Voice of an Angel: Review of Florence Foster Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins

Director: Stephen Frears

By Alex Watson

The voice of this New York-based singer in the 1940's was a thing of rare wonder, for all the wrong reasons. With Florence Foster Jenkins, Stephen Frears has created a picture that a bittersweet portrayal of a lady of true courage in the face of mocking laughter. While it might play things safe, this picture does highlight that even though this woman couldn't hit a note, she refused to lay day down her arms. Meryl Streep again seems a certainty to be included in the awards lists with a brave performance.

New York heiress, Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) is an active socialite among Manhatten's wealthy elders. She has dreamed of making it big with her singing career managed by actor hubby St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant). Wishing to performance live again for the first time in years, Florence hires pianist Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg) to accompany her. Only one thing stands in her way of universal stardom, is an awful singer. McMoon soon realizes he has gotten involved with something unforgettable and potential career-killing.

There is an air of sadness through Florence Foster Jenkins at her delusions of grandeur, being wealthy means she knows the right people and in high society no-one sneers at your lack of talent. Early on, it is well established that St Clair through some well-executed deviousness keeps the haters at bay by allowing papers he is friendly with to review her. The marriage between the two is one of the sweeter elements as the pair remain devoted to each other, St Clair is committed to helping Florence achieve her dream of sold out concert stardom, no matter how much he smiles through the pain. So it is quite a surprise when he nips off to his mistress Kathleen (Rebecca Ferguson) when Florence is set down for the night. This relationship is one that is well explained but creaks throughout under the strain.

Hearing Florence's truly awful voice is what the picture is all about and when it is revealed it really is something to behold. The horror that spreads across Cosme's face when the sound first echoes out is flat out hilarious. Sounding somewhere between a wailing ghost and a screaming monkey, Frears plays this to full effect and the audience comes to realize this woman really has no shred of talent. Keeping the illusion that she is gifted is the main charge of Frears' movie and Cosme's dreams of stardom being a slow rot as he is forced to keep up appearances in the face of his benefactor Florence paying him handsomely. The barely suppressed giggles he badly attempts to hold back after his first encounter with the voice mirror the audience.

Sadly apart from the regular humor that her terrible singing provides, Frears doesn't wish to go any deeper and Florence Foster Jenkins is simply shot after shot of glamorous parties that the wealthy heiress hosts- potato salad being stored in a bathtub is a brilliant idea. St Clair's relationship with her is a wholesome one and is explained very by both parties, but it doesn't hold the picture together like it should. Writer Nicholas Martin appears only interested in the very basics rather than digging deeper into what was a very peculiar common law marriage. The final concert where Florence lives her dream of selling out Carnegie Hall has a sense of dread from the beginning, particularly with a bunch of drunk soldiers attending. Though it is all strangely uplifting and you are tempted to stand and applaud this woman for living a dream most of us would shy away from.

Meryl Streep again proves a revelation as the non-talented Florence. Hearing her straining each note and butchering classics by Mozart among others makes us squirm with discomfort. Streep makes good use of emotion when recounting Jenkin's sad and unfortunate back story and her scenes with Hugh Grant are genuinely moving. The courage that she gives this character are what make scenes fire and even though she has her friends who will never say a bad word, she is still determined for the world to hear her- regardless of how she sounds. Hugh Grant produces what could be his finest work as St Clair Bayfield. Demonstrating a range of emotions many would have thought impossible is his 90's stardom, Grant plays a man who although motivated by the money, is completely attached to help his wife achieve her dreams. Their marriage may be thin on the ground, but the feelings are not.

Florence Foster Jenkins is a movie that might not be the grandstand we hoped, but it is still a textbook example of how never to give up on your dreams. Not matter how poorly you may sound.

Hear Me Roar: Review of Suffragette

Suffragette

Director: Sarah Gavron

By Alex Watson

A powerful central turn from the wonderfully consistent Carey Mulligan isn't enough to spark Sarah Gavron's Suffragette into life. A brutal recollection of a campaign where women literally put their bodies on the line to secure voting rights. The main problem is this film feels far more preachy and drawn out than neccessary. Mulligan's character is well realized and in places superbly underplayed, just a shame that writer Abi Morgan couldn't spread this to the other characters. 

Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) is a working class woman who has worked in the same laundry since age 12. Although she leads a contented life with husband Sonny (Ben Whishaw) her son George, Maud is still struggling to survive. The Suffragette campaign for women's rights has taken a more militant approach under Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) and soon Maud's eyes open to the oppression that women like are facing. However, the more she becomes involved, the more her life begins to falls apart. 

Suffragette is a well acted piece, there is no question there but it is also a rather narrow sighted picture by Gavron. All the men around Maud are shown as callous and sexist pigs that believe women don't deserve anything. Even Sonny eventually revealed as a rather fat headed chauvinist who believes her place is as his wife. At first, our heroine goes about her business without argument puts up with her lout boss Mr Taylor (Geoff Bell). When her friend Violet (Anne-Marie Duff) is unable to speak at Parliament, Maud takes her place and this introduction to activism provides her with a renewed purpose. 

Although Maud is well written, writer Abi Morgan doesn't given nearly the same treatment to character such as educated chemist Edith (Helena Bonham Carter) or her abused yet hopeful friend Violet (Anne-Marie Duff). Both ring in a fine pair of supporting performances but their depth only goes skin deep. Emmeline Pankhurst is made out as a holy and idolized figure but aside from a brief and barnstorming Meryl Streep appearance, her relevance to the story is minimal. The law men such as cynical detective Steed (Brendan Gleeson) are not presented as the boo-hiss villains expected. Steed is one of the few men who believes in keeping the peace and perhaps importantly, preventing these women from doing something worse. The exchanges between Steed and Maud are one of main flickers of electricity. 

Gavron does a decent job in presenting just how violent and risky this campaign became through time. Any numbers of times we see female activists attacked by police after venting their frustrations. Their actions such as bombing a government ministers empty home and the last drastic action of Emily Davison (Natalie Press) are neither praised or condemned. This picture works on a level where there is a level of repression that feels the need to break free. The third act is the one that slightly breaks the camel's back as the woman are imprisoned and attempt to go on hunger strike. Despite some hard-bitten force feeding, it just doesn't crackle like it should do. 

Overall Suffragette is a gritty and otherwise heartfelt piece but sadly it doesn't feel as meaty as one would expect. I expect we will probably see this among the ten Best Picture nominees, but its lack of depth on its subject may have some voters going against it.