Whimsy? I can’t write about whimsy without mentioning Hear My Song. I was lucky enough to meet director Peter Chelsom and talk to him about the film (and my love for it) back in the early 1990s. He was most proud of the first ten minutes of the film, and to me it still looks very cinematic and a great opening and way to set up the story.
The film was low budget and it does look like it’s aged a little, but this only adds to the charm of the film. The story? Where do I begin? Lost love, tax evasion and an Irish Tenor known as Joe Locke (and some of the story is true – but not all). This is a lovely script and we need to talk about Adrian Dunbar who plays the lead and had a hand in the script. He’s brilliant in the film and has never risen to such heights again (despite being a great actor and having a good steady career).
I met Adrian around the same time as I met the director. Adrian was much like his character and was interested in talking to me about football rather than the film!
Anyway, you need to see this. The trailer (again, not very good) is below. I’d recommend this and Local Hero together – a great double bill.
So, 52 films to go…
Matthew Cooper has written for Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs. He was winner of the first ever Lloyds Bank Channel Four Film Challenge and the Oscar Moore Screenplay Prize. His first short film starred a then unknown Ewan McGregor and was picked up by Channel Four when Matthew was 19 years old. He’s been a script writer for hire and filmmaker for hire for over 20 years.