The King’s Speech is More Inspiring than The Social Network; which Makes it the Better Film
In Fincher’s landmark cinematic work The Social Network, we are introduced to the-Harvard-college-student-now-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg; portrayed with such caustic indifference by Jesse Eisenberg. Set in 2003 and following a not-so-emotional break-up, Zuckerberg originally creates a new website which allows male students to compare their fellow female students’ good looks. However, he hijacks students’ personal information and getting his friend Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, to supply him with the means to do so. His work catches the eyes of twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winkelvoss, both played by Arnie Hammer, as well as their colleague Divya Narendra, portrayed by Max Minghella; who enlist their fellow student to help them create a new website called The Harvard Collection; an online communication service which would be exclusively available to the student body. Unfortunately for the twins, mark tells the idea to Eduardo, calling it “Thefacebook.” He then has his friend contribute money required to launch the site and spread it throughout the student body. When the twins discover what has occurred, Cameron refuses to sue Mark despite his brother and colleague’s urges. Eventually, Mark and Eduardo meet up with Napster founder Sean Parker, played with great dynamic egotism by Justin Timberlake, who convinces him to drop the “the” from “Thefacebook” as well as how to make money off the website; and eventually, despite Eduardo’s distrust of Sean, Facebook is hugely successful. As events proceed, Eduardo is finally squeezed out of the business by his so-called “friend” Mark. And as all the disloyalty is taking place, the film continuously cuts to Mark being in the middle of two court cases. These affairs end up being between the twins, who both ultimately agreed to go to court; and Eduardo, who wants compensation for being cut off. Thus, as a result of all the acts of fickleness and deceitfulness committed by Mark Zuckerberg, we can clearly see how The Social Network ends up showing depicting a relationship turning sour. This completely differs from The King’s Speech; which featured a more compassionate rapport between two mature adults.
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An interesting distinction between The King’s Speech and The Social Network is the depiction of their respective main protagonists. In Hooper’s historic composition, Colin Firth plays Duke Albert; the eventual-King-of-England; a role performed so majestically, that it earned him a Golden Globe. He is a benevolent husband and father cursed with a fear of eventually assuming the royal throne; which has caused him to develop an unfortunate and serious stammer, The then-Duke has such difficulty speaking; so much so that it is hard for him to tell his precious daughters a bedtime story. But, while Firth’s Albert is a good man plagued with a significant speech impediment, The Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg doesn’t have any health impediments; but he does suffer from an ego and a significant case of apathy. When we meet Mark Zuckerberg at the start of the film, he is bickering with his then-girlfriend at a bar over a series of topics; which eventually leads him to break up with her with no apparent thought of her emotions. And, when dealing with the twins, he doesn’t show any signs of cooperation as he takes their ideas and incorporates them into his own schemes. This is nothing like Duke Albert; who is truly a more sympathetic and caring person.
Another fascinating difference that distinguishes The King’s Speech as the more positive film is that it centers on a meaningful and strong friendship; as evident by the engaging relationship between Firth’s Albert and Geoffrey Rush’s Lionel Logue. When first meeting his new speech therapist, the then-Duke refuses to have assistance from a common person; especially when he is told to stop smoking. But, as The King’s Speech progresses, it is enjoyable to watch the pair partake in their sessions as Rush’s Logue comes up with fascinating exercises to help the troubled Duke loosen up. And when he therapist helps divulge the psychological root of his disability, you can see how the pair have made their relationship become more personable and heartwarming; especially when the film reaches its pivotal climax. This is quite fascinating to keep in mind when comparing the two films; as it is very intriguing that in the Social Network, both boys were friends at the start of the film. However, once Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg starts to implement his goals, his relationship with Andrew Garfield’s Eduardo Saverin begins to crumble drastically. This is evident as he manipulates his companion into giving him money whenever he requires assistance; all the while casually referring to him as Co-Founder of Facebook. And when the film reaches its culmination, their friendship is diminished as Garfield’s Saverin no longer has any financial stake in Facebook and squeezed out of his position in the company. Therefore, the entire torrid relationship between Mark and Eduardo has nothing on the meaningful and touching bond highlighted in The King’s Speech; thus making Duke Albert and Lionel Logue extremely more pleasant figures than those featured in The Social Network.
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While both films differ in tone and human nature, they do share one similar aspect: high-quality acting. While veteran performers Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter light up The King’s Speech with their years of experience; the young core cast of The Social Network, consisting of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake, speak every line with intense energy and act with theatrical energy. As Zuckerberg, Eisenberg remains so entirely expressionless; that even during his most dramatic scenes, his presence is still subdued and lacking of human emotion. His detached presentation makes you completely forget his role in 2009’s horror-comedy Zombieland; in which he plays a cowardly survivor in search of safety away from the undead. And Garfield, who will be seen on movie screens next year as Spiderman, works quite well as the unfortunate Eduardo Saverin; who constantly gets persuaded to finance Mark and his plans. Justin Timberlake gives a great performance as well as the over-confident and gaudy Sean Parker; thus putting aside his image as a musician and showing flair for acting. Thus, all three actors prove that, despite the dismal manner of the film, they are skilled at portraying key figures; just as the elegant core performers of The King’s Speech.
Nevertheless, I do think that The King’s Speech holds a higher candle to Fincher’s drama about the creation of Facebook. While the later is designed to depict the origin of one of the Internet’s most popular websites, I believe that writer David Seidler’s enriching story; combined with Hooper’s grand directing as well as the core actors’ first-class performances deliver a greater lesson in humanity. And, while I do, in fact, feel that The Social Network is worth watching, I believe that The King’s Speech is a film that is worth remembering for years to come
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E-mail me at thatsnatertainment@gmx.com
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