Oscar voters who watched "The King's Speech" noticed the screenplay, acting, directing, and overall cinematic quality. I noticed Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen "The King's Speech" and don't want any information about the scene at its emotional apex, please stop reading (but check out my other posts).
Near the end of the movie, King George VI must deliver a speech by radio to rouse the courage of his subjects. As he steps to the microphone, everyone, moviegoers and monarch included, is unsure if he will complete the speech undisturbed by his pernicious stammer.
That's where Beethoven comes in.
As King George begins his speech, the movie's soundtrack switches to the second movement of the Seventh Symphony.
Audience members should instantly recognize the music even if they can't identify the piece. It's a soundtrack staple, and for good reason. It's memorable and supremely dramatic.
The music's power is especially surprising because the melody is so simple. After an introductory chord, the low strings begin to saw obsessively on repeated notes. Essentially, Beethoven turns the entire orchestra into a broken record player.
And somehow, in the hands of the master, the stutter becomes beautiful.
Beethoven makes each single note important because, perhaps more than any other composer, he has an acute sense of pacing, dynamics, and development. These characteristics envigorate the entire symphony and transform a repetitive line into one of the most memorable melodies in the symphonic repertoire. They are also the qualities that make "The King's Speech" a great film.
This synergy changed how I think about both the film and the music. I have heard the Seventh Symphony countless times but never once connected it to stuttering or realized that it, like "The King's Speech," can communicate redemption. I claim no cinematic expertise, but to me, movies aren't valuable because they have great acting, writing, or directing. They are valuable because, every once in a while, they give us a new perspective on something we love.
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