Crossing the lines

 Finally got round to watching 'The King's speech'. Glad I did - thought it was a good film, well-made and brilliantly acted. Quite apart from all the grown-ups, casting Ramona Marquez (Karen, in Outnumbered) as the young Princess Margaret seemed an inspired choice.

The film has a number of strong story lines. The contrast between the stammering, socially awkward Bertie (Colin Firth) and his older brother and party animal David (Guy Pearce) was striking. David (briefly, Edward VIII) was all suave sophistication. And yet, it was Bertie who courageously battled his speech impediment and stepped up to the throne (becoming George VI) when David chose to abdicate rather than abandon his love for Wallis Simpson.

At the heart of the film is the relationship between Bertie (the Duke of York) and Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, whose unconventional methods include insisting on calling the Duke by his first name. This symbolises the key element to the therapy, namely that Bertie should see Logue as his friend, and therefore find release from his dreadful handicap. Despite the messages received in the early years of a dysfunctional upbringing, he needed to believe that he had a voice and that people wanted to hear what he had to say. Key to this was the breaking down of barriers and the crossing of lines which were very clearly demarcated.

The same theme dominated the second episode of Downton Abbey on Sunday. In fact, every storyline dealt with it, in one way or another - whether the issue of maids serving dinner, love between Lady Edith and a farmhand, or the unrequited homosexual attraction between wounded soldiers. Solid Sunday evening entertainment - but subtle it wasn't!

Of course, we can look back on such times and customs as largely gone - and be grateful for the fact. However, the summer riots reminded us very starkly that for some people, the lines are still very clearly drawn. Many of us have climbed the social ladder, and perhaps met others coming down. For some, however, the bottom rung seems out of reach. And so the challenge of crossing lines and demolishing barriers remains.