Little Voice (film)

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Little Voice
Directed by Mark Herman
Produced by Elizabeth Karlsen
Written by Mark Herman
Starring Jane Horrocks
Brenda Blethyn
Michael Caine
Ewan McGregor
Music by John Altman
Cinematography Andy Collins
Editing by Michael Ellis
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release date(s) December 4, 1998
Running time 96 minutes
IMDb profile

Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is adapted from the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Set primarily in a lower-middle-class home where the fuses constantly blow and what little food there is in the refrigerator has turned rancid, the film tells the story of lonely, shy, agoraphobic young Laura, commonly known as Little Voice, who seems to display many of the symptoms of Selective Mutism, a rare anxiety disorder similar to social phobia. She spends her time obsessively listening to her deceased father's extensive collection of vintage recordings by such all-time singing greats as Edith Piaf, Judy Garland, and Shirley Bassey. Impersonating their performances is her only source of joy, life, and escape from her boozy, abusive mother Mari.

Her life of solitude is turned upside down when Ray Say, a manager of third-rate acts, becomes involved with her mother and, upon recognizing Little Voice's amazing talent, attempts to make her the star she doesn't want to be. He convinces Mr. Boo to showcase her at his seedy nightclub, where the girl, overcoming her fear by imagining her father is in the audience, presents a succession of show-stopping numbers that has the crowd clamoring for more. Complications ensue when the girl retreats into her private world and refuses to participate in a heavily-hyped second appearance.

Little Voice's soulmate, meek telephone installer and pigeon fancier Billy, ultimately saves her both literally and figuratively.

[edit] Production notes

Sam Mendes, who directed the original 1992 stage production of the play starring Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman at the Royal National Theatre before it transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End [1], was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director of a Play, and Horrocks was nominated Best Actress. The play itself was named Best Comedy, and Steadman was honored as Best Actress; it also won for Best Costume Design [2].

The 1993 Steppenwolf Theatre Company production starring Hynden Walch transferred to Broadway in April 1994 but closed after nineteen previews and nine performances.

The movie was filmed on location in the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire.

Jane Horrocks performed her own vocals.

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Soundtrack

All of the following are performed by Horrocks:

[edit] Critical reception

In her review in the New York Times, Janet Maslin said, "Horrocks's phenomenal mimicry of musical grande dames from Marlene Dietrich to Marilyn Monroe, lavishing special loving care on Judy Garland, makes a splendid centerpiece for the otherwise more ordinary film built around it." [3]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt the story was "amusing but uneven" and the film "seems to have all the pieces in place for another one of those whimsical, comic British slices of life. But the movie doesn't quite deliver the way we think it will. One problem is that the Michael Caine character, sympathetic and funny in the opening and middle scenes, turns mean at the end for no good reason. Another is that the romance, and a manufactured crisis, distract from the true climax of the movie. That would be Jane Horrocks' vocal performance . . . she is amazing. Absolutely fabulous." [4]

In Variety, Derek Elley called it "a all picture with a big heart" and added, "The film has almost everything going for it, with the exceptions of a somewhat lopsided structure in which the climax comes two-thirds of the way through and a romantic subplot that plays like an afterthought. Nevertheless, smooth direction by Mark Herman and juicy performances by a host of Brit character actors . . . ensure an entertaining ride . . . Horrocks, whose combo of gamin physique and big vocal talent make the title role seem unthinkable for any other actress, is a revelation, handling moments of solo emotion and onstage strutting with equal, moving panache." [5]

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sam Mendes at Broadway.com
  2. ^ 1993 Laurence Olivier Awards at OfficialLondonTheatre.co.uk
  3. ^ New York Times review
  4. ^ Chicago Sun-Times review
  5. ^ Variety review

[edit] External link

Little Voice at the Internet Movie Database

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