"Once" is coming
John Carney's Once, the most unassuming and wholesomely affecting love story in years that turned into the Big Find at Sundance '07, opens on May 18th -- a little less than four weeks off. Fox Searchlight, which acquired it last February, has launched its own Once website. (The Irish version has a little more pizazz.) Here, in any event, is a fairly decent trailer that catches the mood and tone of the feature.
Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova in John Carney's Once
This little Dublin-shot film is about a couple of gifted but struggling musicians -- a scruffy, red-bearded troubadour (Glen Hansard, best known for his Irish group The Frames) and a young Czech immigrant mom (pianist and singer Marketa Irglova) -- falling for each other by learning, singing and playing each other's songs. That's it...the all of it. And it's more than enough.
Calling Once a "musical" doesn't quite get it because it's really its own bird -- it's a tweaking (almost a reinvention) of the form in the vein of Cabaret, A Hard Day's Night and Dancer in the Dark. On top of which it's gently soothing in a low-budget, unforced way.. It's about struggle and want and uncertainty, but with a kind of easy Dublin glide-along attitude that makes it all go down easy.
Once is about spirit, songs and smiles, lots of guitar strumming, a sprinkling of hurt and sadness and disappointment and -- this is atypical -- no sex, and not even a glorious, Claude Lelouch-style kiss-and-hug at the finale. But it works at the end -- it feels whole, together, self-levitated.
Trust me -- there isn't a woman or a soulful guy out there who won't respond to Once if they can be persuaded to just watch it. The trick, obviously, is to make that happen, and I admit there may be some resistance. Initially. But once people sit back and let it in (and they'd have to be made of second-rate styrofoam for that not to happen), the game will be more or less won. Settled, I mean.
Carney, Hansard and Irglova are starting a 15-market p.r. tour from April 30 to May 18. They're in Manhattan on May 1st and Los Angeles on May 15th. In each city Fox will be holding special promotional showings followed by a performance and q & a in each market, which is the template that worked so well at each one of the Sundance screenings last January.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 22, 2007 at 12:19 PM
comment #1
MikeSells
says ...
This is a very very nice, very very slight little movie. I hope the talk of a sequel was an April Fool's joke.
Posted by MikeSells
at April 22, 2007 4:10 PM
comment #2
John Y
says ...
You should really do some research before posting things.
Fox Searchlight's "Once" website is right here: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/
Posted by John Y
at April 22, 2007 6:05 PM
comment #3
tholl-yung
says ...
Big men make small mistakes. The still is from my favorite song in the movie -- anybody out there know the title?
Posted by tholl-yung
at April 22, 2007 7:37 PM
comment #4
Webster
says ...
The song is called "Falling Slowly." It's available on iTunes (search for the album "The Swell Season"--I highly recommend the whole thing).
Posted by Webster
at April 22, 2007 8:20 PM
comment #5
NYCritic
says ...
Not exactly sure what the title of the song is. Don't think it is on the soundtrack since Marketa only gets one solo and that's the song she does when she's walking (I think that one is called "If You Want Me").
The song may be called "Alone Apart" -- it's the last cut on the album she and Glen did together called "The Swell Season"
Posted by NYCritic
at April 22, 2007 8:27 PM
comment #6
NYCritic
says ...
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
The song being played in this still is definitely NOT "Falling Slowly" -- that was in the film much earlier -- it's the first time they play together at the music store when she's on the piano and he's on guitar.
The still is from later in the movie when they are at the recording studio and have taken a break. She wanders off and finds a piano and sits down and plays the song T. Holly is asking about -- and she tells the Irish guy that it is one she wrote for her husband (who didn't seem to appreciate it).
The Fox Searchlight website has the cuts from the soundtrack on it (Beware though -- some songs don't have the correct titles). There's only one number that features her alone and I'm pretty sure that it is the song she sings when she is walking the streets after buying batteries. I have the recording "The Swell Season" and the last cut on it could be the song in question. If you are really interested, T Holly, you might want to go to Amazon.com and listen to a sample to see if "Alone Together" is the song or not.
Posted by NYCritic
at April 22, 2007 8:48 PM
comment #7
Webster
says ...
My bad. Wasn't looking at the still that closely. "Falling Slowly" is the pivotal song early in the movie, of course. "Alone Apart" is her solo song, but if memory serves, that's the song she writes when she's walking around listening to his tape on a Walkman.
I stand by my earlier remarks, though, that the entire "Swell Season" CD is worth the $9.90 on iTunes.
Posted by Webster
at April 22, 2007 8:53 PM
comment #8
tholl-yung
says ...
That song will just have to remain a mystery, because it's not the "Alone" song. She breaks down and can't finish it, a work in progress like the leads; cue the sequel please --
DATE ENHANCER / UNSPOILER -- At this point in the movie, one or both of you should be so emotionally softened, you feel stripped and puddlelike, so prepare to take full advantage and offer something - a whisper or kiss, a tissue, shoulder, hand, whole arm or body part.
Posted by tholl-yung
at April 22, 2007 10:03 PM
comment #9
erniesouchak
says ...
Sorry, but I didn't find this to be the most affecting love story in years. It's sweet but comes off as a soundtrack in search of a story. And it's wretchedly ugly, even for video.
Posted by erniesouchak
at April 24, 2007 10:22 PM
comment #10
tholl-yung
says ...
All you story sluts say, "Nothing happens. It's as soundtrack in search of a story." Cliche, meaningless, cliche. Blah, blah. If you like Joni Mitchell and Stephen Stils or would have, you'll like this movie. I liked the look, no pastels, I thought it looked real.
Posted by tholl-yung
at April 24, 2007 11:41 PM