Paradise Road is based on a true World War II story of a boat load of women and children fleeing the imminent Japanese occupation of the then British colony. The boat is sunk and survivors made it to the shore of an island that was already occupied by the Japanese military, where they are herded into a brutal prison camp. Brutal World War II prison camps have been portrayed before, but this story is unique because to keep their spirits up the women manage to organize an a capella vocal group that performs classical music for the prisoners. The camp officers and guards join the audience.
I disagree with critic Roger Ebert who found the story line to be less dramatic than it could have been. I found the story gripping from the opening scene of a British high society ball in Singapore in which the British elite expressed their prejudices about Japanese and their erroneous belief that the Japanese army will be no match for the British military. It lost interest only after the war's end was announced. The film ended at that point without going into what the camp was like during the 2 weeks after the Japanese surrendered but before the victors reached the camp.
All the cast performances were very strong. Many of the cast had important parts and all gave very strong credible performances. Glen Close was excellent in what I would call the lead role, the concert organizer and conductor.
Although the action takes place in 1942-1945, the film was made in 1997. The prejudices that existed in the 1942-45 period are included in the film, but the 1997 sensibilities are expressed in making the Japanese military roles multidimensional, rather than pure evil. The only sadist was the Japanese Captain who was a member of the Japanese equivalent of Nazi Germany's Gestapo.
I disagree with critic Roger Ebert who found the story line to be less dramatic than it could have been. I found the story gripping from the opening scene of a British high society ball in Singapore in which the British elite expressed their prejudices about Japanese and their erroneous belief that the Japanese army will be no match for the British military. It lost interest only after the war's end was announced. The film ended at that point without going into what the camp was like during the 2 weeks after the Japanese surrendered but before the victors reached the camp.
All the cast performances were very strong. Many of the cast had important parts and all gave very strong credible performances. Glen Close was excellent in what I would call the lead role, the concert organizer and conductor.
Although the action takes place in 1942-1945, the film was made in 1997. The prejudices that existed in the 1942-45 period are included in the film, but the 1997 sensibilities are expressed in making the Japanese military roles multidimensional, rather than pure evil. The only sadist was the Japanese Captain who was a member of the Japanese equivalent of Nazi Germany's Gestapo.