Florence Foster Jenkins - Movie Review
Aug. 23rd, 2016 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatAlmost forgot, but while away on vacation, I saw the film Florence Foster Jenkins by Stephen Frears, starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and the guy who plays Howard on the Big Bang Theory. (Took me a while to place him, but halfway through the movie, I thought - Howard on Big Bang Theory.)
The movie is worth it just for Howard's facial expressions. He plays Florence's accompanist.
The film is based on a true story - about a wealthy ailing woman, during the 1940s, who desperately wanted to be an opera singer. Unfortunately, she can't carry a tune and is tone death. But, she doesn't let that stop her. And her husband, St. Clair Bayfield does his utmost to aid her in her dream. As a result, she unintentionally becomes amongst the greatest comic opera singers ever -- to such an extent, that her archived taped performance at Carnegie Hall is amongst the most requested. And her Melotone records sold more than any others during that time period and beyond.
The film is an amusing, and ultimately uplifting character study of two people, Florence Foster Jenkins and her husband St. Clair Bayfield. Who both adore music and unintentionally bring laughter to the troops.
It did, however, have a few off moments. I'm not sure black soliders would be sitting with white soliders in the orchestra seats of Carnegie Hall during the 1940s. We still had segregation back then. But other than that...it worked. And Hugh Grant held his own as St. Clair Bayfield.
Here's the trailer:
The movie is worth it just for Howard's facial expressions. He plays Florence's accompanist.
The film is based on a true story - about a wealthy ailing woman, during the 1940s, who desperately wanted to be an opera singer. Unfortunately, she can't carry a tune and is tone death. But, she doesn't let that stop her. And her husband, St. Clair Bayfield does his utmost to aid her in her dream. As a result, she unintentionally becomes amongst the greatest comic opera singers ever -- to such an extent, that her archived taped performance at Carnegie Hall is amongst the most requested. And her Melotone records sold more than any others during that time period and beyond.
The film is an amusing, and ultimately uplifting character study of two people, Florence Foster Jenkins and her husband St. Clair Bayfield. Who both adore music and unintentionally bring laughter to the troops.
It did, however, have a few off moments. I'm not sure black soliders would be sitting with white soliders in the orchestra seats of Carnegie Hall during the 1940s. We still had segregation back then. But other than that...it worked. And Hugh Grant held his own as St. Clair Bayfield.
Here's the trailer:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2016-08-24 10:56 am (UTC)