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The Song of Names
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = The Song of Names
| native_name =
| image = The Song of Names film poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Franois Girard
| producer = Nick Hirschkorn
Lyse Lafontaine
Robert Lantos
| screenplay = Jeffrey Caine
| based_on = 'The Song of Names'
by Norman Lebrecht
| starring = Tim Roth
Clive Owen
| music = Howard Shore
| cinematography = David Franco
| editing = Michel Arcand
| studio = Serendipity Point Films
Lyla Films
Feel Films
Ingenious Media
Telefilm Canada
CBC Films
HanWay Films
| distributor = Elevation Pictures (Canada)
Kinostar Filmverleih (Germany and Austria)
Big Bang Media (Hungary)
Netflix (United Kingdom)
HanWay Films (Worldwide)
| released =
| runtime = 114 minutes
| country = Canada
Germany
Hungary
United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $1,138,700
}}
'The Song of Names' is a 2019 drama film directed by Franois Girard.[https://www.theloop.ca/clive-owen-wwii-film-the-song-of-names-getting-tiff-gala-presentation/ "Clive Owen WWII film The Song of Names getting TIFF Gala Presentation"]. 'The Loop', July 23, 2019. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht, it stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen as childhood friends from London whose lives have been changed by World War II. The film was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning five.
Plot
Dovidl Rappaport, a 9-year-old from Poland who lost his parents and siblings in World War II, is also a prodigy at the violin. The Simmonds family adopt him and he is taken to England. Their son Martin starts bonding with his new adoptive brother as he likes Dovidl (anglicized to David) playing the violin.
David continues practicing the violin while still remembering his biological family. Years pass, and David and Martin are now 21 years old. There is just one day left for a concert featuring David, when he mysteriously disappears with his violin.
It is revealed that David had fallen asleep on a bus and visits a Polish Jewish community in Stoke Newington, asking them about whether his family is still alive. He is then taken to a synagogue, where a list of people with the surname Rapaport who died during the WW2 is announced (in the form of a song, to make it easier to remember). After finding out that none of his family has survived, David breaks down.
Years later, in about 1986, Martin is now 56 years old and is married. He learns about a violinist, who he notices plays in the same pattern as his brother David, who had disappeared about 35 years ago. Martin then sets off to Poland to find his brother.
After meeting David's former love, who says that David left on a plane but told her where he was going, Martin arrives in New York, where he finds David, married with children. Martin is furious with David and tries to persuade him to perform at a concert. David at first refuses, but then accepts on two conditions (not revealed in the scene).
Two months later, Martin and his wife attend the concert, where David first plays with an orchestra, and then has a solo performance, in which he plays the 'Song of Names', remembering his family. Martin then receives a letter from David stating the former must think of the latter as dead and they must never meet again. The film ends with Martin reading the Kaddish, having reluctantly accepted that David is now dead to him.
Cast
* Tim Roth as Martin Simmonds
** Gerran Howell as Martin Simmonds aged 1723
*** Misha Handley as Martin Simmonds aged 913
* Clive Owen as Dovidl Rapoport
** Jonah Hauer-King as Dovidl Rapoport aged 1721
*** Luke Doyle as Dovidl Rapoport aged 913
*Stanley Townsend as Gilbert Simmonds
* Catherine McCormack as Helen Simmonds
* Saul Rubinek as Mr. Feinman
* Eddie Izzard as BBC Radio Announcer
Release
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Reception
'The Song of Names' received mixed to negative reviews. , of the reviews compiled on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus states, "'The Song of Names' is made from intriguing ingredients, but they never quite coalesce into a drama that satisfies the way it should."
Accolades
At the 8th Canadian Screen Awards 'The Song of Names' tied with 'Antigone' for most wins, with five.References
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