Customer Reviews

Very Annie Mary

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very Annie Mary took me by shock and delightful surprise.

Rachel Griffiths (Hillary to Emily Watson's Jacqueline Du Pre) gives her
finest performance to date - and though the film is 3 years old Griffiths
hasn't as yet done anything quite as satisfying as her brilliant turn here as
Annie Mary.

33 year old, Annie comes off as mildly retarded, and, in the purest sense
of the word, is, since life was pretty much over for her at 15. That's when
Annie Mary, who's dream was to be an opera singer, won a national vocal
competition judged by Pavarotti. The Great Tenor told her she would have a
marvelous career, and awarded her the grand prize, a grant to study full
time study in Milan.

Unfortunately, that same week, her mother took ill, died. Her dreams
dashed, Annie is forced to take her mother's place at home. Her father
accomplishes his means of keeping Annie underfoot (disturbingly, and at one
point, literally) by constant humiliation of his daughter, reminding her
she isn't special, she isn't, in fact, anything at all.

As Pugh, her father, Jonathan Pryce is terrific: selfish, cold hearted and
almost two decades after he's shattered her dreams, the man still berates
as " talentless, useless, stupid, slovenly . . . what man would ever have
you?" Oh yeah, Dad forces her to dress in his dead mother's shapeless,
matronly shifts as he constantly regaling Annie of how beautiful her mother
was.

The film opens with Pryce singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma through mounted
speakers atop his bakery delivery truck as he steers through the Welsh
countryside as "The Voice of the Valleys". As the camera pulls in, we
see "The Voice of the Valley" in a rubber Pavarotti mask and a Pavarotti
sized tuxedo. And we get the entire aria. If for nothing else, this
opening scene is worth the price of the film. And it only gets better from
there!

While not slapstick Griffiths' Annie Mary is prone toward extreme
clumsiness - moving (especially when running) like an excited 5 year old,
all stiff arms and awkwardness. She's adorable. Clumsiness leads to minor
accidents, falling down stairs, running into doors - each moment hilarious
yet making ugly duckling even more endearing. Annie teaches voice lessons
and we get to see her in action as she instructs a young gay couple with a
dream to go to America and, star with Dolly Parton in "Annie Get Your
Gun." Amazing.

The heart of the film centers around Annie's relationship the villagers and
her best friend, Bethan, a bedridden teenager half her age. The villager's
wish for Bethan is to send her to Disneyland, however her own true and only
wish is to, at least once, hear Annie sing.

Through an unlikely series of events - including a talent competition, a
bouncing Pavarotti, the Village People, the Welsh Grand National Horserace
and the entire village turning against Annie) Bethan - and the village -
finally get to hear Annie Mary find her voice again. It is a magical moment
blending, forgiveness, hope, pathos and Puccini, as Annie Mary finds not
only her voice, but the strength to carry on.

Very Annie Mary is easily one of the most joyous DVD discoveries I've yet
made.

This was a blast of nostalgia for me since I spent many childhood vacations in a Welsh coal mining valley. The Welsh are an underated nation. Their coarse and pithy humor rides on lilting voices that are interspersed with fat vowels and accentuated syllables. Their hearts are pure gold, hence one of the main plots of the story, a village pulls together to raise money to send a sick little girl on a trip to Disneyland. Unfortunately, the idea seems more a Holy Grail in their own minds, since little Bethan really has no desire to spend her last days in the arms of Mickey Mouse. The concurrent plot, is the conflict between Annie Mary and her dad. He is a dour and overbearing village baker who makes her life a misery, until he has a stroke and becomes a sad and helpless doll to be carelessly carted around by Annie. I should add at this point that I was amazed at Rachel Griffiths' command of the Welsh dialect. I didn't believe it was her until I checked the credits. Super eccentric performance with a believable accent... very impressive. The rest of the movie is one of those lovely quirky low key ramblings, full of odd characters and bizarre situations. If you know Wales, you will know the characters and will smile with affection. Not an oscar winner, but a sweet little view of a working class community in a beautiful land. Treat your jaded palate to something simple.

I saw this film in the cinema on a visit home to Wales and couldn't wait for the dvd release. After a long wait I bought it on video in the UK and brought it back to the States. All of my British friends (and even some American ones)liked it but the Welsh ones love it. As crazy as the characters are, they are all recognizable. My favourites are Hinge, Minge and Bracket the village people wannabees. Wales is so overlooked and although I realize that this isn't going to do it many favours it will hopefully entertain. I wish that Sara Sugarman's short film "Valley Girls" was included as an extra on the dvd as that is 45 minutes of pure enjoyment.

VERY ANNIE MARY is a quirky little film written and directed by Sara Sugarman that manages to delve into myriad fantasies and manners and crushed dreams and come out with a thoroughly tender, warm hearted and funny result. There are more interesting characters of all types in this story, each of whom could be expanded into a film all their own.

After a rollicking opening sequence of a bakery delivery van topped with speakers blasting Puccini's 'Nessun dorma' over lovely countryside of Wales - the driver is the town baker Jack Pugh (Jonathan Pryce) who wears a rubber mask and bloated suit that mimic Pavarotti singing along with a recording - we meet the town folk. Jack's daughter Annie Mary (Rachel Griffiths) is in her 30s, stuck as a surrogate wife and slave to her father and his bakery business. She seems loopy and perhaps retarded (socially indeed, if not a bit mentally) and has borne the brunt of her father's scorn since her mother died when she was fifteen, just when Annie had won a singing competition judged by Pavarotti. The loss of her mother places her in the role of 'wife' to the dastardly John who daily convinces her she is a nothing while he pursues his avocation of singing for the townsfolk as the Voice of the Valley. Annie's only remnant of her past survives in her teaching voice lessons to such odd folk as Hob (Ioan Gruffudd) and Nob (Matthew Rhys), gay friends of hers with delusions of Hollywood. Her closest friend is teenage Bethan (Joanna Page) who is ill.

Annie Mary spies a house on the market, desperately wants to get out from under her father's control to make a life of her own, and shares this with Bethan. During one of his concerts John collapses with a stroke and it appears Annie's dreams of independence are crushed. The townsfolk decide they want to befriend Bethan and monies are gathered to send Bethan on her 'dream' - a trip to Disneyland. In a hilarious talent show meant to raise funds for the Disneyland trip Annie and her friends win the contest and the money meant for Bethan's trip is entrusted to Annie. Annie again stumbles and squanders the funds on her own dreams by buying sensual satisfaction. Broken by her own mistake, Annie confesses to Bethan and Bethan replies that her only dream before dying is to hear Annie sing. And sing Annie does, in probably the most touching performance of Puccini's 'O mio bambino caro'. At last Annie Mary has regained her self-respect and has a glimpse of her own life. The closing multiple resolutions of the film are full of surprises of the best kind.

Every character in this delightful film is well acted, but there are moments by some, like the very weird, besotted minister (Kenneth Griffith), that certainly deserve awards for brilliance.
VERY ANNIE MARY is a rich, multilayered, magical film with outstanding performances by Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce. The only fault one might find is that much of the dialogue is indecipherable due to the Welsh accents that challenge the ear! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, September 05

"It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful."
- Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Someone recommended this film to me and I finally got around to watching it last night. Wish I hadn't waited! What a funny and ultimately joyful film. Another review referred to it as quirky. Yes, quirky in the best sense and filled with the odd characters I've begun to think I could find in any small village of Wales, Ireland or Scotland. I know, I know... not likely, but please don't burst my happy misapprehensions! They're surely a boost for the tourist trade. (Others of this ilk: Bally Kissangel, Monarch of the Glen, etc.)

I think you'll especially love the music in this film,, so much so that I'm adding the words to the ending song. It's Lauretta's classic aria, "O Mio Babbino Caro," from Giacomo Puccini's opera GIANNI SCHICCHI; sung beautifully by Welsh soprano Meriel Andrews in this film. Check out the soundtrack on Amazon. (Hope it's okay to copy these lyrics here for future readers. I've taken them from a couple of different sources.)

O mio babbino caro,
mi piace è bello, bello;
vo'andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l'anello!
Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!
e se l'amassi invano,
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
ma per buttarmi in Arno!
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!


Oh my dearest papa (or "Oh, my dear daddy" but "dearest papa" scans better with the music.)
I love him, he is so handsome
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring.
Yes, yes, I want to go there
And if my love were in vain
I would go to Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself into the Arno.
I struggle and suffer torments
Oh God, I would rather die.
Papa, have pity, have pity.
Papa, have pity, have pity.

If Rachel Griff isn't playing someone with Asperger's here, I'll stand on my head. This film is eccentric to the max, surreal, silly and certainly not a 'tight ship' production at all. But if you don't take it too seriously its a damned lot of fun. The Welsh backdrop is fabulous and the characters are quirky and highly individual, fabulously gritty and Ioan Gruffydd as her gay friend is fabulous and nothing like we are used to seeing him. The film definitely goes into the realm of slapstick and could almost be compared to a home-grown Welsh attempt at Willie Wonker And The Chocolate Factory at times. The Welsh seem to do damned well at poking fun at themselves and this makes this film a stark contrast to more English productions and rather comparable to Australian films like very slapstick Strictly Ballroom. If you enjoy comparing film styles, this Welsh prithsoduction is a lovely one for your collection.

I read where John Irving said recently that he always writes the end of his story first, and I have the feeling that writer-director Sara Sugarman did something along those lines with "Very Annie Mary." That is because there is a great ending to this one, or at least a great climax (how much you will think of the denouement is debatable). I know that part of it is being on emotional edge this week watching the news from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, but I really think that Sugarman provides a transcendent ending to the story of Annie Mary Pugh (Rachel Griffiths), who lives in a town in Wales. That explains why everybody speaks in a Welsh accent, not that we can imitate such the way we do an English, Irish or Scotch accent (ever notice in Shakespeare's "Henry V" that the comic relief is provided by four men: an Englishman, an Irishman, a Scott, and a Welshman; so that there are four different accents at play in their conversations).

Annie Mary's father, Jack (Jonathan Pryce), runs the local bakery and not only likes to sing like Pavarotti over the speaker system of his truck as he makes his deliveries, he dresses up like the great tenor (including a mask). Annie Mary used to sing too, and even won a contest 15 years ago that earned her a chance to study in Milan. But then her mother died and Annie Mary has not sung since. For reasons that only become clear if you think about it at the end, her father treats her abominably. For her birthday he gives her a cabbage, and when he is cold he makes her curl around his feet. Annie Mary has no luck with the boys in town, even though she offers to pay one for a kiss. Her best friend is Bethan Bevan (Joanna Page), a bedridden 16-year-old who is quite ill. It is only with Bethan that Annie Mary can watch the silent videotape of her and her mother 15 years ago when they were happy. Meanwhile, the mayor wants to raise money to send Bethan to Disneyland and Annie Mary would like to help.

Then her father suffers a stroke, and the responsibility for taking care of him and running the shop falls to Annie Mary. Eventually she realizes that she has the upper hand now, and with a new sense of freedom she paints the kitchen a ghastly color and decides to join a local female pop group for a talent contest in Cardiff where there is a prize of 1000 pounds. Is this a chance for redemption, a recipe for disaster, or both? More importantly, will this be the point when Bethan (and the audience) finally get to hear Annie Mary sing? Certainly she can do better than the weak Freddie Mercury imitation she attempts. Then there is the question of the house that Annie Mary waves at when she walks by it.

Annie Mary is an odd duck, but then most of the people in town are strange. While this is entertaining, it really does not set up the big ending as well as it might if this was less of a comic-tragedy and more of an outright tragic tale. After all, her father's actions towards her are truly despicable, and as a general rule I am not inclined to find that sort of abuse comic. The low point that Annie Mary reaches makes her not only a sad figure, but rather pathetic, and some viewers may find that their reservoir of sympathy towards her has run out. Certainly her few friends in town reach that point. But such doubts about her character do not deter from the gloriously transcendent moment that Annie Mary achieves thanks to her one true friend. Whatever problems there might be with the set up of the big moment, Sugarman and Griffith both deliver on that score.

It's worth the price of admission to catch one-time Apple artist and Welsh voice extraordinaire MARY HOPKIN ("Those Were the Days", "Goodbye", and so much more!) in a cameo as a chapel-goer in this fun film. Luvly!

I love this movie. However, the ad for it does not state whether or not it is closed captioned. Since I need closed captioned I was diappointed when I received it to find out that it is not closed captioned. You might want to consider putting this info in your ad regarding each movie.

Thanks.

Rachel Griffiths, some beautiful singing, and the hills of South Wales don't save this from being rather trite.