A French/Czech/Belgian co-production apparently inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins. There was a little more going on. Marguerite is a wealthy woman in the 1920's who sings with a music club. The poor woman can't sing at all but she has devoted her life to music and no one will tell her the truth. Now she wants to perform in front of a huge crowd. Her husband tries to gently talk her out of it, but a conniving household employee hopes to cash in on her humiliation.
A rave review by a snotty Dadaist sets events in motion.
I thought her singing had a strange appeal. I've never really liked music and novelty acts tend to appeal to me. I have a CD of Florence Foster Jenkins around here somewhere. And Tiny Tim and Mrs Miller.
The movie seems rather cruel. Like the short stories by successful writers about delusional people trying desperately to be writers. I've read them by Patricia Highsmith, Tom Clark and heard Garrison Keillor read one he wrote. There are movies by successful directors about failed directors. There was Sir Lawrence Olivier's movie, The Entertainer, based on the play in which he plays a washed up music hall comic in the 1950's, long after music hall was kaput or should have been.
They cut open the neck of a small dead deer in the movie, so be prepared for that if you want to see this thing. I guess they don't have a Humane Society over there.
Available from The Cohen Media Channel on Amazon Prime if nowhere else.
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