PARADISE ROAD

 CREDITS: Director: Bruce Beresford Cast: Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, Francis McDormond, Jennifer Ehle, Elizabeth Spriggs & Julianna Margoles USA/Australia 1997 (15) 

INTRODUCTION: This was the first production from Murdoch's new 'artier' division Fox Searchlight, so my hopes weren't high going in. Then that fear inducing phrase "Based On A True Story" flickered across the screen and I found myself plunged into the Second World War once again... 

SYNOPSIS: A group of European and Australian women and children are captured by the Japanese as they flee from war-torn Shanghai, imprisoned in a POW camp. The ladies form a vocal orchestra to keep their spirits raised. 

REVIEW: ... a couple of hours later I emerged emotionally exhausted but fulfilled. For once history may have been followed too closely as the film makers chose to use the actual poems and musical arrangements produced by Margaret (Collins) during her stay in the camp. This just adds to the sense of dreadful realism that pervades the film. 

Featuring a veritable who's who of female character actors including Glenn Close, Pauline Collins ("Shirley Valentine"), Francis McDormond ("Fargo"), Julianne Margoles (TV: "ER"), Jennifer Ehle (TV: "Camomile Lawn") and Elizabeth Spriggs (TV: "Simon & The Witch") the performances never fail to impress, unlike the American Academy which didn't nominate a single one of these women for their role in this film and instead gave the Oscar to Helen Hunt for "Good As It Gets". The actresses are excellent, portraying a gamut of emotions from fear and depression to love and hope. 

The Japanese performers are somewhat limited by their stereotypical roles. There's the charming cruel secret police officer, the proud commandant, the caring intellectual translator, the brutal but warm hearted sergeant and a lot of cut-out guards. Collin's character says she finds it impossible to hate them and it is, but it is also impossible to feel sympathy towards them. In fact they fail to generate any emotions at all. Although I must admit I was grateful for their invasion of Shanghai as it abruptly ended a particularly bad swing version of the Dinah Washington hit "Mad About The Boy". 

The story is heart-warming if clich‚d, as the music soothes the savage beast and the women's strength and bravery wins out. "The Japanese won't take this lying down" says one character of the vocal orchestra and indeed they don't, they take it sitting down and applaud politely at the end. Perhaps the appalling sound system in Birmingham Odeon 6 didn't do the ladies full justice but I didn't find myself renouncing my sinful ways the second they broke into song. 

Tenko with a few good song and dance routines thrown in. 

Mutt's Rating: ****

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