Squeezed in between the seemingly endless barrage of cinematic "tent pole" action and super hero franchises and tasteless comedies are some exquisite smaller films that traditionally get overlooked. One film that deserves plenty of accolades and a wide audience is director Francois GIrard's "The Song of Names", a Canadian production that is being released by Sony Classics. I first saw the film at the Sony screening room in New York City in September and was completely absorbed and moved by it from the opening frames. It's always a danger that a critic, in trying champion a film, might reveal too many details and thus compromise the impact of the movie for potential viewers. "The Song of Names" is one such film. Based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht, the script by the estimable Jeffrey Caine is steeped in religious dogma but it is not a film that is primarily about a religion, in this case Judaism. Rather, the religious component provides the catalyst for what is an intriguing mystery that begins in 1951 and extends into the mid-1980s.
The story opens with Martin Simmonds (Tim Roth), a middle-aged man in London, who has been haunted since the 1951 inexplicable disappearance of Dovidl Rappaport, who he grew up with and considers to be his brother in every sense. The story switches back in time to 1939, with Nazi Germany gearing for a possible invasion of Poland on the basis of a false justification. A Jewish family from Poland arrives in London and pleads with Gilbert Simmonds (Stanley Townsend), a respected music publisher, to act as mentor for their young son Dovidl (Luke Doyle), who is described to Gilbert as a musical prodigy. His family wants to ensure that his genius is nurtured in a safe place, which Poland most decidedly is not. Gilbert has reservations, but agrees, thus bringing stress into his household, particularly for his own nine-year old son Martin (played at this time by Misha Handley), who understandably rebels at having a rival for his parent's attention sharing a bedroom with him. The story chronicles the abrasive relation between the two boys as they gradually warm to each other and become brothers in every practical way. Gilbert's attentions to Dovidl's talents have yielded dividends and he is becoming known as a master violinist. When war breaks out, Dovidl is uncertain as to the fate of his family, who returned to besieged Poland and the human catastrophes that would follow. This will form the basis of a separate mystery that plays a crucial aspect in the events that will unfold over the course of the story.
After the war, Gilbert continues to nurture Dovidl's extraordinary talents on the violin. In 1951, he decides the now 21-year old prodigy (played now by Jonah Hauer-King) deserves a high profile showcase for his talents. He uses all of his financial resources to stage a much-publicized concert at a prestigious London concert hall to serve as Dovidl's formal debut before the city's most influential citizens. However, on the evening of the big event, Dovidl does not show up, leaving both Gilbert and Martin (now played by Gerran Howell) perplexed and panicked. The debacle costs Gilbert his entire fortune as well as his revered reputation and he dies shortly thereafter a heartbroken man. Martin, too, is scarred for life. Why did Dovidl not appear? The question continues to haunt him over the coming decades to the point that he becomes obsessed with finding the answers, despite the strain it places on his relationship with his tolerant but long-suffering wife, Helen (Catherine McCormack.) He embarks on a years-long international odyssey to discover Dovidl's fate, spurred on by intriguing rumors that he has been seen alive. I won't say much more about the mystery other than Martin locates and focuses his attention on a man (Clive Owen) who is a member of the Hasidic community who may actually be Dovidl.
Ordinarily, I'm not fond of the recent trend in movies to stray from relating the plot through a linear timeline. All too often, jumping back and forth in time can lead the viewer to become confused and at times it can appear to be gimmicky. But screenwriter Jeffrey Caine manages to thread the needle successfully, as does director Girard, who has the obstacle of having Martin and Dovidl each played by three different actors at different stages of the character's lives. What emerges is a compelling and highly moving story with major components involving the Blitz of London and the Treblinka death camp in Poland (where the producers were granted extraordinary access to shoot a moving scene at the Treblinka memorial). The sweep of the film is impressive (it was shot in England, Hungary, Poland and Canada) and production designer Francois Seguin deserves great credit for transporting the viewer to various locations and time periods in a very convincing manner by reflecting the respective time periods in a thoroughly convincing manner. The title of the film derives from a religious song that commemorates the name of every known victim who died at Trebilinka. It's a fictitious invention but heeds closely to the Jewish tradition of remembering through song. The scene in which a central character performs a solo violin performance set to the singing of the victims' names may well move you to tears. In reality, the song was an original creation of composer Howard Shore, whose work in this film deserves an Oscar nomination. All too often today, studios consider the contributions of composers to be rather perfunctory components of films. Shore reminds us of how crucial musical composition is the emotional resonance of any movie. The performances are all superb, with Roth and Owen delivering their best work in many years and the actors who portray their younger incarnations are also outstanding. Director Francois Girard, who specializes in films about music as well as directs operas and musical stage productions, is in top form here, deftly weaving a tale of mystery, loss and the human condition as it applies to two men who are haunted by the past.
It took nine years to bring this remarkable story to the screen. Kudos to producer Robert Lantos for succeeding in doing so. The film opens in New York and L.A. on Christmas Day and will have a staggered expansion to other theaters on January 3 and January 24. Seek it out...my guess is that you will find it a very rewarding experience.