Florence Foster Jenkins, the detune this diva delights – Daily News – Lisbon

The fascinating story of the heiress of tune. Stephen Frears directs Meryl Streep in a film that has just come to the rooms

The diva of screams. That was how Florence Foster Jenkins, a millionaire heir, became known in the middle of New Yorker lyrical music of the 1940s Stephen Frears films his story with a dramatic meticulous accuracy and a penchant for comedy assumed. Florence, A Diva out of Tom now comes to Portugal after a much hyped debut in England in the spring and a recent blockbuster in the US.

Frears interested him this female chronicle of a talented woman for not having talent. More a “true story” as a moral tale and with ample room for interpretation “total” of an actress, in this case an amazing Meryl Streep, who made a point of being itself to detune (let us remember that in the previous Ricky and Flash , enchanted singing …).

the film begins already with Florence, with advanced age and to invest more than ever in singing lessons, even when never acertava a single note. His desire to sing was his greatest passion and her husband, St. Clair Bayfield, an English gentleman and failed actor, did everything not to disappoint, from finding the best pianists and venues for performances. Frears also explores the couple’s relationship, especially platonic relationship – St. Clair, played with precision by Hugh Grant, maintained an extramarital relationship and never slept with a woman. Still it worked as a perfect agent, especially when he could avoid that Florence knew how much was enjoyed by the whole society. In fact, the film clearly shows the diva of the concert derision environment where the applause mingled in the laughter. Florence did not leave anyone indifferent and ended up having a huge phalanx of support admired his courage to sing so badly in public. St. Clair was able to convince the woman that they were even admirers.

Art and bad art

In narrative terms, the action focuses mainly on famous concert Florence gave the prestigious Carnegie Hall, the preparations to the environment in the room that became legendary (an audience full of curious, the singer’s fans, sailors and music critics, some of them bribed).

Always of course with the dedicated St. Clair to be able to move heaven and earth for his wife never find it was percecionada as a farce. The story also focuses on Florence relationship with the hired pianist, Cosme, a young man in exchange for a good salary swallowed the dream of one day being a respected pianist.

Florence Foster Jenkins is a reflection fun on the policy and perceptions about the artistic truth of each. Feel like to think that the English director looks at the spectator and asks him about his prejudice. Dir would be that it is a “statement” strong on what is good art and what is bad art.

It is also a paper on how to manage our moral compasses, always without giving a sophistication of “mise-en-scène” that never renounces principles of situation comedy. In this sense, the laughter that we are pure and without cynicism gear. When we see Meryl Streep singing for the first time it is impossible not to laugh hard. Then there is also an emotional restraint, sublimated in Grant-Streep couple -. Work as a duet, it’s like a Swiss watch

For these and others, the film is more poignant than hilarious. In the end, do not we think of formula “biopic” or in comedy of manners: take home a sweet story of love and sacrifice

We realized finally that this demand Frears by true stories, after all, one. test on the tale-tale potential that the “real” people have … what do this with that Manitobans tone “vintage” to Woody Allen’s what amazes more this time.

blockbuster and press the film in the uS leave guess it can also be launched for the running of the awards. Meryl Streep, who seems to do all this without any effort, it is more than to be launched the first major candidate to the Oscars 2017. In a year when Jessica Chastain ( Miss Sloane ), Amy Adams ( The First Date ), Emily Blunt ( The Girl on the Train ) Annette Bening ( 20th Century Women ), Viola Davis ( Fences ), Emma Stone ( La La Land ) and Natalie Portman ( Jackie ) are only favorite in theory, Streep as Florence is a triumph already acclaimed. But Hugh Grant is also already spoken as a sure bet in the supporting actor category. Grant is really amazing and has here the best moment of his career.

Last year went unnoticed in Marguerite rooms, Xavier Gianoli, French production that was inspired by the case of Florence but that was situated in Paris in the 1920, where a millionaire (Catherine Frot) dreamed of being an opera singer even without voice. In Portugal, Natalia de Andrade was research and documentary target.