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Once (film)

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Once
File:Onceposter.jpg
Theatrical film poster
Directed byJohn Carney
Written byJohn Carney
Produced byMartina Niland
StarringGlen Hansard
Markéta Irglová
CinematographyTim Fleming
Edited byPaul Mullen
Music byGlen Hansard
Markéta Irglová
Interference
Distributed byUnited States Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
Republic of Ireland March 23, 2007
United States May 16, 2007
Running time
85 min
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish
Budget€130,000 (approx. $160,000)
Box office$14 million (as of December 6, 2007)

Once is an Academy Award winning 2007 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová as struggling musicians. Collaborators prior to making the film, Hansard and/or Irglová composed and performed all but one of the original songs in the movie.[1]

The film has received awards[2] and extremely enthusiastic reviews.[3][4] Shot for only €130,000 ($160,000),[5] it was very successful,[6] earning substantial per-screen box office averages in the United States.[7] One of the songs in the film received an Academy Award for best original song ("Falling Slowly") and received a Grammy nomination for best soundtrack in 2008.

Plot

An unnamed, thirtysomething Dublin busker (listed in the credits as "Guy," played by Glen Hansard) sings and plays guitar on Grafton Street, a Dublin shopping district, struggling with the trials of performing on the street, including chasing after a heroin addict (Darren Healy) who attempts to steal his earnings. Lured by his music, an unnamed young Czech immigrant flower seller (listed in the credits as "Girl," played by Markéta Irglová) approaches him impertinently during one of his late night street performances and, despite his annoyance, persists in questioning him about his songs. Upon learning that he also repairs vacuum cleaners in his father's shop, she insists that he fix her broken vacuum.

The next day she brings her Hoover by and parlays it into lunch together, whereupon she piques his interest by telling him that she is a musician, too. He asks to hear her play, so they visit a music store where she regularly plays piano. After teaching her one of his songs ("Falling Slowly"), which she quickly learns to play, they sing and play the song together, kindling a musical and potentially romantic connection. He invites her and her ailing vacuum back to his father's shop, and on the bus home musically answers her question as to what his songs are about: a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him, then left ("Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy").

At the shop, he repairs her vacuum and she meets his father (Bill Hodnett), who seems indifferent to his son's musical talent. The Guy takes the Girl up to his room, but when he asks her to stay the night, she is insulted and leaves. The next day, he apologizes and they quickly patch things up, as over the course of a week they excitedly write, rehearse and record songs, and get to know each other. Songs continue to be performed in a real-world, diagetic fashion, often in their entirety, as when the Girl rehearses her lyrics for one of the Guy's songs (which she entitles "If You Want Me"), singing to herself while walking down the street, or when at a party, people perform impromptu (including "Gold," performed by a trio featuring guitarist Hansard singing harmony).

Their flirtation continues, but at the same time, he is thinking about and writing about ("Lies") his ex-girlfriend (Marcella Plunkett), who moved to London. The Girl encourages him to move there, win his girlfriend back and pursue his musical career. Invited home to dinner by the Girl, the Guy discovers that she has a baby (Kate Haugh) and lives with her mother (Danuse Ktrestova). He soon decides that it is time to move to London, but he wants to make a high-quality demo of his songs to take with him and asks the Girl to record it with him. She takes the lead as they secure a bank loan—from a bank where the loan officer (Sean Miller) is a musical hobbyist—and reserve time at a professional studio.

On a romantic motorbike jaunt, she reveals, much to his consternation, that she is married, though her estranged husband is back in the Czech Republic. When Guy asks if she still loves her husband, she answers in Czech and coyly declines to translate what she said. After recruiting a trio of musicians (Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Hugh Walsh), they rehearse, then go into the studio to record. Their lack of experience shows, but they quickly impress the jaded studio engineer Eamon (Geoff Minogue) once they begin recording their first song ("When Your Mind's Made Up"). On a break in the wee hours of the morning, the Girl finds a piano in an empty studio and finally plays the Guy one of her own compositions ("The Hill"), though she breaks down before finishing the song, which tells of romantic frustration. He responds by asking her to come with him to London, but is not prepared for the reality of her mother coming along to help with the baby.

Still, he is smitten. After the session wraps up successfully, he asks her to spend his last night in Dublin with him; she says that it would only result in "hanky-panky," which is a "bad idea", yet she ultimately agrees to come over. But in the end, she stands him up and he cannot find her to say goodbye before his flight. He plays the demo for his father, who, moved and impressed, gives him money to help him get settled in London. Before leaving for the airport, the Guy buys the Girl a piano and makes arrangements for its delivery, then calls his ex-girlfriend, who is happy about his imminent arrival. The Girl's husband (Senan Haugh) moves to Dublin and they reunite. But the final shots convey how the Girl and the Guy were deeply affected by their short time together.

Production

Neither of the two leads is a trained or experienced actor; Hansard and Irglová are both professional musicians.[8] Director Carney, former bassist for Hansard's band The Frames, had asked his long-time friend to share busker anecdotes and compose songs for the film, but had intended the male lead to be played by actor Cillian Murphy,[9] who was an almost-signed rock musician before turning to acting.[10] Murphy was also going to be one of the film's producers. But Murphy balked at acting opposite non-actor Irglová (then 17 years old) and at singing Hansard's octave-leaping songs, so he pulled out, as did the film's other producers along with their financial resources.[11] Carney then turned to songwriter Hansard, who'd previously done only one acting job, a supporting role as guitarist Outspan Foster in the 1991 ensemble film The Commitments, the story of a Dublin soul music cover band. Hansard was initially reluctant, fearing that he wouldn't be able to pull it off, but after stipulating that he had to be fully involved in the filmmaking process and that it be low-budget and intimate, he agreed.[11] "Though I was initially thinking of using a good actor who could half sing, I quickly realized I should do it the other way around and get a good singer who could half act," Carney said in a Chicago interview.[12]

Produced with a shoestring budget, about 75% of the budget was funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board), plus some of Carney's own money. The director gave his salary to the two stars, and promised a share of the back-end for everyone if the film was a success. Shot with a skeleton crew on a 17-day shoot, the filmmakers saved money by using natural light and shooting at friends' houses.[5] The musical party scene was filmed in Hansard's own flat, with his personal friends playing the partygoers/musicians[13]—his mother, Catherine Hansard, is briefly featured singing solo. The Dublin street scenes were done without permits and with a long lens so that many passersby didn't even realize that a film was being made. The long lens also helped the non-professional actors relax and forget about the camera, and some of the dialogue ended up being improvised.[11]

Hansard and Irglova became a couple in real life, either during filming[14] or later while on a promotional tour across North America.[15][16] Entertainment Weekly reported,

The chemistry between (the) two leads ... was easy to produce during the January 2006 shoot in Dublin. "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid," says Hansard, 37, who has known his 19-year-old costar for the past six years. (The two are now dating.) "There was definitely the feeling we were documenting something precious and private."[7]

Yet the real-life couple was quite happy with the unrequited ending for their onscreen characters. In an interview, Hansard states that "Had Fox Searchlight Pictures changed it, had they changed the end and made us kiss, I wouldn't be interested in coming and promoting it, at all."[13] Hansard revealed to Entertainment Weekly that ad-libbing produced the moment where the Irglova's character tells the Guy in unsubtitled Czech, "I love you," but when it was shot, he didn't know what she'd said, just like his character. [17]

Both Hansard and Irglova give the impression in interviews that they are unlikely to pursue further acting. Irglova has spoken about being nervous in front of a crew, saying "I don't think I would be a good actress, overall",[18] and Hansard generally refers to the movie as a one-off, talking of "moving on... living a different life".[18]

Soundtrack

Untitled

The soundtrack album was released in Ireland on May 26, 2007 and reached #20 on the charts there. It was released on May 22, 2007 in the U.S., where it ranked as the #10 soundtrack on June 1.[19] As of July 11, 2007, the album has sold 54,753 copies in the US.[20] Hansard and Irglová were nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "Falling Slowly".[21] "Falling Slowly," which was performed at The Oscars, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[22] The soundtrack won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music.[23]

Different versions of a few songs were previously released on The Frames' album The Cost and on Hansard and Irglová's The Swell Season (both released in 2006). As a result, questions were raised about "Falling Slowly"'s eligibility for the best original song Oscar.[24] The AMPAS music committee determined that, in the course of the film's protracted production, the composers had "played the song in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the song’s eligibility".[25] An early version of the last track, "Say It to Me Now," originally appeared on The Frames' 1995 album Fitzcarraldo. "All the Way Down" first appeared on the self-titled album from musician collective The Cake Sale, with Gemma Hayes providing vocals. The song "Gold" was written by Irish singer-songwriter Fergus O'Farrell and performed by Interference.[1]

A collector's edition of the soundtrack was released on December 4, 2007 with additional songs and a bonus DVD with live performances and interviews about the film. The additional songs were two previously unreleased Van Morrison covers: Hansard's "And the Healing Has Begun", and Hansard and Irglová's "Into the Mystic".[26]

The album reached #27 on he Billboard 200 according to the All Music Guide. It also reached #2 on the Soundtracks Chart and #4 on the Independent Chart.

Awards

The song Falling Slowly received an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.

Track listing

All songs written by Glen Hansard, except where noted.[1]

  1. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová: "Falling Slowly" (Hansard/Irglová) – 4:04
  2. Irglová and Hansard: "If You Want Me" (Irglová) – 3:48
  3. Hansard: "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" – 0:53
  4. Hansard and Irglová: "When Your Mind's Made Up" – 3:41
  5. Hansard and Irglová: "Lies" – (Hansard/Irglová) – 3:59
  6. Interference: "Gold" (Fergus O'Farrell) – 3:59
  7. Irglová: "The Hill" (Irglová) – 4:35
  8. Hansard: "Fallen from the Sky" – 3:25
  9. Hansard: "Leave" – 2:46
  10. Hansard: "Trying to Pull Myself Away" – 3:36
  11. Hansard: "All the Way Down" – 2:39
  12. Hansard and Irglová: "Once" – 3:39
  13. Hansard: "Say It to Me Now" – 2:35

Reception

Template:Globalize/US and Canada The film has achieved major acclaim, receiving the World Cinema Audience Award for a dramatic film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

As of July 2, 2007, Once had high ratings from two popular film review aggregation sites: it was deemed 98% "fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes[3] and scored a grade of 88 ("universal acclaim") according to Metacritic.[4]

On the May 18, 2007 broadcast of the television show Ebert & Roeper, both Richard Roeper and guest critic Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave enthusiastic reviews. Phillips called it, "the most charming thing I've seen all year," "the Brief Encounter for the 21st century," and his favorite music film since 1984's Stop Making Sense. Roeper referred to the film's recording studio scene as "more inspirational and uplifting than almost any number of Dreamgirls or Chicago or any of those multi-zillion dollar musical showstopping films. In its own way, it will blow you away."[27]

Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg was quoted as saying "A little movie called Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year."[28]

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many North American critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.[29]

Box office performance

As of May 23, 2007, after its second weekend in release in the United States and Canada, the film topped the indieWIRE box office chart with nearly $31,000 average per location.[31] As of December 6, 2007, the film had grossed more than $14 million worldwide including over $9 million in the U.S.[32]

DVD Release

Fox Home Entertainment released the Region 2 DVD in November 2007 and the Region 1 DVD on December 18. Special features include film and musical commentaries from the director and stars, a free download of "Falling Slowly," and several featurettes.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c AllMusicGuide.com
  2. ^ IMDb awards information
  3. ^ a b Once at Rotten Tomatoes
  4. ^ a b Metacritic entry for Once Cite error: The named reference "metacritic" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Weisman, Jon. "Once Upon a Time", Variety, July 18, 2007. Accessed 11 August 2007.
  6. ^ IMDb box office information
  7. ^ a b Entertainment Weekly: "'Once' a Hero" from Jun 14, 2007
  8. ^ The New York Times review from May 16, 2007
  9. ^ CHUD.com cast and director interview from May 14, 2007
  10. ^ O'Hagan, Sean. "'I just want to challenge myself with each role'", The Observer, 11 June 2006. Accessed 8 August 2006.
  11. ^ a b c The Gazette from April 14, 2007
  12. ^ HollywoodChicago.com review from May 27, 2007
  13. ^ a b YouTube interview 3 of 4 with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
  14. ^ Edmonton Sun from June 8, 2007
  15. ^ The New York Post Page Six from May 29, 2007
  16. ^ JAMIE DIAMOND (2008-02-24). "Life imitating art". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  17. ^ Pedersen, Erik. Once Is Not Enough: Summer's Secret Smash - Interview with Glen Hansard, E! Online, August 24 2007. Accessed January 14, 2008.
  18. ^ a b Once video interview with stv.tv
  19. ^ Billboard from the June 9, 2007 issue
  20. ^ Billboard Top 200
  21. ^ "50th annual Grammy Awards nominations (part II)", Variety, 6 December 2007. Accessed 10 December 2007.
  22. ^ Nominees Bios: Music (Song), Oscar.com. Accessed 23 January 2008.
  23. ^ L.A. critics call for 'Blood', Variety, December 9, 2007.
  24. ^ Hickey, Shane. "Oscar song gets 'Once' over as its eligibility is questioned", Irish Independent, January 28, 2008. Accessed January 28, 2008.
  25. ^ Carr, David. "Once Again, a Legit Nominee", The New York Times, January 29, 2008. Accessed January 29, 2008.
  26. ^ The Frames' discography at Irish Music Central
  27. ^ Ebert & Roeper review from the weekend of May 18, 2007
  28. ^ Breznican, Anthony. "'Once' isn't enough: Film gets marketing push", USA Today, August 7, 2007. Accessed August 9, 2007.
  29. ^ Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists, Metacritic. Accessed January 5, 2008.
  30. ^ a b Germain, David and Lemire, Christy. "No Country for Old Men earns nod from AP critics", Associated Press via Columbia Daily Tribune, December 27, 2007. Accessed December 31, 2007.
  31. ^ indieWIRE box office chart from May 23, 2007.
  32. ^ Box Office Mojo Box Office for Once. Accessed 6 December 2007.
  33. ^ Foster, Dave. "Region 1 DVD release of Once", DVDTimes.co.uk, October 12, 2007. Accessed October 28, 2007.

Interviews:

Reviews:

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