The Song of Names
Tim Roth and Clive Owen star this historical drama about a man searching for his childhood friend - a Polish violin prodigy orphaned in the Holocaust.
"Constructed like a detective mystery on a grand scale, the film opens the night of the much-anticipated first public performance by Dovidl Rapoport, a Polish musical prodigy. When he doesn't show up, his best friend Martin is left to tell the packed theatre that the performance will not go on. Decades later, an adult Martin (Roth), serving as a judge in a musical competition, watches a young student prepare to play in Dovidl's unique style. This moment sends Martin, over the objections of his wife Helen, on a transcontinental search. As the mystery of the disappearance unravels, Martin finds himself consumed by memories of the deep bond between the two boys — and also uncovering elements of Dovidl's tormented life that Martin simply couldn't have fathomed at the time." (Toronto International Film Festival)
- Director:
- François Girard ('The Red Violin', 'Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould', 'Hochelaga, Land of Souls')
- Writer:
- Jeffrey Caine
- Cast:
- Tim RothClive OwenEddie IzzardSaul RubinekCatherine McCormackJonah Hauer-KingGerran HowellRichard Bremmer
Reviews & comments
The New York Times
pressThe movie never quite justifies the contrivance of its puzzle-box construction. Parlaying this material into an arty whodunit cheapens the real history invoked.
Los Angeles Times
press[The Song of Names] remains among the better serious, adult-oriented films of this holiday season.
Hollywood Reporter
pressIt's lucky Shore's original compositions here and the cuts from the classical repertoire, some performed with impressive skill by child actor Luke Doyle himself, are strong enough to give heft to an otherwise earnest, credulity-straining melodrama.
Variety
pressA fatally old-fashioned and lugubrious historical drama, muting the emotional payoff it labors so hard to deliver.
The New York Times
pressThe movie never quite justifies the contrivance of its puzzle-box construction. Parlaying this material into an arty whodunit cheapens the real history invoked.
Los Angeles Times
press[The Song of Names] remains among the better serious, adult-oriented films of this holiday season.
Hollywood Reporter
pressIt's lucky Shore's original compositions here and the cuts from the classical repertoire, some performed with impressive skill by child actor Luke Doyle himself, are strong enough to give heft to an otherwise earnest, credulity-straining melodrama.
Variety
pressA fatally old-fashioned and lugubrious historical drama, muting the emotional payoff it labors so hard to deliver.
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