Four Last Songs

A glorious evening. The film was televised very late (gone midnight our time) - and had been somewhat slated by the Radio Times critic ("...let down by dreary script"). I was fascinated by the title but from the synopsis could not make out what on earth the Four Last Songs had to do with the film, and was it 'THE' Four Last Songs? but had forgotten to check when it was to be televised. Was asleep in front of the TV, woke up, 'time for bed' then suddenly, up came the titles. OK. Let's watch for a few mins. WOW. Very glad that I did so. Sat back and enjoyed the best TV in a very long time - and as for the sound track - glorious. The voice of Sylvia Sass echoing in my mind ever since last night. Now to purchase the CD.

So glad that so many people have enjoyed this film - and sorry for the few who didn't. I was intriegued by the dialogue and how it was woven, seamlessly, without art. The acting was excellent, costuming superb - and as for the location. Full marks. I must get the DVD of this film as it is one of the very, very few films that I could watch a second or even a third time.

Addendum: spent a leisurely morning checking out Sylvia Sass. Now have a (long) checklist of CD titles to order up (thanks to the poster who posted the name of the soloist.)

Mystral (France)

This film was a shot in the dark. I figured that with a cast like that (Tucci, Ifans, Malone et al.), how could it go wrong? Well, I'm not obsessive enough-or astute enough-to pick out where the problem lies, but after 45 minutes of the story, I bailed. I wasn't interested enough to care what happened to the characters, even to Rhys Ifans, who definitely had the best lines. The synopses you can read in other comments are accurate, but by the halfway point the story still hadn't picked up enough momentum to hint at an interesting outcome. There was one point that bothered me about the proceedings, too: early in the preparations for the concert the dead composer's grand piano is delivered by helicopter to the stage of a natural-i.e., uncovered- amphitheater halfway up a mountain. The story continues, then, a few days later, there is a horrendous thunderstorm that blows in, serves some plot points, then moves on. No mention is made of the priceless Steinway in the open amphitheater. Perhaps there is some use made of the ruined piano later, after the point at which I stopped watching, but nobody even thinks about it during the storm? That struck me as, at best unrealistic, at worst a lapse of the kind I could expect more of in the film. Why bother?

Without a doubt one of the best and most refreshing films we have seen in a very long time.

Definitely fun and very funny Four Last Songs is a work of real love. I have no truck with one of the other critics here who wrote that the filming was bad - every shot is framed exquisitely, and the lighting, sound, and settings are way above average. The script sparkles with wit, farce, and poignancy - a real surprising feast.

A great set of characters living in their beautifully estranged world in the mountains of Mallorca, a wonderful set of ex-pats and a countess, a muse, a love, two pianists, two brothers - all really well written and showing top performances - honestly, my wife and I really laughed and were really moved by this - just excellent entertainment throughout.

This is not film as beer; rather it is film as wine: to be savored and enjoyed.

It is a time since we have seen a film that is geared at the over 30s that is so refreshingly funny, and so much about life.

Warmly recommended!

Pay no attention to the sensational marketing on the back of the DVD declaring this to be a "kooky" "romantic comedy" "funnier than Police Academy 17!" (well OK, I made up that last one) I was expecting some big belly laughs, and after the first half hour without even cracking a smile, I started to feel disappointed. But that's when I realized that this is not really a comedy and it shouldn't be approached as such. True, there are some bizarre characters and weird situations like a guy getting accused of infidelity because he happens to be zipping up his fly at an inopportune moment (after taking a pee), but comedy is not the heart of this film; poetry is. The vibe the director achieved here reminds me of Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty", Stillman's "Barcelona" or maybe the more recent "L'auberge espagnole" but with older characters. It's a very European story--and by that I mean the characters are extremely diverse and cosmopolitan, and the scenery plays a key role--about a bunch of people just being normal, or as normal as they can be under the circumstances.

There aren't a lot of wild plot twists, no real action, and no melodramatic romances like you might expect from Hollywood. As best as I can describe it, this is a movie about real life set in an unreal setting (a dreamy island off the coast of Spain).

The story is about a dead composer and how his legacy impacts the people who adored him. Here is where, I believe, we get the title of the film "Four Last Songs". In real life, composer Richard Strauss wrote 4 songs (Spring, September, Sleep, Sunset) in his last year before he died, and these songs prophetically consider the subject of death, yet not with dread & fear but with calm & serenity. The movie has nothing about Strauss but instead invents a fictional composer whose works are to be performed in a tribute concert. The "Four Last Songs" in the movie could relate to the 4 subplots: a young woman discovering her life (Spring), a mature couple dealing with their insecurities (September), a man who seems to be courting death (Sleep) and an unfinished romance left in the wake of the composer's passing (Sunset). The music seems to unify these 4 subplots into a cohesive tale, and that's how we get "Four Last Songs".

This is of course, just my personal interpretation. But the point that I'm trying to make is that this is a film that can be approached at different levels, and its poetic nature lends itself to many possible meanings. In that sense, it ain't no hilarious romantic comedy. If, right from the get-go, you realize that it's a very symbolic & artistic story I think you'll enjoy it so much more.

Actually, I really liked this movie. It was funny and sad and it kept me hooked right to the end. It made one wonder what if we were all put on an island and had to live close together with all our quirks and idiosyncrases exposed. Many of the characters had chosen this Spanish island to either hide or work out their pain or unresolved issues except perhaps the wife of the composer who it appeared was Spanish. I agree with the other commenter, no one in the movie was worried about the priceless piano getting wet except me and the commenter! I feel that the characters were quirky enough to keep one's interest and lots of subplots to make it more interesting. All in all I think this was a good movie.