Colin Firth’s performance, which resulted in his first Oscar win for Best Actor. At the 83rd Academy Awards, The King’s Speech received 12 Oscar nominations, more than any other film in that year, and subsequently won four, including Best Picture. Censors initially gave it adult ratings due to profanity, though these were later revised downwards after criticism by the makers and distributors in the UK and some instances of swearing were muted in the US. On a budget of £8 million, it earned over £250 million internationally.
At the official closing of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, Prince Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V, addresses the crowd with a strong stammer. His search for treatment has been discouraging, but his wife, Elizabeth, persuades him to see the Australian-born Lionel Logue, a non-medically trained Harley Street speech defects therapist. “Bertie”, as he is called by his family, believes the first session is not going well, but Lionel, who insists that all his patients address him as such, has his potential client recite Hamlet‘s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy while hearing classical music played on a pair of headphones. Bertie is frustrated at the experiment but Lionel gives him the acetate recording that he has made of the reading as a souvenir.
After Bertie’s father, King George V, broadcasts his 1934 Royal Christmas Message, he explains to Bertie that the wireless will play a significant part in the role of the royal family, allowing them to enter the homes of the people, and that Bertie’s brother’s neglect of his responsibilities make training in it necessary. The attempt at reading the message himself is a failure, but that night Bertie plays the recording Lionel gave him and is astonished at the lack of stutter there. He therefore returns for daily treatments to overcome the physical and psychological roots of his speaking difficulty.
George V dies in 1936, and his eldest son David ascends the throne as King Edward VIII. A constitutional crisis arises with the new king over a prospective marriage with the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward, as the supreme governor of the Church of England, cannot marry her, even if she receives her second divorce, since both her previous husbands are alive.
At an unscheduled session, Bertie expresses his frustration that, while his speech has improved when speaking to most people, he still stammers when talking to David, at the same time revealing the extent of Edward VIII’s folly with Simpson. When Lionel insists that Bertie himself could make a good king, Bertie accuses Lionel of speaking treason and quits Lionel in anger. Bertie must now face the Accession Council without any assistance.
Bertie and Lionel only come together again after King Edward decides to abdicate in order to marry. Bertie, urged ahead by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, ascends the throne as King George VI and visits Lionel’s home with his wife before their coronation, much to the surprise of Mrs. Logue when she comes upon Queen Elizabeth having tea at her dining room table. This is the first time that she learns who her husband’s patient has been.
Bertie and Lionel’s relationship is questioned by the King’s advisors during the preparations for his coronation in Westminster Abbey. The archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, brings to light that George never asked for advice from his advisors about his treatment and that Lionel has never had formal training. Lionel explains to an outraged Bertie that at the time he started with speech defects there were no formal qualifications and that the only known help that was available for returning Great War shell-shocked Australian soldiers was from personal experience. Bertie remains unconvinced until provoked to protest at Lionel’s disrespect for King Edward’s Chair and the Stone of Scone. Only at this pivotal moment, after realising he has just expressed himself without impairment, is Bertie able to rehearse with Lionel and complete the ceremony.
As the new king, Bertie is in a crisis when he must broadcast to Britain and the Empire following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany in 1939. Lionel is summoned to Buckingham Palace to prepare the king for his speech. Knowing the challenge that lies before him, Lang, Winston Churchill, and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain are present to offer support. The King and Logue are then left in the broadcasting room. He delivers his speech with Logue conducting him, but by the end he is speaking freely. Preparing to leave the room for the congratulations of those present, Logue mentions to the King that he still has difficulty enunciating w and the King jokes back, “I had to throw in a few so they’d know it was me.”
As the Royal Family step onto the palace balcony and are applauded by the crowd, a title card explains that Logue, who received the Royal Victorian Order for service to the Crown, was always present at King George VI’s speeches during the war and that they remained friends until the King’s death from lung cancer in 1952.
Alfred Hawthorn Hill est le fils d’Alfred Hawthorne Hill (1893-1972) et d’Helen Florence Cave (1894-1976). Son grand-père Henry Hill et son père étaient clowns de cirque. Avec son frère, il fréquente le collège de Taunton à Southampton. Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Alfred, que l’on surnomme Alfie, est envoyé à l’École de Bournemouth. Pendant cette période, il fait partie de la troupe Stars in Battledress dont les membres font partie des forces armées britanniques et qui sont chargés de divertir les troupes de l’armée pour maintenir le moral des soldats durant le conflit. Après avoir terminé ses études, il trouve du travail comme laitier à Eastleigh, puis comme opérateur de pont, chauffeur et finit par mettre un pied dans l’industrie du spectacle en devenant assistant de metteur en scène.
Ayant le théâtre pour objectif, il choisit de changer son prénom en Benny, en hommage à son comédien préféré, Jack Benny. Il est auditionné pour le Windmill Theatre de Soho, connu pour Revudeville, un spectacle populaire mélangeant chanteurs, comédiens et filles nues, mais il n’est pas engagé. Il décroche son premier rôle dans Straight man de Reg Varney, à la place de Peter Sellers, alors inconnu.
Après avoir travaillé comme animateur de radio, il fait sa première apparition à la télévision en 1949 dans l’émission Hi There. Il continue à travailler par intermittence, jusqu’à ce que sa carrière décolle avec The Benny Hill Show qui est diffusée pour la première fois le 15 janvier 1955 sur la chaîne de télévision de la BBC. Il s’entoure de comédiens récurrents comme Patricia Hayes, Jeremy Hawk, Peter Vernon, Ronnie Brody ainsi que le coauteur de l’émission, du milieu des années 1950 jusqu’au début des années 1960, Dave Freeman. Benny Hill reste sur la BBC jusqu’à fin 1968, malgré quelques infidélités avec la chaîne de télévision indépendante ATV (en) de 1957 à 1960, puis à nouveau en 1967. De 1962 à 1963, il produit une sitcom, Benny Hill, dans laquelle il joue un personnage différent à chaque épisode. Il anime également une émission de radio de courte durée, Benny Hill Time, diffusée sur les ondes de la BBC de 1964 à 1966. En 1964, il interprète Nick Bottom dans l’adaptation télévisuelle du Songe d’une nuit d’été de William Shakespeare.
Son émission est diffusée et produite d’abord par la BBC dès 1955, puis la diffusion s’alterne entre la BBC et ITV (où elle est produite par Thames Television ou ATV selon les saisons) pour les saisons suivantes. Elle durera trente quatre ans, s’arrêtant en 1989 après une émission spéciale6. On y retrouve à chaque épisode les courses poursuites en accéléré sur le thème de Yakety Sax, ponctuées par La Lettre à Élise de Beethoven ou la mélodie de la chanson Bruxelles de Jacques Brel, des batailles de tartes à la crème et d’autres formes d’humour potache. Les autres thèmes musicaux récurrents de la série sont le Benny Hill Waltz en accéléré de Paul Lewis ainsi que Mahna Mahna de Piero Umiliani et, moins connu, Gimme Dat Ding du groupe The Pipkins. La série fut taxée de sexisme dans les années 607.
Benny Hill est entouré de comédiens, musiciens et mannequins dont certains de manière récurrente , comme Jackie Wright (1905-1989) qui joue le rôle du petit vieux martyrisé par ses compagnons, Bob Todd (1921-1992) qui tient divers rôles secondaires dont celui du serveur ou du valet, Henry McGee (1929-2006) dans divers rôles secondaires, souvent à l’élégante moustache, comme ceux de Bobb Todd, Nicholas Parsons (1923-2020) que l’on voit dans divers rôles entre 1969 et 1974 et Sue Upton, une danseuse des Hill’s Angels et interprète de divers rôles entre 1977 et 1989.
En France, l’émission de la BBC est diffusée à partir du 8 septembre 1965 sur l’ORTF. Les émissions de Thames Television sont diffusées tous les dimanches à 20h du 14 septembre 1980 jusqu’au 10 septembre 2000 sur FR3 puis France 3. L’émission Spécial Benny Hill diffusée le 2 janvier 1992 nous montre la rencontre de Benny Hill et de l’acteur Roger Carel qui fut faite en 1991 et qui lui prête sa voix en français
La santé de Benny Hill commença à décliner à la fin des années 1980. Après une légère crise cardiaque le 24 février 1992, les médecins lui ont dit qu’il avait besoin de perdre du poids et ont recommandé un pontage coronarien. Il a refusé, et une semaine plus tard, on a découvert qu’il souffrait d’insuffisance rénale. Il décède à l’âge de 68 ans le 20 avril 1992. Le 22 avril 1992, après plusieurs jours d’appels téléphoniques sans réponse, il est retrouvé mort dans son fauteuil devant la télévision. La cause du décès est une thrombose coronarienne. Benny Hill est enterré au cimetière Hollybrook près de son lieu de naissance à Southampton, le 26 avril 1992.
Dans la nuit du 4 octobre 1992, à la suite de spéculations dans les médias selon lesquelles Benny Hill avait été enterré avec une grande quantité d’or et de bijoux, des pilleurs de tombes ont fouillé sa tombe et ont ouvert le cercueil. La tombe ouverte fut remarquée par un passant, le lendemain matin. Après un examen policier de la scène, le cercueil a été refermé et la tombe remblayée par les employés du cimetière, et par mesure de sécurité, une dalle de béton de 30 cm d’épaisseur a été placée dessus.
Benny Hill était un travailleur compulsif et comptait peu d’amis. Il ne s’est jamais marié, bien qu’il l’ait proposé à deux femmes mais il essuya un refus à chaque fois.
Il n’a jamais possédé de maison, ni même de voiture, il n’aimait pas dépenser son argent. Sa mère, Helen, vécut avec lui jusqu’à sa mort en 1976. Il déménagea ensuite à Teddington où il loua un petit appartement, dont la proximité avec les studios de Thames Television (ITV) où étaient enregistrées ses émissions lui permettait de s’y rendre à pieds. Les voyages étaient le seul luxe qu’il s’autorisait.
Il devint véritablement francophile. Il se rendait fréquemment à Marseille et, jusqu’aux années 1980, il put apprécier l’anonymat des terrasses de café français, des transports publics et sympathiser avec les habitants. En plus de maîtriser le français, Benny parlait aussi allemand, néerlandais et italien.
Benny Hill était un parent de la chanteuse et actrice australienne Holly Valance (le cousin de Benny étant le grand-père de Holly).
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47
Much of his adult life had been spent shaping, slicing and trimming animal products by the slab without a qualm – a career that began when he was just 16 in a small family-run butcher in Burnside, South Lanarkshire.
But as he stood silent behind the meat counter in Morrisons supermarket, aged 33, Brian couldn’t quite find the words to tell colleagues he had become vegan.
“I kept it to myself,” he said. “I didn’t tell anyone because I was worried about them making jokes. Before I just looked at it as a piece of meat going on a dinner plate but then you see it as an animal and not just a steak.
“I was a bit depressed, it just didn’t feel good, so I had to leave.”
Brian said becoming a butcher was the first job he picked at the Job Centre as a teenager – and it was “just something to keep my dad quiet”.
As an adult, he said eating meat such as steak or chicken was routine and he would often buy meat from work for convenience.
He first considered giving up animal products when his wife Rebecca became vegan, but it was the animal welfare documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, that finally pushed him to make the change.
The award-winning film, directed by Shaun Monson, contains footage of the conditions inside factory farms. Now Brian, his wife and his two children, age nine and six, stick to a plant-based diet.
“Me and the kids would have separate meals from my wife,” he said. “Now it’s so much easier doing it together.”
Brian, who is now 36, gave in his notice to Morrisons and was eventually hired at the Glasgow base of Sgaia’s Vegan Meats, founded by Hilary Masin and Alberto Casotto.
“I was worried my background and my story might put them off, and they wouldn’t want someone who was a meat butcher for 15 years,” he said.
“But they were really excited about it and wanted me just as much as I wanted to work there.”
He now calls himself a vegan butcher.
By blending a combination of soy, gluten and spices, Sgaia’s creates a number of vegan products which they call ‘mheats’ – from staples like streaky bacon and burgers to more specialised foods such as charcuterie.
The firm supplies a number of restaurants and kitchens in Glasgow – including the pop-up Durty Vegan Burger Club.
The job transition was a worry for Brian but quickly soon after joining he helped to launch one of its most popular products – the vegan lorne sausage.
He said: “Making sausages was a big part of being a butcher. Once I saw how the [vegan] base was made I thought it would be interesting to try to play about with that and create a lorne sausage.
“All the feedback has been really good. We took it to a festival and some people were coming back two or three times.”
Recent years have seen a large rise in small food manufacturers marketing their products as a new form of meat, despite resistance around the world.
In the US, last week, the governor of South Dakota signed legislation that required “fake meat” products to be appropriately labelled as it “misled” consumers.
It came after the US Cattlemen’s Association lodged a petition calling for an official definition of “beef” and “meat” in 2018.
France has also banned labelling vegan or vegetarian products as a meat item to avoid confusion.
But regardless of labels, Brian claimed his own lifestyle changes have brought him nothing but happiness.
He said: “My skin was the first thing I noticed. I always had spots until I was 30, but my skin became a lot clearer. I feel clearer in the mind too.
“It’s that psychological thing – you eat something healthy, you feel good.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47
Sources :
RADIO SATELLITE 