Paradise Road *** (1997, Glenn Close, Frances McDormand, Pauline Collins, Cate Blanchett) – Classic Film Review 1215

Remember Tenko, the BBC prison camp series that ran from 1981-84? Well, if you were one of the millions hooked on that one, you’ll also want to catch Paradise Road, dubbed the big-screen Tenko.

Writer-director Bruce Beresford’s 1997 drama, based on the diaries by Betty Jeffrey, is set in 1942 in a Singapore over-run by the Japanese. Many women and children of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds end up in a brutal prison camp.

It’s moving to watch how salvation comes to them through music – when Adrienne Pargiter (Glenn Close), a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, organizes a voice orchestra using musical scores from memory.

One of the women says: ‘The will to survive is strong, stronger than anything.’ That’s a powerful theme, powerfully realized and expertly done all round here.

Frances McDormand, Pauline Collins, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Ehle, Julianna Margulies, Wendy Hughes, Johanna ter Steege and Elizabeth Spriggs also star.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 1215

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more film reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/

Johanna ter Steege and Glenn Close at the premiere of Paradise Road.