Little Voice, a shy, repressed young woman, does not have a voice of her own -- she has the classic vocal chords of Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe.
This bittersweet story of one woman's transformation from a wounded recluse to a vital being will delight mature movie audiences. The Miramax film was a hit among the opening-night high-rollers here at the 34th annual Chicago Film Festival. With tangy performances by Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks as the nightingale-throated lead, "Little Voice" should resound quite nicely on the art house circuit.
With the same basic thematic tune as "Brassed Off", the tart England-set tale of a few years back in which music revitalized a depressed mining community, "Little Voice" follows that same refrain. In this working-class England yarn, Mari (Blethyn), a lusty hag and her withdrawn daughter eke out a living selling music memorabilia, a business Mari's late husband, whom she loathed and did not appreciate, has left them. Unlike her mother, Little Voice (Horrocks) worships the memory of her father, paying tribute to him daily by playing his old, classic record collection of show tunes and love songs.
Alone in her room with a photo of her late father and the music that she worships, Little Voice is, sadly, one very wounded young lady. Her salvation, like real life, comes in a most dubious form, namely with one Ray Say (Caine), a dissipated, small-time agent who inadvertently hears her sing while on a boozy bang with her mum. Pencil in three measures of "Rocky" in a "Shine" key and, basically, you've got this minor-key but resonant narrative.
While screenwriter-director Mark Herman's stage-play adaptation is utterly predictable, it's ripe with peculiar moments and particularity. In short, it's best in its vivid depiction of the messiness of ordinary life as each character struggles with inner conflicts and needs that are not necessarily in sync with their grimy outside world.
For the most part, "Little Voice" registers as real-life -- although, at times, its structural, movie seams tend to show. What lifts it above formulaic melodramatics are the keen performances. Blethyn is particularly outstanding as the blowsy, bellicose woman who is heart-wrenchingly vulnerable. Blethyn's performance never stoops to softening the character's venal nastiness, which makes it all the more credible.
Similarly, Caine never glossies up the pathetic down-spiral of his character, a braggart and a boozer who is terminally small-time. Caine's performance as this bellicose loser is hard-forged and perfectly edged.
As Little Voice, Horrocks brings us a one-woman, superstar show of high entertainment. Her renditions of Garland, Holiday, Dietrich and Monroe are fabulous, as is her portrayal of a deeply troubled and withdrawn young woman. Ian McGregor adds a sympathetic turn as a telephone technician whose own solitary nature lends him, somewhat magically, to find Little Voice. Jim Broadbent is entertaining and consistently believable as a paltry club owner who fancies himself in show biz.
"Little Voice" is most eloquent in its smaller moments, a tribute to Mark Herman's writing and direction. He is to be commended for the film's gritty and earthy tones, smartly rejecting opportunities to "Hollywood-ize" it. Technical contributions are smartly realized, namely cinematographer Andy Collins shrewdly small scopings and composer-arranger John Altman's nervy melodies.
LITTLE VOICE
Miramax Films
Miramax Films presents and Scala Prods. present
a Scala production
A film by Mark Herman
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen
Screenwriter-director: Mark Herman
Based on the stage play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" by: Jim Cartwright
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley
Co-executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Webster
Co-producer: Laurie Borg
Director of photography: Andy Collins
Production designer: Don Taylor
Editor: Mike Ellis
Music supervisor: Bob Last
Music and arrangements: John Altman
Costume designer: Lindy Hemming
Casting director: Priscilla John
Sound recordist: Peter Lindsay
Supervising sound editor: Dennis McTaggart
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mari: Brenda Blethyn
Little Voice: Jane Horrocks
Billy: Ewan McGregor
George: Philip Jackson
Sadie: Annette Badland
Ray Say: Michael Caine
Mr. Boo: Jim Broadbent
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
This bittersweet story of one woman's transformation from a wounded recluse to a vital being will delight mature movie audiences. The Miramax film was a hit among the opening-night high-rollers here at the 34th annual Chicago Film Festival. With tangy performances by Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks as the nightingale-throated lead, "Little Voice" should resound quite nicely on the art house circuit.
With the same basic thematic tune as "Brassed Off", the tart England-set tale of a few years back in which music revitalized a depressed mining community, "Little Voice" follows that same refrain. In this working-class England yarn, Mari (Blethyn), a lusty hag and her withdrawn daughter eke out a living selling music memorabilia, a business Mari's late husband, whom she loathed and did not appreciate, has left them. Unlike her mother, Little Voice (Horrocks) worships the memory of her father, paying tribute to him daily by playing his old, classic record collection of show tunes and love songs.
Alone in her room with a photo of her late father and the music that she worships, Little Voice is, sadly, one very wounded young lady. Her salvation, like real life, comes in a most dubious form, namely with one Ray Say (Caine), a dissipated, small-time agent who inadvertently hears her sing while on a boozy bang with her mum. Pencil in three measures of "Rocky" in a "Shine" key and, basically, you've got this minor-key but resonant narrative.
While screenwriter-director Mark Herman's stage-play adaptation is utterly predictable, it's ripe with peculiar moments and particularity. In short, it's best in its vivid depiction of the messiness of ordinary life as each character struggles with inner conflicts and needs that are not necessarily in sync with their grimy outside world.
For the most part, "Little Voice" registers as real-life -- although, at times, its structural, movie seams tend to show. What lifts it above formulaic melodramatics are the keen performances. Blethyn is particularly outstanding as the blowsy, bellicose woman who is heart-wrenchingly vulnerable. Blethyn's performance never stoops to softening the character's venal nastiness, which makes it all the more credible.
Similarly, Caine never glossies up the pathetic down-spiral of his character, a braggart and a boozer who is terminally small-time. Caine's performance as this bellicose loser is hard-forged and perfectly edged.
As Little Voice, Horrocks brings us a one-woman, superstar show of high entertainment. Her renditions of Garland, Holiday, Dietrich and Monroe are fabulous, as is her portrayal of a deeply troubled and withdrawn young woman. Ian McGregor adds a sympathetic turn as a telephone technician whose own solitary nature lends him, somewhat magically, to find Little Voice. Jim Broadbent is entertaining and consistently believable as a paltry club owner who fancies himself in show biz.
"Little Voice" is most eloquent in its smaller moments, a tribute to Mark Herman's writing and direction. He is to be commended for the film's gritty and earthy tones, smartly rejecting opportunities to "Hollywood-ize" it. Technical contributions are smartly realized, namely cinematographer Andy Collins shrewdly small scopings and composer-arranger John Altman's nervy melodies.
LITTLE VOICE
Miramax Films
Miramax Films presents and Scala Prods. present
a Scala production
A film by Mark Herman
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen
Screenwriter-director: Mark Herman
Based on the stage play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" by: Jim Cartwright
Executive producers: Nik Powell, Stephen Woolley
Co-executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Webster
Co-producer: Laurie Borg
Director of photography: Andy Collins
Production designer: Don Taylor
Editor: Mike Ellis
Music supervisor: Bob Last
Music and arrangements: John Altman
Costume designer: Lindy Hemming
Casting director: Priscilla John
Sound recordist: Peter Lindsay
Supervising sound editor: Dennis McTaggart
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mari: Brenda Blethyn
Little Voice: Jane Horrocks
Billy: Ewan McGregor
George: Philip Jackson
Sadie: Annette Badland
Ray Say: Michael Caine
Mr. Boo: Jim Broadbent
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/12/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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