Film Review: Song for Marion

song-for-marion

When I started watching Song for Marion, I dreaded what I was seeing.  It wasn’t because it was old aged pensioners singing in a choir, it was that I knew from the quality of actors this was going to be the type of film that rips your heart out then expects you to thank it for the privilege.  Teaming up Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave as a couple in a film that deals with loss is just the perfect type of evil, and then having Gemma Arterton there to add that extra bit of charm and you have the perfect storm of feel good movie that melts the heart.

Song for Marion is about Arthur (Terrance Stamp), a grumpy old man looking after his wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) who is dying of cancer.  Her love of singing in the choir with her friends gives her happiness in her final days, and after her death Arthur feels himself drawn to the choir to deal with the loss of not only his wife but contact with his family.  Through music the choir director Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) tries to get Arthur to open up and take part in trying to build bridges between him and his son, and just maybe help the choir enter a national competition.

Song for Marion taps into the popularity at the moment for choir singing, whether it’s a Glee style performance or the style we see on shows like BBC’s The Choir people just seem to love to sing.  Typical of this style of British comedy drama we have the main characters and actors including Christopher Eccelston as Arthur’s estranged son but it’s fair to say that Terrance Stamp is the standout performer in the film with Vanessa Redgrave in a very close second.  Gemma Arterton is very charming in her role, but it does feel like she’s sleepwalking through it a little, it’s not a case of she’s not trying but her role is not really that important, her character is there to guide Arthur to his final goal.

As much as Song for Marion is about loss and coping with it, the comedy elements come in the form of not only Terence Stamp’s excellent performance as a typical grumpy old man (my favourite scene comes with his confrontation with a school teacher) but also the choice itself.  There are a few known faces in the “OAPz” as they call themselves and they are the life of the party.  Watching them sing Let’s Talk about Sex is an experience, as well as Ace of Spades.  It is the case though that again, the stand out musical moments are again saved for Vanessa Redgrave and Terrence Stamp whose singing once again has that emotional punch that makes their performances so good.

I know that Song for Marion won’t be to everybody’s taste, and it is for those who like a good tear-jerker and in that respect it knows just what it’s doing.  Terrance Stamp place Arthur with a realism that disarms you, and Vanessa Redgrave as Marion herself creates a character and plot device that makes you empathise with the character of Arthur and feel his pain.  You understand his actions and why he does what he does, and most importantly you care about him.  This is why the film succeeds at being both heart-warming and heart-breaking, and let’s not forget Gemma Arterton stars in this too.

Song for Marion is released June 24th on DVD and Blu-ray

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