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King's Speech wins big at Baftas

London - The royal drama The King's Speech was crowned the big winner at Britain's top film awards - a sign that it may reign again at Hollywood's Academy Awards in two weeks' time.

The made-in-England story of King George VI and his struggle to overcome a stutter won seven prizes on Sunday, including best picture and acting trophies for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.

It had to share the crown jewels with Facebook-founding drama The Social Network, which took three prizes including best director for David Fincher. Mind-bending saga Inception also won three trophies.

'Two men in a room'

The King's Speech went into the awards as heavy favourite with 14 nominations - an unexpected British triumph that cost a reported £15m to make and has taken many times that at the global box office.

It beat The Social Network, Black Swan, Inception and True Grit to the best picture prize.

Perfectly timed in a year that sees the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the movie tells the true story of George VI, thrust unexpectedly onto the throne by his elder brother's abdication, and his battle to overcome a stammer with the help of an unconventional speech therapist.

Screenwriter David Seidler said he was astonished that this small film about "two men in a room" had been so popular around the world.

Best British film

"I don't think it's the fascination with royalty," Seidler said. "I don't think it's the ostrich plumes and the gold braid. I think it's the fact that it's a story about changing your destiny."

The British-American writer, who overcame a childhood stammer and has worked on the screenplay for 30 years, said that "for a stutterer (...) to be heard is a wonderful thing."

As expected, Firth won best actor for his portrayal of the reluctant monarch. He has already won a best actor trophy at the Golden Globes and is a favourite for an Oscar.

"I like coming here," said Firth, who won the same prize last year for A Single Man.

The King's Speech also took awards for best British film, original screenplay, original music, supporting actor for Rush's turn as speech therapist Lionel Logue and supporting actress, for Bonham Carter's performance as the Queen Mother Elizabeth.

"I think I should thank the royal family, frankly, because they've done wonders for my career," Bonham Carter said.

The scariest thing

Bonham Carter, who also recently played the giant-craniumed Red Queen in husband Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, joked that "I seem to be playing queens with ever-decreasing head sizes".

Natalie Portman won the best actress prize for psychosexual dance thriller Black Swan, its only win from 12 nominations.

The Social Network took directing and editing prizes, as well as an award for Aaron Sorkin's adapted screenplay. Inception won prizes for sound, production design and visual effects.

Writer-director Chris Morris took the prize for best British debut for Four Lions, his comedy about a group of bumbling would-be suicide bombers.

Swedish thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was named best foreign language film. Producer Soeren Staermose joked that its no-holds-barred heroine, Lisbeth Salander, was "the scariest thing to come out of Sweden since ABBA".
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