Hear My Song

Hear My Song is a 1991 comedy film, written by the actors Peter Chelsom (who directed) and Adrian Dunbar (who plays the lead), based on the story of Irish tenor Josef Locke. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 1993 BAFTA awards.^[2]

The film also stars Tara Fitzgerald, David McCallum, William Hootkins, Shirley Anne Field, James Nesbitt, and Ned Beatty as Locke.

Plot

The story revolves around an attempt by Micky O'Neill (Dunbar) to revive the fortunes of his Liverpool nightclub by promising his patrons that he will produce Josef Locke. After a series of unfortunate bookings (including, most notably, Franc Cinatra, a Sinatra impersonator), Micky books the mysterious Mr. X, a man who insists that he cannot be booked as Jo Locke due to the legal issues that would invariably ensue. The elusive Locke left England during the 1950s to avoid paying taxes, leaving behind "a beauty queen, a Jaguar sportscar, and a pedigree dalmatian, all of them pining." O'Neill's personal and professional life are left in ruin after the beauty queen, Kathleen Doyle, exposes his Mr. X as a fraud. O'Neill returns to Ireland to find the one true Josef Locke and bring him back.

Cast

• Adrian Dunbar as Micky O'Neill
• Tara Fitzgerald as Nancy Doyle
• Ned Beatty as Jo Locke
• David McCallum as Jim Abbott
• Shirley Anne Field as Cathleen Doyle
• William Hootkins as Mr. X
• James Nesbitt as Fintan O'Donnell
• John Dair as Derek
• Stephen Marcus as Gordon
• Joe Cuddy as Franc Cinatra
• Vernon Midgley as the singing voice of Jo Locke

Reception

Hear My Song received positive reviews from critics, as the film holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews.

Awards

• Nominated Best Original Screenplay BAFTA (Peter Chelsom, Adrian Dunbar)
• Nominated Best Original Score BAFTA (John Altman)
• Winner Best Comedy Film British Comedy Awards
• Winner Best Technical Achievement Evening Standard British Film Awards (Sue Gordon, director of photography)
• Winner Most Promising Newcomer Evening Standard British Film Awards (Peter Chelsom, screenwriter, director)
• Nominated Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (Ned Beatty)
• Winner British Newcomer of the Year London Film Critics Circle (Peter Chelsom, screenwriter, director)
• Winner* Best Original Score Anthony Asquith Award (John Altman)

References

1. 1 2 Olins, Rufus. "Mr Fixit of the British Screen." Sunday Times [London, England] 24 Sept. 1995: 9[S]. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
2. ↑ Janet Maslin (1992-01-19). "Hear My Song (1991) Review/Film; Irish Tenor Is Focus Of Intrigue and Blarney". The New York Times. 

External links

• Hear My Song at the Internet Movie Database
• Hear My Song at Rotten Tomatoes
• Hear My Song at Box Office Mojo