Then, my Mom convinced me to join a children’s choir, and after that, a musical dinner theater troupe that put on plays like OLIVER! and ANNIE at a hotel off the highway leading out of town. It’s no exaggeration to say that had I not spent my formative years under the tutelage of tough (but gentle) director named Jackie, I’d probably have done time for some stupid prank or another.

Maestro And Student: Director Christopher Barratier and lead chorus boy Jean-Baptiste Maunier hang out together for a bit after a screening of LES CHORISTES in Los Angeles. The movie has caused a rush of join-ups to choruses in France, and was a cultural phenom with a massive following akin to what CLERKS was here in the States.

Every time I did a show, my grades inexplicably went up, though I have no conscious memory of trying any harder. Of course, I imagine this had something to do with my parents’ threats to pull me from any show that caused my grades to dip, and the regular threats my director made to back my parents up on this account. I learned not by instruction or lecture, but by the example of the artists who surrounded me, that art is as much about discipline as it is pleasure. When one doubles his efforts and preparation, the roar of the crowd is that much more loud. Music, theater, the feeling of being a member of a troupe, these are notions the that saved me from a very different life.

The Chorus: The Pasadena Boys Choir performs songs from the movie at an after party at Los Angeles’s Arclight Theater. In case there are any doubts or accusations of lip-synching, Jean Baptiste Maunier performed Caresse Sur L’Ocean, a beautiful, lilting composition from the film for the screening crowd.

It’s long been a puzzle for modern filmmakers as to how to bring back the musical in cinema. With MOULIN ROUGE and CHICAGO paving the way, get ready for more musical fare in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (a friend of mine who has seen an early cut tells me it’s definitely worth the price of a ticket) and RENT. But these affairs, while certainly making excellent use of cinema as a medium for musical storytelling, will present a world of theater to viewers that the public has come to expect: brash, broad entertaining spectacles more akin to blockbuster event cinema then a real musical theater experience. This is not a bad thing, mind you. I love the overblown as much as anyone. These films will, with any luck, begin to cultivate a new world audience for serious musical cinema that will not call to mind the glory days of YANKEE DOODLE DANDEE or SINGIN‘ IN THE RAIN, but inspire a new generation of revolutionary takes on music as story.

Which brings me to LES CHORISTES, France’s entry into this year’s Oscar race for Best Foreign Film.

When Clement Mathieu arrives at a school for ‘difficult boys’, his work is cut out for him. A raucous group of ruffians and vicious pranksters with emotional problems challenge his authority at every turn, while an overbearing Headmaster belittles him and undermines his attempts to gain control. Mathieu’s only possession when he arrives at the school is a leather-bound valise. When the boys steal it, and discover hand-written music inside it, Mathieu is motivated to create a choir as a method of getting in touch with the boys. It works. To hear Jean-Baptiste Maunier, who portrays the sweet-faced trouble maker Morhange sing his lead vocals in the chorus’s later compositions is the aural equivalent to looking through Waterford Crystal in a sunroom at high noon. Watching his emotional journey is almost as touching as the music, which plays a haunting supporting role in the boys‘ evolution.

First time director Christopher Barratier was a classical musician before he was ever a director, and his expertise in both the musical and the cinematic are married perfectly here. Perhaps because of my own background as a bit of a scamp transformed by music, this film rings with a truth that anyone who has ever had a suppressed passion for art can relate to. And for watchers who aren’t musically inclined, the tunes are eminently hummable and worth watching the film for themselves. If you like music, or choirs, or France, or…well, you should catch this film if you can. I’m not much for international cinema or films about little kids. But LES CHORISTES made a believer out of me.

The film will see limited release in the States on January 15th, though it’s already been released on DVD in France.

Coda

Vote Pedro: I caught up with Efren Ramirez, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE’s hilarious Pedro. What’s he been up to? Quite a few character roles, though he was sparing with details. Most importantly, though, he has spoken with NAPOLEON’s producers about the possibility of a sequel to the runaway indie hit. Will he be involved? “I’d like to, but it really depends on my schedule. I’m going to be very busy for the next year or so.” You’ve got my vote.

E-MAIL THE AUTHOR | ARCHIVES