The Choral (12A)

In 1916 as brave young men go to war, mill owner Alderman Duxbury and his associates face their own challenge in the Yorkshire town of Ramsden: to recruit a new music director capable of masterminding the choral society's forthcoming concert performance. The committee reluctantly appoints atheist Dr Henry Guthrie, who has recently returned from Germany and, most scandalously, is "not a family man".

LondonNet Film Review

The Choral (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

Hallelujah! The Choral is a quietly uplifting and surprisingly sombre meditation on community spirit nestled in the kind of resilient, warm-hearted town in the north of England that has served Alan Bennett well as a playwright and screenwriter. The spectre of the Great War looms large over director Nicholas Hytner’s latest collaboration with the 91-year-old national treasure, which began on screen in 1994 with The Madness Of King George and has flourished more recently with The History Boys and The Lady In The Van…

Bennett’s ear for melodic dialogue is still sharp. When a choir master retires to enlist in the army, one disgruntled tenor snipes: “I hope he puts the wind up the Germans more than he ever did the sopranos.” Ralph Fiennes delivers a restrained performance as the incoming conductor, who was working in Germany before hostilities broke out and secretly carries a photograph of a U-boat sailor.

In one of the film’s most striking vignettes, townsfolk burst into a rousing chorus of the national anthem when they hear the British have sunk a German submarine. Fiennes’ mentor stands silent in the boisterous throng, fearing the worst. Joy and despair ride side-saddle throughout Hytner’s picture and the director navigates gentle tonal shifts with confidence, building to a rousing final performance that – by design – is tinged with melancholy.

In 1916 as brave young men go to war, mill owner Alderman Duxbury (Roger Allam) and associates Mr Fyton (Mark Addy) and Mr Trickett (Alun Armstrong) face their own challenge in the Yorkshire town of Ramsden: to recruit a new music director capable of masterminding the choral society’s forthcoming concert performance. The committee reluctantly appoints atheist Dr Henry Guthrie (Fiennes), who has recently returned from Germany and, most scandalously, is “not a family man”.

Henry insists on bringing along his personal pianist, Robert (Robert Emms), and they recruit fresh blood including 17-year-old friends Ellis (Taylor Uttley), Lofty (Oliver Briscombe) and Mitch (Shaun Thomas), who eagerly anticipate chance to fight in the trenches when they come of age. To appease Alderman Duxbury, Henry avoids any compositions by German composers and he suggests a reworking of The Dream Of Gerontius by Sir Edward Elgar (Simon Russell Beale). Pious Salvation Army servant Mary (Amara Okereke) wins one of the the lead roles and excitedly rehearses for her moment in the spotlight.

The Choral bears Bennett’s fingerprints from the droll opening frames and Hytner’s film treads gently over uneven yet well-trodden ground, galvanised by an excellent ensemble cast in fine voice. The script is overstuffed with characters and some (predominantly men) are more fully formed than others. George Fenton’s mournful orchestral score keeps calm and carries on, underscoring a mood of grim determination.

– Sarah Lee