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Paradise Road (1997)

Paradise Road (1997)
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Based on the testimony of survivors, this historical drama recounts the WWII heroism of female prisoners of war. (Glenn Close) stars as Adrienne Partiger, a society doyenne who flees Singapore with other expatriate women, mostly the wives of servicemen, when Japanese forces invade in 1942. When their gunboat is sunk in an air attack, the survivors wash ashore on Japanese-held Sumatra. The women are interned in a grim POW camp where punishments for even minor infractions are extreme. With the help of a missionary (Pauline Collins), Partiger corrals the women, including a tough American (Julianna Margulies), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and a young wife (Jennifer Ehle) into a musical group. Since singing is not allowed, the a cappella chorus dubs itself "a vocal orchestra" and is tolerated -- if barely -- by their Japanese captors. Though living conditions are squalid, food is scarce, and a thin sliver of soap inspires a shower brawl, the music keeps spirits uplifted and a Jewish-German doctor (Frances McDormand) provides some medical aid. Writer-director Bruce Beresford interviewed real-life participants in similar POW musical groups. Some provided, from memory, sheet music of the pieces they performed, which were used in the film. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Starring:
Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, (more)
Director(s):
Bruce Beresford
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Paradise Road

Based on the testimony of survivors, this historical drama recounts the WWII heroism of female prisoners of war. (Glenn Close) stars as Adrienne Partiger, a society doyenne who flees Singapore with other expatriate women, mostly the wives of servicemen, when Japanese forces invade in 1942. When their gunboat is sunk in an air attack, the survivors wash ashore on Japanese-held Sumatra. The women are interned in a grim POW camp where punishments for even minor infractions are extreme. With the help of a missionary (Pauline Collins), Partiger corrals the women, including a tough American (Julianna Margulies), an Australian nurse (Cate Blanchett) and a young wife (Jennifer Ehle) into a musical group. Since singing is not allowed, the a cappella chorus dubs itself "a vocal orchestra" and is tolerated -- if barely -- by their Japanese captors. Though living conditions are squalid, food is scarce, and a thin sliver of soap inspires a shower brawl, the music keeps spirits uplifted and a Jewish-German doctor (Frances McDormand) provides some medical aid. Writer-director Bruce Beresford interviewed real-life participants in similar POW musical groups. Some provided, from memory, sheet music of the pieces they performed, which were used in the film. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
115 mins

Complete Cast of Paradise Road


Director(s):
Bruce Beresford
Writer(s):
Bruce Beresford
Producer(s):
Gregory Coote, Sue Milliken
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Violence)
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    AJ W.

    Glenn Close is always worth watching, and she outdid herself in this one. Cate Blanchett, hardly recognizable at first, was also really good. As we get farther away in time from the events of WWII, movies like this become more historically important. Should be required watching for high school history classes.

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    Pat H.

    This was about a time that was cruel to many people, as most war is. It is also about how some very mistreated women "made lemonade when life handed them lemons". Very well acted and, eventually, heart-warming.

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    Amanda W.

    I had been eager to see this film since reading Song of Survival: Women Interned by Helen Colijn, which is a memoir by one of the women who was in the prisoner of war camp with the vocal orchestra. Paradise Road is a surprisingly true story, of women interned by the Japanese at Sumatra who form an orchestra using just their voices for instruments. Cate Blanchett gives one of the most powerful, convincing performances I've seen in film in a long time. Pauline Collins gives a touching portrayal of the late Margaret Drummond really did record entire orchestra scores entirely from memory. The film had me in tears within the first fifteen minutes of the movie, and a couple other points afterward, but still managed to end on an uplifting note. Highly recommended for those who like a powerful, emotional wartime drama.

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