The Sapphires Reviewed by Mark Adams


An energetic, amusing and resolutely feel-good- film-with-a-message, 1960s music movie The Sapphires ticks all of the right boxes to click with audiences as well as being a smart advert for Aus- sie girl power. It is a film with soul at its heart and some great tunes to back up its simple — and rather old-fashioned — story to great effect. The film opens in Australia on August 9, and


with The Weinstein Company having picked up distribution the film looks set to reach an audi- ence who will embrace its exuberance and breezy nature. The film, which had an out of competition midnight screening in Cannes is a nice mix of music-business drama and light comedy, set against the unlikely backdrop of racist Australia and the Vietnam War. Aboriginal writer-actor Tony Briggs (working


with Keith Thompson) has reworked his 2004 stage production that he based on his mother and three aunts, who in real-life made the unlikely journey from amateur singers at an Australian mission through to entertaining US troops in Vietnam. Politics and prejudice may lurk behind the scenes, but their inspirational tale provides a tasty structure on which to add a layer of comedy and romance. Irish comedian Chris O’Dowd (well-known in


OUTOF COMPETITION


Aus. 2012. 100mins Director Wayne Blair Production companies Goalpost Film, Screen Australia, Screen NSW International sales Goalpost Film, www. goalpostfilm.com Producers Rosemary Blight, Kylie du Fresne Executive producers Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Ben Grant, Tristan Whalley, Lee Soon Kie, John Sim Screenplay Keith Thompson, Tony Briggs, based on the play The Sapphires by Tony Briggs Cinematography Warwick Thompson Editor Dany Cooper Production designer Melinda Doring Main cast Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell, Tory Kittles, Eka Darville


the UK for his TV work and who made an impact as a genial cop in last year’s comedy smash Brides- maids) makes a strong impression here, playing boozy wannabe impresario Dave, who discovers sisters Gail (Mailman), Cynthia (Tapsell) and Julie (Mauboy) in a local talent contest. He convinces them they should leave country


music behind and switch to soul, and they con- vince him to help them audition with the US mili- tary for the chance to entertain the troops in Vietnam. While there they also recruit the girls’ cousin Kay (Sebbens), and before you can say ‘soul man’ they are bound for war-ravaged Vietnam. Their journey of discovery offers them a chance to brush up their music skills as well as find


romance, heal family wounds and grow as women. If the four women are there to provide a moving core to the film as they belt out soul classics from the likes of Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, then O’Dowd helps give the film an edginess, spontane- ity and some real laugh-out-loud moments. He is an increasingly charismatic screen presence and here even gets the chance to prove he has a good voice as he belts out a couple of songs. The film’s structure is straightforward and con-


ventional, though debut director Wayne Blair keeps the film breezily accessible and does a pretty good job in recreating the era — with the Vietnam scenes especially strong — thanks to top-notch production design and costumes.


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With design studios, production and storage facilities in the UK and France we provide unparalleled standards of design and build quality, almost obsessive dedication to service and a pricing structure which offers outstanding value, especially when storing and reusing at future exhibitions.


If you would like a chat or some free stand advice/ideas the please drop Adam House an e-mail or give him a call.


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t +44(0) 20 8989 6106 f +44(0) 20 8989 7163 e adam@limelightdesign.co.uk www.limelightdesign.co.uk


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