Hear My Song

This movie never got the attention or box office it deserved, but it's one of my all-time favorites. Ned Beatty is wonderful as Joe Locke, the exiled Irish singer returned to the stage by impresario Adrian Dunbar. A little movie with heart, wit, and charm, definitely worth repeat viewings.

I have been watching Waking the Dead, and thought I would explore other works done by it's stars. I'm starting with Eve (Tara Fitzgerald).

This is a great one for Ms. Fitzgerald, as we see all she has to offer as she jumps out of bed with Adrian Dunbar, after he fails to say he loves her. Unfortunately, her role is little more than that, as Dunbar is the star.

When you mention Irish tenors, people immediately think of Finbar Wright, Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynan. But long before, there was Joseph McLaughlin, better known as Josef Locke. This film is loosely based upon his life.

It really gets funny as Micky O'Neill (Dunbar) goes broke trying to fake everyone out with Franc Cinatra, and then with a Mister X, who pretends to be Locke, and goes chasing around Ireland to find the real Josef Locke and bring him back to England. Locke is played by Ned Beatty.

He manages to come to the realization that he really loves Nancy (Fitzgerald), and gets Locke to return.

What an ending!

I was charmed by more than the fact that I couldn't take my eyes off Tara Fitzgerald. A lovely whimsical plot, painting a picture of Irish fantasy, fairies and all, over the true life background of a great singer. And a beautiful soundtrack featuring original Locke recordings reminds us of just how moving a pure tenor voice can be. Who on earth needs techno and rap?

None of the other correspondents has yet picked up on the fact that Josef Locke (born Joseph McLaughlin 1917, died 1999) was alongside John McCormack as one of the two great Irish tenors (one correspondent has even written that he was a baritone -were you actually listening??) of the 20th century, and that he retired to rural life in Co Kildare in 1958 after the British Inland Revenue began to pursue him for large but disputed amounts of tax. That much is established fact, but this story of his comeback performance and the events surrounding it is indeed fantasy, with a happy feelgood ending. But what's so wrong with that? I like to be entertained, and unlike your more dismal correspondents I don't need to be intellectually challenged to thoroughly enjoy a movie. Nine out of ten, and I thought seriously about giving it ten as a gesture of eternal devotion to the stunningly beautiful Tara.

I don't think Peter Chelsom's appreciation will grow much today, with audiences and critics more inclined to pyrotechnics, flamboyant styles and cynic approach to mankind's troubles. Chelsom is a skilled filmmaker, but for today's tastes his cinema seems too close to the audience's soft hearts, and that is probably his less attractive trait.

I like a few of his movies: "The Mighty", "Serendipity" as predictable as it is, and my favorites "Funny Bones" and "Hear My Song" which he also wrote. Both deal with a search and possess a frenetic and funny approach to human foibles, and in this case an enthusiastic leading character, as played by Adrian Dunbar who also co-wrote.

Dunbar plays a nightclub administrator who keeps cheating on his patrons, bringing mediocre artists to perform. When he brings a fake tenor who humiliates his future mother-in-law (Shirley-Ann Field, who had an affair with the real tenor), he embarks on the almost impossible: finding the real singer, who cannot step on Irish soil due to tax evasion. Ned Beatty gives the performance of his life (and that's a lot to say) as the singer, leading the story to a moving conclusion.

I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I screeched with laughter, and cried real tears. The audience reception was rapturous, one of the most responsive I've ever witnessed at the festival. Director Peter Chelsom was reduced to tears, and when Ned Beatty made a surprise appearance in his Joseph Locke fedora and cloak the crowd went crazy. Since then, I make a point of watching this wonderful film in the dark days of February, the dreariest part of a Toronto winter. It never fails to restore my spirit.

As a final note, I think Chelsom is a very talented director. Who can ever forget the image of those Irish lady owners crammed onto one couch? The film is filled with glorious visuals like this one. I've liked every movie Chelsom has made since, but he seems to get a bum rap from the press. Nonetheless, he will always be remembered for giving us this treasure.