The Choral

Just seen this film. I didn't expect it to be so moving and a very timely reminder of the futility of war. The singing was beautiful and the two main soloists were incredible. The storyline contrasts the horror of war against the beauty of music. I left the cinema feeling deeply moved and hopeful that the collective human spirit can transcend the depths of despair.

All star cast (all on form), nicely produced, good dialog, rich cast of finely drawn credible characters, musical theme well developed, narative pacing and density pretty good.

Why a 6.5 rating? There were some clumsy, ugly and unneccessary elements: The sex (not explicit but hightly suggestive). A short Elgar appearance that was unpleasant and jarring that had the potential to be so much richer and edifying than the brutal iconclasty that seems more populist than anything else.

We liked it, good workmanlike effort. But won't be watching again or adding it to the collection of keepers.

I'd heard mixed reports from my choral contacts so I didn't have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised. At first sight, the sets and dialogue seemed unrealistic but it soon became apparent this was deliberate. The real thrust of the plot was to reflect on the horror of war through Elgar's masterpiece. A brilliant idea, which reminded me of some of the heavy irony in the poetry written at the time and in particular how that was also reflected in Britten's War Requiem. A few months ago, I sang the Elgar for the first time, and although I loved the music, the Newman words did nothing for me. But in this film the clever interpretation of the piece was extremely moving. While the underlying anti-war message was absolutely clear, Bennett's storyline had no shortage of humorous moments. Highly recommended.

Perhaps seeing this on Remembrance Sunday was a mistake but it heightened the poignancy and ramped up the emotional impact of Elgar's music. I was in bits at the end!

Has all of trademark Bennett one-liners and asides plus Hytner's imaginative take- not always to my taste but it worked well here.

Great understated performances and ensemble playing as well as more intimate scenes that highlight the tragedy of this 'list generation'. I loved it and sat through the final credits to hear out the glorious music.

It's the summer of 1916, and the industrial town of Ramsden in Yorkshire is feeling the effects of World War I. When their choirmaster volunteers, the committee of the local choral society reluctantly recruits the controversial Dr Guthrie - German-loving, atheist and gay - to lead their efforts.

Led by a predictably titanic performance from Ralph Fiennes, the film's strong cast lead us through many of the varying complexities of life during the war with a combination of humour and pathos, taking - for the most part - a relatively light touch. That approach creates the film's major strength and its major weakness: in touching upon these issues without drawing them out, it keeps the focus on the music and the tone of the movie relatively pleasant and enjoyable; however, in introducing so many social issues and then failing to address any of them properly, it feels somewhat like the filmmakers chickened out of making the film they wanted to make.

The principal focus is, of course, the music, and this is (eventually) performed wonderfully, led by the impressive vocal talents of Amara Okereke and Jacob Dudman. The journey from the ragtag band of overinflated egos to the denouement performance is well-told, if a tad predictable.

The other major theme is the war, and here the film underplays its hand a little. Elements of it are touching, but - despite some serious injuries on display, a soliloquy on the hell of war from Clyde, and a conversation about "the things you've seen" - the impact of the conflict on the returning soldiers is mostly left unexplored. Clyde, for example, appears to be far more concerned about his lost love than any physical or psychological scars he bears from his time in the trenches. It seems singing cures all such ills.

Other social issues of the time, such as religion, class division, even prostitution, are mostly played for laughs. The film seems intent at some points on making a serious point about homosexuality, but having set itself up for this, it fizzles out without anything of substance landing. At various points the film also seems ready to embark on a treatise that there is more that unites Britain and Germany than divides them, but again seems to lose heart.

The result is a film that is pleasant, enjoyable, and very watchable, but which fails to land any meaningful blows on most of the issues it raises.