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The Song of Names

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The Song of Names
Film poster
Directed byFrançois Girard
Screenplay byJeffrey Caine
Based onThe Song of Names
by Norman Lebrecht
Produced byNick Hirschkorn
Lyse Lafontaine
Robert Lantos
StarringTim Roth
Clive Owen
CinematographyDavid Franco
Edited byMichel Arcand
Music byHoward Shore
Production
companies
Distributed byElevation Pictures (Canada)[1]
Kinostar Filmverleih (Germany and Austria)[3]
Big Bang Media (Hungary)[3]
Netflix (United Kingdom)[4]
HanWay Films (Worldwide)[1]
Release date
  • September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08) (TIFF)[5]
Running time
114 minutes[4]
CountriesCanada
Germany
Hungary
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,138,700[6][2]

The Song of Names is a 2019 drama film directed by François Girard.[7] 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.[7] The film was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning five.

Plot

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Dovidl Rapoport, 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 practising 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 has fallen asleep on a bus and visited 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 Rapoport 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 depicted at age 56 and married. He learns about a violinist, who he notices plays in the same pattern as his brother David, who 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

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Release

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The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.[8]

Reception

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The Song of Names received mixed to negative reviews. As of October 2021, 39% of the 56 reviews compiled on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. 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."[9]

Accolades

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At the 8th Canadian Screen Awards The Song of Names tied with Antigone for most wins, with five.[10]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Canadian Screen Awards 28 May 2020 Best Art Direction / Production Design François Séguin and Pierre Perrault Nominated [11][10]
Best Costume Design Anne Dixon Nominated
Best Hair Michelle Coté, Péter Gyongyosi and Erzsébet Racz Nominated
Best Makeup Fanny Vachon Won
Best Original Score Howard Shore Won
Best Original Song Howard Shore, "The Song of Names (Cantor Prayer)" Won
Best Overall Sound Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Mark Appleby and Daniel Bisson Won
Best Sound Editing Francine Poirier, Claude Beaugrand, Michel B. Bordeleau, Raymond Legault, Lise Wedlock and Natalie Fleurant Won
Best Visual Effects Marc-Antoine Rousseau Nominated
Canadian Society of Cinematographers 16 July 2020 Best Theatrical Feature Cinematography David Franco Won [12]
Directors Guild of Canada 27 October 2020 Best Production Design – Feature Film François Séguin Nominated [13]
Prix Iris 10 June 2020 Best Sound Claude Beaugrand, Michel B. Bordeleau, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Claude La Haye, Raymond Legault Nominated [14]
Best Original Music Howard Shore Nominated
Best Hairstyling Michelle Coté Nominated
Best Visual Effects Alain Lachance, Jean-Pierre Riverin Nominated
3 June 2021 Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Won [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hipes, Patrick (26 April 2019). "'The Song of Names' With Tim Roth and Clive Owen Lands at Sony Classics". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Song of Names (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Film #85391: The Song of Names". Lumiere. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b "The Song of Names (2019)". BBFC. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  5. ^ "The Song of Names". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  6. ^ "The Song of Names (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Clive Owen WWII film ‘The Song of Names’ getting TIFF Gala Presentation". The Loop, July 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "TIFF bringing in new films starring Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix and dozens more". Toronto Star. July 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Song of Names". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b Weaver, Jackson (28 May 2020). "Antigone named best picture on final night of Canadian Screen Awards". CBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  11. ^ Wilner, Norman (18 February 2020). "Canadian Screen Awards 2020: Prepare for a Schitt's show". Now.
  12. ^ "The 63rd Annual CSC Award Nominees And Winners And Links" (PDF). Canadian Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Nominees Announced for 19th Annual DGC Awards". CNW Group. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Prix Iris 2020: «Il pleuvait des oiseaux» et «La femme de mon frère» partent favoris". The Huffington Post (in French). 23 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  15. ^ Duchesne, André (3 June 2021). "Trois prix pour La déesse des mouches à feu". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2021.
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