Unfinished Song

Grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) honors his recently deceased wife (Vanessa Redgrave)'s passion for performing by joining the unconventional local choir to which she used to belong, a process that helps him build bridges with his estranged son, James (Chris Eccleston).

The director, Paul Andrew Williams, made a name for himself in darker territory -- the wildly successful horror comedy "The Cottage" and the gritty home invasion story of "Cherry Tree Lane". The latter is so nasty that it left me (a hardened horror fan) squirming in my seat because of its realistic approach to the subject matter.

With that background, Williams is just about the last person I would have expected to take on a heartwarming tale of curmudgeon and his wife's elderly singing troupe. And yet, he weaves everything together expertly. I smiled quite a bit (I rarely laugh). I was captivated. And what seemed like a pretty lame story from the plot was actually rather entertaining and the characters were people I could identify with.

Really, though, the core of this film that separates it from others is the group of old folks singing rock and hip-hop songs. Maybe the joke is not completely new (Betty White has been pushing the envelope for a decade) but how can you argue with crotchety old fogies thrusting to Salt N Pepa and Motorhead? Definitely worth checking out, and fairly appropriate for the whole family.

I am 16 years old and therefore someone who should typically prefer Pitch Perfect to a movie starring pensioners. And I loved Pitch Perfect. But Pitch Perfect only made me laugh. Not cry. I prefer movies that do both. And this film was one of those. One minute I was roaring with laughter and the next my mum rushed into the room wondering if I'd broken my ankle. This is probably the most fantastic movies of all time, and certainly the most underrated. A story about family, living life to the full and trying out something new -- life might just surprise you. I now feel so much better about life -- I know not to get anything for granted, particularly life, and even if people laugh at me, so what if they're laughing at me for doing something I enjoy? Great acting from Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Eccleston and Gemma Arterton. Other members of cast portrayed convincing characters too.

So if you haven't seen this movie, I recommend you watch it now. If you're 45, ask a 12 year old and a 90 year old to watch it too...I'm sure it'll be smiles all round.

We had the choice of seeing this or Die Hard 27 or whatever we're up to now. Chose this & what a delight it turned out to be. A very simple story. A group of OAP's, sorry OAPz (It's more street!) are taught to sing current pop songs by a young music teacher and entered into a choir competition. Marion is a member of this choir but desperately ill with cancer and her grumpy husband tries to stop her going s he fears it is too much for her. I won't add any spoilers as to how the plot progresses. You will laugh, my wife cried for about an hour constantly and took out my handkerchief, it will tap into relationships and make you think about what you have yourself. It will ensure you never listen to 'Ace of spades' again! Terence Stamp, not a favourite actor of mine, was just brilliant and spot on with his grumpy old man performance. Vanessa Redgrave just gives a beautiful, touching master class. Christopher Eccleston is gritty as ever and Gemma Arterton as the plucky, strong willed young teacher just makes you smile throughout. The cast of the choir also all have their priceless moment. This may not be for everyone but there is something in it for everyone and although it may appeal to the older market, the message is equally strong for all age groups.

In his directorial debut Paul Andrew Williams gave us an impressive, gritty and bleak crime film, London to Brighton – a film shot in just 19 days on a budget of £19,000. In his latest work he goes on the complete other end of the spectrum to deliver us a heart-warming comedy-drama, Song for Marion. When looking at its exterior, most would easily jump to labeling it a sentimental film which it's one motive is to get you blubbering. It certainly succeeds in getting you to shed tears, but this is through the film's well developed relationships between the characters, especially that of Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) and Arthur (Terence Stamp). Marion is terminally ill and is cared for by her grumpy husband, Arthur – he reluctantly helps fulfil her wishes to attend local OAP choir sessions headed by a young music teacher, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton). But of course as Marion's health begins to fade, Arthur finds himself becoming more and more desperate about the inevitable prospect of being alone without his beloved wife. This prompts him to become more involved in the choir's sessions, which builds up to the group's entry into a national choir competition – a beat very much in the vein of the 1996 film, Brassed Off.

The on-screen chemistry between Redgrave and Stamp is heart-wrenching; it's hard to fight back those tears as the two comfort one another during Marion's final months. But it's when Arthur finally confesses to Marion that he's scared about being without her that I finally let the tears subside – it's just beautiful stuff. Redgrave's singing performance of True Colours and Stamp's final belting delivery of Goodnight My Darling will also leave you and the theatre audience in a quiver of snivels. But on the side there is very funny and touching moments with the choir themselves which mix in well to not make you an emotional wreck for the majority of the film. Christopher Eccleston is effective on the sidelines as Arthur and Marion's son who struggles to bond with his stone-walled father. I felt Eccleston was slightly underused, but nonetheless enjoyable in the scenes he had; meanwhile Arterton is sweet and caring as Elizabeth, who tries hard to break down Arthur's cold exterior in order to get him involved with the choir.

This is a splendid British picture – Paul Andrew Williams proves here that he can tackle pretty much any genre, and if you take a look at his other genre films, you'll see that the man certainly has the knack – He's done horror, crime and now a beautiful British comedy-drama. The performances are splendid, the comedic and teary moments are balanced perfectly – but ultimately what makes the film work is that it doesn't try to break you down into an emotional wreck, it merely presents its characters in situations; bonding, caring and helping one another through the tough times. This is the kind of British film we need more of – you'll be walking out of the cinema with a warm smile on your face.

How did they pitch this? QUARTET meets CALENDAR GIRLS? Vanessa Redgrave plays a Senior Citizen (in the north of England) dying from cancer who somehow finds the strength to sing with a local choir of fellow OAPs. Her grumpy old git of a husband (Terence Stamp) wants her to stay home and greet the Grim Reaper while he (Arthur) tenderly cares for her, but - guess what? The sub-plot involving Arthur and his estranged son (Christopher Eccleston) is over-familiar but also touching - he even has a cute smarty-pants daughter cloned from Shirley Temple.

OK, this is a very predictable story which shamelessly milks tears from the audience, but there is some pleasing humour as well as the somewhat heavy-handed tragedy. The performances - what did you expect from Redgrave and Stamp? - are nothing less than stellar. I see nominations for BAFTAs and maybe even next year's Oscars. Stamp gives perfectly judged grief. Gemma Arterton is excellent as the choir-mistress with an unhappy love life and it's a joy to see Anne Reid in the chorus line. All the supporting cast of yesteryear character players are splendid, as they were in QUARTET. Pensioner power is beginning to have an impact at the box office - about time too!

This is lightweight entertainment pitched at the Grey Pound and it is outrageously mawkish, but it sets out to warm the stoniest of hearts and it certainly warmed mine.