THE KING’S SPEECH WINS TOP AWARD AT TORONTO FILM FEST

Putting the Weinstein Bros. back on the Oscar track again, their The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Colin Firth as Britain’s World War II King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist, won the audience award (the “Cadillac People’s Choice Award”) at the 35th annual Toronto Film Festival today (Sunday). Several critics have pronounced it a sure Oscar nominee for best film and are also predicting nominations for Hooper, Firth, and Rush. The Weinstein Co. has scheduled the film to be released domestically on Nov. 24. Last week Richard Corliss, writing in Time magazine, observed that The King’s Speech could restore Harvey Weinstein’s reputation as “a brilliant, indefatigable entrepreneur and … propel him on stage for one more Oscar night.”.