The Choral Review
The British Film Festival arrives in Australia, debuting with The Choral - a placid bath of a movie that is buoyed by its wonderful cast.
A choral society during World War I seeks to recruit male members after many of its existing ranks enlist in the war. One of those who enlist is the Choral Master, and so the governing board must hire a new master - and they settle on Dr. Guthrie, who is as demanding as he is problematic because of his German sympathies. With little time before a planned concert, Dr. Guthrie must overcome local fear of his proclivities and a relatively inexperienced group to put on a show worthy of not just the composer he selects, but also the times he lives in.
The Choral is the sort of movie that is really going to split along personal preference lines, because this film is the embodiment of calm, relaxing film watching. Almost as if the app Calm on your iPhone had come to life and morphed into Ralph Fiennes in a period piece dressed head to toe in herringbone.
The film’s plot is sparse as sparse can be, and cynically could be an indicator that every other war movie has been done and we’ve reached the bottom of the barrel. The stakes? A local group has only a few weeks to put on a performance - one that winds up being an unpaid, free performance for locals. In the background, the b-line follows a group of boys who try to get their rocks off before they get called up to the frontline. What’s interesting about the film is that they introduce the most interesting, morally complicated character of the movie about 60% of the way through, and while they do little with him, he’s nonetheless a welcome addition.
But to critique this movie too heavily for its barely there plot would be to miss what there is to like about this film. As a period piece, this movie does a lot of work inserting you into the period and making it truly feel like you’re getting an understanding of what life was like then. There are wonderful sequences that showcase - around the main plot - what life was like waving off boys at the station to go to war, what hotel life was like for some, what bakeries were like, how photography happened then, how young people hung out by lakes or on hilltops, and of course what a Choral Society was.
There’s something wonderfully immersive about The Choral that is tough to put into words. But it is nevertheless aided by the presence of Fiennes, who elevates every scene he is in. The costuming, set design and broader casting are also strong.
So because of that, The Choral fits into this strange category where it really depends on your propensity for this sort of movie. If you aren’t pre-disposed to a slow movie with little reason for being, you may well detest this film - but if you like period pieces, if you thrill at seeing some of the finest British actors find the small moments in dialogue, and if you enjoy sitting back and letting a film wash over you, than The Choral is not only quintessentially British; it is undeniably for you.
