Shadows on the Wall | The Choral

The Choral

dir Nicholas Hytner
scr Alan Bennett
prd Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones
with Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Amara Okereke, Oliver Briscombe, Taylor Uttley, Shaun Thomas, Emily Fairn, Jacob Dudman, Robert Emms, Simon Russell Beale, Ron Cook
release UK 7.Nov.25,
US 25.Dec.25
25/UK Sony 1h53

TORONTO FILM FEST

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With an original screenplay by 91-year-old icon Alan Bennett, this rousing British period drama is packed with colourful people, moving subplots, glorious music and spectacular Yorkshire scenery. It's one of those films in which nothing much seems to happen, and yet momentous things are taking place in the characters' lives. And director Nicholas Hytner keeps the focus on what's important, allowing us to identify with each of them.

In a Yorkshire mill town in 1916, the choral society is in need of a new choirmaster. The leaders (Allam, Addy and Armstrong) reluctantly hire Guthrie (Fiennes), despite scandalous rumours about his sexuality. With the war on, they're also short on male voices, drafting in three sparky under-18 buddies (Briscombe, Uttley and Thomas) and Salvation Army worker Mary (Okereke), who can sing like an angel. As they rehearse Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Guthrie adapts the text to the fighting that's taking place in Europe, casting injured returning soldier Clyde (Dudman) in the title role.

There's a hilarious sequence in which Elgar himself (a barnstorming Beale) pays a visit, playing up his everyman credentials while revelling in his pomposity. He takes violent exception to the idea of Gerontius as a young man, missing the point that this moving adaptation makes his work far more resonant for both choir members and the townsfolk. Old-world attitudes continually clash with what's happening, as veteran singers (especially Allam) must face the present state of the world.

Bennett's simmering dialog provides wonderful throwaway lines for these gifted actors. While the old-timers have honed their timing perfectly, the youngsters reveal surprising skill at injecting their scenes with added bursts of life, all of which keeps the film from turning into a staid British heartwarmer. Fiennes finds superb textures as always, while standouts in the ensemble include Uttley as the sparky teen Ellis, taking a chance on love with Fairn's hilariously up-for-it Bella. As Ellis' pals, Briscombe and Thomas take engagingly yearning journeys of their own.

Refreshingly, Bennett's script and Hytner's direction avoid sentimentality, keeping the characters and plot threads grounded in both history and human nature. This places the story artfully within its period while allowing meaningful ideas to emerge about the responsibilities we have to each other. Bolstering the extremely vague hints about Guthrie's romantic inclinations might have provided a stronger emotional and political kick. But the choir's climactic performance eloquently says more about the evils of war than dialog ever could. It's properly moving.

themes, language, sexuality 24.Sep.25

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