Kilt on Colin Firth in movie "The King's Speech"

[Mike_Oettle]

My wife and I went to see the movie today and were most impressed.
We did notice the odd error – although the Kerry tartan was barely seen.
It would have been an anachronism to show Bertie (as Duke of York) wearing the King George VI tartan, since that was only made once he was King.
What caught my ear (rather than my eye) was the notable omission of South Africa from among the Dominions.
People (including screenwriters) appear to have forgotten that this country ever had that status. But it was our General Smuts who put the idea forward in the first place (even if it was his successor as Prime Minister, General Hertzog, who punted it at Imperial Conferences).
I do feel it rather picky to complain about the physical differences between Firth and George VI. It is after all a movie, and Firth an actor portraying Bertie, rather than a carefully selected lookalike (who would likely be hopeless in the role). But I felt they could have done a better job of casting Churchill.
I liked Helena Bonham-Carter as Elizabeth. The girl who played Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) was a bit too pudgy for my liking, but perhaps I am being picky about that.
My wife remarked that the actress playing Wallis Simpson was well suited to her role.
I know full well that Rush is an Australian, but his accent (as Lionel) was not really Strine. It actually sounded much like my own – but then I am also a colonial.
With regard to Douglas fir: while it is a North American species, it is (as has been pointed out) grown in Britain. And it might well have been imported – timber from many parts of the world found its way to London at the height of Empire, and probably still does.
South Africa relied on timber imports for many years. In my lifetime it deliberately switched to locally grown timber (mostly alien species). But our climate is not well suited to growing hard pine (not cold enough), and South African pine (SA pine, it is called) is known to be an inferior product.
We do have excellent indigenous timber species, like yellowwood and stinkwood, but they are slow-growing, and harvesting is (quite properly) restricted.
Regards,
Mike