Ralph Fiennes’ ‘The Choral’ Falls Flat as a Discordant Mess

As a poet with a penchant for drama, I, Maya Rivers, find myself waxing lyrical about the latest cinematic endeavor from Ralph Fiennes, “The Choral.” This World War I drama, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, had all the makings of a harmonious masterpiece but instead devolves into a cacophonous mess. The film, directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett, attempts to weave a tale of healing and togetherness through the power of music in a small English village.

The story centers around Dr. Guthrie, played by Fiennes, a brilliant new chorus master who arrives in the village after spending several years living abroad in Germany. His continental influences and “peculiarities” – namely, his homosexuality – rub the locals the wrong way, especially with their sons fighting on the front lines. The film’s premise is simple: a room full of scrappy, working-class Brits find solace and compassion through music. Sounds like a familiar tune, doesn’t it? The problem lies in the execution, which feels like a half-baked, rushed affair.

Fiennes, as always, commands attention on screen, but even his presence can’t salvage the lackluster character development and clunky dialogue. Take, for instance, his character’s cringe-worthy line, “Funnily enough, there are people who would give their right arm to do what you can do,” uttered in response to a young soldier’s loss. It’s a moment that feels like a misstep, leaving the audience in an uncomfortable silence.

The cast, which includes Jacob Dudman, Roger Allam, and Alun Armstrong, shows flashes of brilliance, but their characters are woefully underdeveloped. The story meanders through a series of vignettes, never quite coalescing into a cohesive narrative. A subplot involving a local prostitute feels like a jarring non-sequitur, and the whole exercise comes across as an emotionless belly flop.

Bennett’s writing, while usually witty and insightful, feels overblown and theatrical here. His speeches, such as one in which a character compares purgatory to No Man’s Land, are too puffy for the screen. Hytner’s direction, meanwhile, seems to be stuck in a stagey mindset, with lighting that recalls a scene from “Doubt.” The result is a film that feels like a rough draft of a play, rather than a fully fleshed-out cinematic experience.

Despite its noble intentions, “The Choral” falls flat, a discordant mess that fails to deliver on its promise of harmony and healing. As the curtain closes on this lackluster effort, one can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment. Fiennes, a talented actor, deserves better than this meandering, poorly executed drama.

The film’s poor reception is a reminder that even the most well-intentioned projects can go awry. As the audience files out of the theater, they’re left with a sense of dissonance, rather than harmony. The music, which was meant to be the film’s saving grace, instead feels like a distant memory, a fleeting glimpse of what could have been.

In the end, “The Choral” is a film that feels like a missed opportunity, a chance to explore the power of music and community that ultimately falls flat. As the credits roll, one can’t help but wonder what could have been, had the filmmakers taken a different approach. The result is a film that feels like a footnote, rather than a masterpiece.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed