As a stutterer myself, I found “The King's Speech” interesting, given my unique perspective on this complex and idiosyncratic disability (“Speak Easy,” Arts & Culture, Jan. 5).

Reviewer Wayne Melton states in his last paragraph that there's a lack of a convincing wrap-up for the movie and a weak climactic ending. Stuttering does not have a pill or a method for an ultimate cure. The king's final speech to the public is meant as a triumph while facing his stuttering, and moving forward with his duties and life as king, while being a lifelong stutter. He then leads the country with Churchill into the inevitable stages of World War II.

This would require a great deal of strength, leadership and courage, and Colin Firth does an excellent job at portraying the fear of speaking, yet facing that fear head-on, with Hitler and fascism bearing down on all of Europe. In today's excessive and vulgar display of violence in the media, it's refreshing to have a film that uses the less-is-more approach to the fullest.

Brendan M. Mahoney
Richmond