BFI
Channel Four Films
Film Four International
Film4 Productions
ZDF
Not part of a collection.
Distant Voices, Still Lives
In memory, everything happens to music.
Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.
- Original title
- Distant Voices, Still Lives
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- $771,745
CinemaSerf
Sep 5, 2023 · via TMDB
This film is a little like an LP. It has two distinct sides. One "Distant Voices" focuses on just what makes the father of a small family tick. Two - "Still Lives" dwells more on the lives of the children. Unlike on the vinyl though, once we are on that side of the record there are no tracks. The story flits about with a non-consistent chronology to bring us the happy, the sad, the brutal and the gentle and it really does showcase well the acting talents of Pete Postlethwaite as the father. A man of the times, who treats women with scant regard. Not, perhaps, because he is inherently cruel or nasty, but because he knows no better? Even his wife (a strong, if sparing, contribution from Freda Dowie) has to tread on eggshells much of the time. There are three children - "Eileen" (Angela Walsh); "Maisie" (Lorraine Ashbourne) and "Tony" (Dean Williams) and their lives, loves and wartime experiences feature potently in the second stage of this drama that tells us much about the societal influences - and expectations - of families, of men, of soldiers and it's quite thought-provoking. It's about love, too, but not in much of a sentimental manner. Relationships have to have a gritty, pragmatic, aspect to them - and it falls to the youngsters to try and change these entrenchments from varying degrees of success and happiness themselves. There is very little dialogue, here. Most of the narrative relies on the glorious photography and the use of contemporaneous songs from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mercer and some beautifully performed choral works that prove to be truly effective at setting and maintaining a sense of the struggles and joys of this working-class, sometimes unpromising, existence. It's certainly well worth a watch - a few times, I'd say.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Freda Dowie
Mother
Pete Postlethwaite
Father
Angela Walsh
Eileen
Lorraine Ashbourne
Maisie
Michael Starke
Dave
Anne Dyson
Granny
Jean Boht
Aunty Nell
Andrew Schofield
Les
Pauline Quirke
Doreen
Carl Chase
Uncle Ted
John Michie
Soldier
Bill Moores
Pubgoer (uncredited)
Terence Davies
Director
Colin MacCabe
Executive Producer
Terence Davies
Writer
Una China Poblana
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The Man Who Planted Trees
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The Great Escape
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Sep 29, 1988
New York Film Festival
Jul 28, 1989
Los Angeles, California
