Sony Pictures Classics has released the trailer for “The Choral,” starring Ralph Finnes, Roger Allam, Amara Okereke, Simon Russell Beale, Thomas Howes, and Mark Addy. The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and be released in theaters on November 7th.
Plot Synopsis: 1916. As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral’s ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) – driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together.
What do you all think of the trailer? It goes without saying, I feel like we’ve all seen some variation of this story in one form or another, especially from Sony Pictures Classics who specialize in this kind of WWI (Or WWII) inspirational period film of men and women back up doing good to help the war effort (“Keep calm and carry on” as they say). I’ll show up for anything Ralph Fiennes does because he’s just one of the best actors we have alive today, and it’s great to see Mark Addy again, another screen presence I really enjoy. Technically, this appears to be sound and will likely go down like comfort food for the TIFF audiences, but will it be anything special to break through the mold and be an awards contender? In another time, it might’ve, but in this day and age, it’s become more complex and more challenging for this type of film to get to that point. But I’ll likely be checking this out regardless of its predictability (not to mention, the trailer giving away almost the entire movie). Let us know what you think, though. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
