In 2005, "As It Is In Heaven" was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film...and ironically, so was the French film "The Chorus". I say there's irony because their plots are extremely similar. Both involve a man trying to lead a chorus to greatness and both, ultimately, had to deal with fun-hating authoritarians who wanted to disrupt their work. But, of the two, "The Chorus" is a much better picture because it was written better and the ending made more sense and doesn't leave you angry.
Daniel Daréus (Michael Nyqvist) is a world famous director but he also has two problems--he tends to get very angry and he has a bad heart. After suffering a heart attack while working, he's told he must quit or he'll die. So he moved back to a small, rural town in Sweden...one which he grew up in but hated as a child. He and his mother hated it so much, they left it when he was 7. Why he would choose to return here of all places to retire really didn't make a lot of sense.
Despite not being an especially friendly or happy man, he somehow is wrangled into attending a session with the local church choir as one of the members would like his opinion about their progress. Soon, however, he finds that they want him to direct this chorus and slowly his grouchy veneer vanishes and he finds a sense of purpose here. He also finds that he has grown to like the folks.
Unfortunately, there is a VERY stereotypical minister who hates fun and is too much of a caricature to be taken seriously. Plus, having a self-righteous, one-dimensional minister attacking something if it was, perhaps rock music or drugs might make some sense...but a choir?!
There also is a serious problem with the ending of the film. Some may like it...most will feel robbed. After all, you invest all this time and energy into a film and then...this?!
So what you have are some good singing, some interesting characters and a kernel of a good story...but you have all that and so much more in "The Chorus". I say what the French film.
By the way, no one seemed to care but about a decade later, the director made a sequel to this film, "Heaven on Earth". The rating on IMDb is very low and apparently it turned out to be a sequel no one particularly wanted.
Daniel Daréus (Michael Nyqvist) is a world famous director but he also has two problems--he tends to get very angry and he has a bad heart. After suffering a heart attack while working, he's told he must quit or he'll die. So he moved back to a small, rural town in Sweden...one which he grew up in but hated as a child. He and his mother hated it so much, they left it when he was 7. Why he would choose to return here of all places to retire really didn't make a lot of sense.
Despite not being an especially friendly or happy man, he somehow is wrangled into attending a session with the local church choir as one of the members would like his opinion about their progress. Soon, however, he finds that they want him to direct this chorus and slowly his grouchy veneer vanishes and he finds a sense of purpose here. He also finds that he has grown to like the folks.
Unfortunately, there is a VERY stereotypical minister who hates fun and is too much of a caricature to be taken seriously. Plus, having a self-righteous, one-dimensional minister attacking something if it was, perhaps rock music or drugs might make some sense...but a choir?!
There also is a serious problem with the ending of the film. Some may like it...most will feel robbed. After all, you invest all this time and energy into a film and then...this?!
So what you have are some good singing, some interesting characters and a kernel of a good story...but you have all that and so much more in "The Chorus". I say what the French film.
By the way, no one seemed to care but about a decade later, the director made a sequel to this film, "Heaven on Earth". The rating on IMDb is very low and apparently it turned out to be a sequel no one particularly wanted.