I never had the Alan Ayckbourn play to prejudice me while watching this delightful Michael Winner picture. I have seen some terrible reviews but felt I wanted to give an unbiased opinion for anyone thinking of watching this. Indeed, Alan Ayckbourn even collaborated on the screenplay with Winner so perhaps he felt it needed a different viewpoint as a movie, rather than as a play, who knows. Regardless of that, I just watched it as a movie and was surprisingly entertained. Jeremy Irons play Guy, recovering from the death of his wife, joins an amateur dramatic society headed by a bull of man, played with extraordinary gusto by Anthony Hopkins, a terrific performance, completed not long before he embarked on Silence of The Lambs, so he was at the top of his game. Irons is rather naïve and gets involved with rather seductive female members of the cast, at first, rather bewildered but then throwing himself in with enthusiasm. Prunella Scales gives a lovely, heartfelt performance as the frustrated wife of Anthony Hopkins who almost immediately falls in love with the tall handsome Irons. Jenny Seagrove is another seductress, although her motives are something more to do with a land deal that Irons is supposed to be able to secure for her and her husband (Gareth Hunt). Having a smattering of operetta knowledge will help the viewer as the cast are performing "The Beggar's Opera" with cast members constantly dropping out only to eventually hand the lead of Macheath to the inexperienced Irons. There is broad farce and pathos in Winner's direction which I really enjoyed and although Jeremy Irons is a bit bland it's made up for with Hopkin's blistering performance. Nice to see Sylvia Syms, another favourite of mine, in her middle years, still beautiful and still underrated, as is this movie.
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Maverick196225 March 2017
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TheLittleSongbird13 November 2019This is not an easy film to rate, or at least from personal experience. It has a fair share of people that have defended it, which is absolutely fine by me, but others have outright hated it. The play itself is very clever, very witty with well drawn characters carefully crafted. My biggest reason for seeing 'A Chorus of Disapproval' was the cast, so many great actors in what is essentially a creme a la creme who's who of British talent. Part of me did want to like it, being someone who is no stranger to amateur theatrics.
While 'A Chorus of Disapproval' is a long way from unwatchable, a large part of me couldn't help be disappointed at the same time. All the cast have done better before and since and deserved better, in material that should have suited them to the ground but they are not flattered very well. Despite Alan Ayckburn being on board adapting his own play, it was like it was written by somebody else. It also feels that comedy and Michael Winner do not mix.
Not everything is bad. Scarborough's atmosphere and charm has remained unscathed. Can find no fault with the music, which would still be great regardless of how it was treated. There are moments of wit and charm and there are moments where the send up portrayal of amateur theatrics is on the nose dead on.
Some of the cast do quite well, Jeremy Irons in a role that mirrors that of Macheath in 'The Beggar's Opera', sporting good comic timing and a pleasant singing voice, and Prunella Scales, playing her role with gusto, coming off best. Jenny Seagrove has charming moments too.
Anthony Hopkins was somewhat more puzzling though. He does give it absolutely everything and he can be funny, but he can be too over-forceful and the hamminess he shows in scenes unbalances the film a bit. And how can a film etc. waste Richard Briers and Lionel Jeffries with giving them far too little to do, with what they have not flattering them particularly well? It is great to see all the different kind of personalities one sees in this environment but the depth was missing.
Despite always trying to judge adaptations on their own terms, it is hard to not make exceptions when something is so far removed in quality from its source material, the case here. The heavy truncations do hurt the film, too much of the comedy lacks wit, any social satire that is intact tends to not be sharp enough, there is a very cold feel throughout, no real subtlety and have seen more insightful and energetic depictions of amateur operatic/dramatic societies. The energy is gone and replaced by a dreariness that can become tedious in longer scenes. With the cuts to the script and music, the relevance of 'The Beggar's Opera' is lost or at least not as clear. Winner's direction doesn't suit the material and has too much of a heavy touch, axes have more subtlety. There is too much of a mid-70s television series look to the photography and the sound is not always well balanced.
In conclusion, personally didn't disapprove of 'A Chorus of Disapproval' but it doesn't have enough to have my approval. Odd film and should have been better considering the play and cast, can see that there are people here that liked it and hold nothing against them but for me it was odd and underwhelming. 5/10 -
Rodrigo_Amaro13 February 2013A little gem that haven't disappeared into obscurity due to the public's interest in seeing two sacred monsters together on screen, Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons, a reunion happened a little earlier of their Oscar wins back to back in the 1990's.
Irons plays a widower who intending to not succumb into depression after losing his wife decides to transfer himself to a small provincial island, joining a theater group with the intent of becoming an actor. He sure finds himself involved in the people's activities there - getting a minor role in a play, and eventually growing as an actor with new roles given to him when someone is unavailable to perform -, finds some joy and some disturbance as well after receiving notable attention from two married woman. One (Prunella Scales) is married with the play's director (Hopkins) who considers this 'likely to do anything' kind of guy his new best friend; the other (Jenny Seagrove) is in a sort of open relationship with a man who sees this involvement as a way to working his way into offer business proposition to Irons character.
Ambitious in its mix of genres but working with relative efficiency in between them, "A Chorus of Disapproval" is a positive film that shows how sometimes people can find the strength to not let them things overcome them, letting go all the bleakness and the sadness to find the courage to change themselves and hope for new things to come and finding them as well. Another interesting message relates in showing that the art craft must be more important than the problems of life (this comes towards conclusion in really surprising twists).
On the other hand, the reason why it doesn't reach the level of grandiosity it should have is because there's things missing, things which would make it more relatable or convincing to audiences. For instance: there's some brief moments when Irons puts next to his bed a portrait of his deceased wife, we feel his care, love and concern for her in those small tender moments; however there's nowhere to be found a moment where he could something say about her, or about her death, not even a great moment where he could seem to remember something of her in a good way. This kind of coldness from the writers (I know they were based on Alan Ayckbourn's play so they couldn't make detours in his work), only thinking about the comedic or the romantic elements of the story, was a little off-putting. Other than what's not on the screen kind of problem there's the bothering issues of what's on scene such as Anthony Hopkins strange performance as the loud director's play, often shouting all of his lines. Nothing of what he did in here made him look funny, most of the time he's too intolerable to be seen.
Calm, enchanted and pleasant as most Brit romantic comedies than to be and meaningful like plays adapted to film usually are, here's an enjoyable picture with many good scenes to be treasured. 6/10 -
chaucer-122 December 2002Why this movie never got much attention has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Funny, sad and (as another commentator mentioned)absolutely veracious when it comes to the world of of amateur theatricals. Brilliantly written by Alan Ayckbourn, superbly cast and performed this film drew upon the cream of the British acting profession, and it shows. Why on earth Hollywood waited until the superficial Hannibal Lecter to award Anthony Hopkins an Oscar when it had his outstanding performance in Chorus of Disapproval is another of life's mysteries. I never get tired of watching it. For the commentator from Olive NJ who bucketed the film, he/she should be aware that the film is set in Yorkshire not Wales - different country.
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veebee23 May 2021If you're looking for someone to direct a very pointed comedy of modern manners and morality, do you really want to entrust the task to someone best known for directing violent revenge thrillers starring Charles Bronson and a ghastly remake of The Big Sleep (set in 1970's England, for God's sake)?
Michael Winner liked to present himself as a bon viveur who didn't take himself or his films too seriously but how he got this gig is beyond me. If there is a wrong way to frame a shot or a wrong place to put the camera, a wrong moment to cut (to a reverse shot, or away from a close-up during an intimate, reavealing speech), he will unerringly find it, his ability is uncanny.
Seriously, I have never seen a fine script or such a talented cast trashed so comprehensively. Only those who haven't seen the fine craftsmanship of the play, or can ignore the clodhopping direction, could find this entertaining. Alan Ayckbourn has co-writing credit and I can't imagine what he felt as Winner trampled the qualities of the original under foot.
I award two stars for the views of Scarborough which gave me a pang of nostalgia (the Castle Community Centre where the cast rehearse is just along the road from our former home). -
The two Academy Award winning villains of the 1990s came together a few years before in this wacky sex comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, and what a fun time you'll have visiting Yorkshire. With these two, you may expect Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett to show up by the beautiful sea, but instead of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, you get "The Beggars Opera", at least the backstage view of a production being prepared. The director (Anthony Hopkins) is a mad Welchman, and the females of the cast truly can't stand each other. Along comes Jeremy Irons, and the women each begin their own effort to get into the widowed man's bed-and keep the other women out of it.
I found this wonderful wacky, giving us an insight into community theater culture of the Yorkshire community, with everybody's egos working overtime, and their hormones never sleeping. Irons quickly seduces Hopkins' very willing wife (Prunella Scales), while the alluring Jenny Seagrave and Sylvia Syms also cast their sights on him. There's also a secondary plot of a younger member of the cast whose boyfriend breaks up with her to go out with the stage manager, proving himself to be quite disturbed by wearing very revealing clothing that literally makes a point.
While Irons' character seems noble and loyal and kind, he's quite the scoundrel even though he claims to feel guilty towards betraying his growing friendship with Hopkins. Irons has the more subtle part, and Hopkins seems to be channeling Cagney, Peter Lorre, Charles Laughton and Richard Burton in each of their scene stealing roles. He obviously is having fun chewing up the scenery, and it's a surprise when there is a set on opening night. Indeed, Michael Winner might seem like an odd director choice, but everything comes together just fine. The only thing that is missing is a plate of sardines and a scantily-clad nearly blind actress tripping over everything. -
NJMoon7 February 1999Alan Ayckbourn's only major stage to screenplay (to date) is mucked-up with a lot of tricky camera work and opened up like a cancer patient, straying far off the path set by an excellent stager re: newcomer disrupting a provincial troupe staging John Gay opera on proverbial shoestring. Fine effort by Tony Hopkins as transplanted Welshman director but to no avail. Films centering on staging plays (NOISES OFF, of note) rarely hit the mark and this is no exception. I'll keep my memories of the Royal National Theatre production and try to forget this plodding mess. Bury it with flick BEYOND THERAPY, another stager gone wrong for a wonderful stage scribe.
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JamesHitchcock6 November 2022When I reviewed "The Revengers' Comedies" about ten years ago, I pointed out that the number of feature films based on the work of Sir Alan Ayckbourn could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That remains true today; the four that existed then ("The Revengers' Comedies", "A Chorus of Disapproval" and two by the French director Alain Resnais) have since been joined by a fifth, a Swiss version of "Season's Greetings", but no others. Sir Alan is one of Britain's most successful and prolific playwrights, with more than eighty full-length plays to his credit, most of which have been performed in London's West End and many of which have been adapted for television, but the British film industry has never taken much interest in his work.
When Guy Jones is transferred by his employers, a large electronics firm, to Scarborough, he joins the local amateur operatic society in order to make friends in the town, and becomes involved with their production of "The Beggar's Opera". Guy, a widower, begins an affair with Hannah, the neglected wife of Dafydd Ap Llewellyn, the society's autocratic Welsh stage director. Another plotline concerns a rumour that Guy's employers are considering purchasing a piece of waste ground adjacent to their factory, and several members of the society, hoping to make money from a piece of property speculation, try and obtain inside information from him. One offers him a cash bribe, and Ian Hubbard, a dodgy local businessman, tries to bribe him by offering the sexual favours of his attractive young wife Fay.
The film was directed by Michael Winner, a director whom I would not normally associate with comedy. The only other comedy of his which I have seen was "Parting Shots", a defiantly black and bad-taste, if sometimes effective, social satire, which could have been better but for some eccentric miscasting. One thing that "A Chorus of Disapproval" cannot be criticised for is the casting. The film features some of the leading lights of the British acting profession, including two major international stars in Jeremy Irons as Guy and Anthony Hopkins as Dafydd, and both play their parts perfectly well, as do most of the other cast members.
And yet I have never enjoyed the film as much as I did the original stage play when I saw it in the West End in the mid-eighties. Ayckbourn's success as a dramatist is due not merely to the quality of his plots and dialogue but also on matters which transfer less easily to the cinema screen, such as complexity of structure and his knowledge of stagecraft. (Besides being a playwright, he is also the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph theatre in Scarborough). The screenplay for "A Chorus..." is very much abridged when compared with the original play, although not as much as "The Revengers' Comedies", which was a condensation of two plays into a single film. Winner's rather heavy-handed style of direction is probably more suited to a broad satire like "Parting Shots" than it is to Ayckbourn's more subtle comedy of manners. The original stage production I saw would probably have merited a nine, but something has gone missing between stage and screen. I cannot give the film more than 6/10. -
malcolmgsw23 September 2016To enjoy this film you need to be a fan of either Michael Winner or Alan Ayckborn and I am not.Winner thought he could direct comedies,which clearly on the evidence of this film he is not.I am of course assuming that this is supposed to be a comedy since I did not laugh on even a solitary occasion.Mind you given that Anthony Hopkins played rthe director as if he was Harry Secombe on speed.Was that part originally written that way.Jeremy Irons seems to simpler about looking a bit forlorn.The rest of the cast whilst full of household names are not really able to do much with their often brief time on screen.The best of the bunch is Prunella Scales as the put upon and downtrodden wife.Lionel Jefferies triumphs a lot.Sylvia Simms exudes a sort of glacial charm.Even Richard Briefs seems one to forget.A truly forgettable film.
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freshadam18 March 2022I was keen to see this film because I am playing the part of Guy in a stage version. When I saw that Jeremy Irons was in it I was expecting a gem, but when I realised Michael Winner had directed it I lowered my expectations. Winner has coaxed bad performances out of good actors. Jeremy Irons' accent is dreadful. I know that the play is enjoyable, but this film version is paisley pants.
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beptep14 November 1999I am surprised that other reviews for this film are negative. If anyone has ever participated in an amateur operatic society then they know that this movie is bang on. Perhaps it is an in-joke, but for us in the know it is hysterical. Most surprising is Anthony Hopkins revealing a remarkable gift fo comedy. His performance alone is worth seeing this. Jeremy Irons is perfectly cast as the stranger who wanders into these "strange doings", and the supporting cast (including the wonderful Lionel Jeffries)are superb. In short, this is one my all-time favorite comedies, and a "must-see" for anyone who has trod the boards with amateurs. I would think anyone would find it amusing, but apparently some of the other critics are quite clueless when it comes to this film. It's not available for purchase, but don't miss it if you find in on TV or in a rental store--especially if you have done an amaatuer musical or are a Hopkins fan. I give it a 10.
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Leofwine_draca21 October 2015On the face of it, A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL reveals that director Michael Winner wasn't at his best when directing comedies. His various films with Charles Bronson were much better: tighter, more exciting, with better direction. This adaptation of the Alan Ayckbourn play is a little dreary, a little slow, although it does have a fantastic (and fascinating) cast to recommend it and to help while away the time.
The plot concerns a good-looking young man (Jeremy Irons, at his suave best) who joins an amateur dramatic society in a provincial British town. Before long, he's mired in a hotbed of scandal, corruption, and seduction, and an all-star cast of British luminaries do their best with the occasional limitations of the script. Thus we get the likes of Gareth Hunt and Jenny Seagrove in straight roles, Prunella Scales in an odd choice as a love interest, a hammy Anthony Hopkins as a barnstorming Welshman, and more minor parts for the likes of Richard Briers, Lionel Jeffries, and Patsy Kensit. -
jhulme5513 February 2007With all the high-flying "special effects" movies around these days, this movie is a bare-bones, real-life-like story about real people in a small town and the relationships among them. The cast is fantastic. Jeremy Irons should have gotten an Academy Award for his performance. Anthony Hopkins also turns in an admirable character-driven performance that is just one more example of his outstanding acting ability. There were technical aspects of the photography and sound that could be criticized, but, ignoring those, it is a wonderfully portrayed story. Be sure to watch this film with someone who is a feeling person with a good sense of humor and an interest in different people with different personalities. This movie is one of my all time favorites.
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newatt-215 August 2006Most brilliant about the script is that "The Beggar's Opera" is being staged and as Jeremy Iron's character progresses through the narrative, many of his experiences mimic MacHeath's -- a phenomenon underlined by the score. So, familiarity with the source material makes for a brilliant movie. It might appear very light without that familiarity - also the twisted ending requires some knowledge of another stock theatre piece. Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Irons and Prunella Scales are utterly thorough - This is the first movie I ever bought, back in the dark pre-internet days when it had to be seriously hunted for. Sound quality is a bit poor and Anthony Hopkins' Welsh accent is a bit thick for those of us who rarely hear one.
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dereal2 October 2001Saw this, rather incongruously, with Spanish subtitles in a hotel in deepest, darkest Mexico... and made me feel a little homesick with its warm but too-close-to-the-bone portrayal of provincial English life. Lost dreams and opportunities, and eating chips in your car, staring at the gloomy sea and drizzle. Beautiful.
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RoamingTigress25 December 2012This is truly a cute little little known that I feel deserves more recognition. It appears this movie was made on a low budge but something about that adds a certain warm quality to it. I had a very hard time finding this movie and had to order it from one of the local music stores here. A truly charming look at small theatre. Jeremy Irons has certainly shown that he is more than capable of comedy; something I'd like to see him in more often! The only drawbacks to this movie is the poor sound (and sometimes lighting) quality; I would love to see a DVD release.
I would recommend this movie to any fan of Hopkins, Irons, theatre or just anyone looking for something different and light in nature. -
ksf-219 August 2020Jeremy Irons and Anthony Hopkins star in this british production. Hopkins is Llewellyn, director of the local playhouse. he auditions Jones (Irons) for a part in the local show, Beggar's Opera. keep an eye out for Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers!)... she's Hannah, Llewellyn's wife. and a much more soft, sweet, pleasant companion, in this one. the whole village is full of eccentric characters. Llewellyn has no filter, and seems to keep saying the wrong thing. you'll also see Lionel Jeffries as Jarvis. Jeffries was in about every british series every made. the web of silliness turns into a caper, and everyone gets caught in their own web of lies. it's quite good. Directed by Michael Winner... worked from the 1950s through the 1990s. i didn't happen to know much of his other projects, but I'm not so familiar with the danger/adventure/drama genre. Based on a play by Alan Ayckbourn.
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winles22 September 2011Although this movie has a screenplay by Alan Ayckbourn(AND Michael Winner) it is a sad(and pale) reflection of the stage play. The (hamfisted) direction by Michael Winner has turned what should be witty light comedy,into a slow dreary and turgid drama. It may have the same plot,and basically the same script as the original stage version,but allow Michael Winner to touch it and it becomes boring. What is worse is the misuse and waste of a great cast. I have never (conciously) seen a Michael Winner film before,and going by this never will again. My (newly acquired) DVD is going straight to the charity shop! PS:~ I saw the stage play when it was premiered in 1984.
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selffamily11 April 2021I'd not heard of this film before it popped up on my dvd mail-order rental catalogue, and eventually landed in my letterbox. By then of course, I had forgotten all about it, and it was a delightful surprise. An exceptionally young Jeremy Irons, with a brilliant Anthony Hopkins, pulling all the Welsh stops out, with a poignant and touching Prunella Scales head the cast, but there are smaller parts - not quite cameos - played by Sylvia Sims, Lionel Jeffries and Richard Briers, all quite satisfying.
The story has come from a stage production obviously, and it transitions to screen quite ably with bits of North Yorkshire added for flavour. Many good giggles throughout, although my particular favourite was the tea shop battle. Thoroughly enjoyed it, glad I found it.