Once [2007]

Product Details

Director : John Carney
Actor : Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley
Format : PAL
Aspect Ratio : 1.77:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 5051429101279
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 2
Release Date : 2008-02-25
Running Time : 84minutes
Studio : Icon Home Entertainment

ASIN : B000ZK9SQM

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Winner of the World Audience Award at Sundance, Once starts out as a small-scale romance, like Before Sunrise, before arriving somewhere unexpected. An Irish busker (Glen Hansard, the Frames and The Commitments) meets a Czech flower seller (Markéta Irglová) while singing on the streets of Dublin. (In the credits, they're listed as Guy and Girl.) She likes what she hears and lets him know. Turns out she's a musician, too. They work on a few songs together and a friendship is forged. She lives with her widowed mother, who doesn't speak English. He lives with his widowed father, who owns a repair shop. Since he broke up with his girlfriend, the guy has been drifting, unable and unwilling to get his life in order. The girl encourages him to pursue a record deal, and the guy emerges from his funk. Then he makes a move on the girl, who rejects his advances. He's confused, but as he comes to find, there's a reason she’s keeping her distance. Though Once is filled with appealing folk-pop by Hansard and Irglová (released on CD as The Swell Season), the movie isn't a traditional musical, but rather a more optimistic Brief Encounter. Filmmaker John Carney, Hansard's former bandmate, captures the real city--in all its affluence and poverty--rather than the picture postcard version. His beautifully shot film serves as a heartfelt ballad about all the underclass Guys and Girls swept aside amidst Ireland's economic miracle. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis

The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band the Frames) plays the guy, a street musician who is playing for change when he meets the girl (Marketa Irglova), an immigrant from the Czech Republic. The pair immediately bond over their shared love of music (he is a guitarist, and she plays the piano), and the film chronicles their tentative relationship. Both are weighed down by plenty of baggage: his songs are fueled by a painful breakup, and she is a young mother who left her husband behind in her native country. Like the independent favourite BEFORE SUNRISE, ONCE is a simple, sweet drama that doesn’t rely on an elaborate plot. With its use of digital video and handheld cameras, ONCE matches its spare visual style to its intimate mood. Each moment feels stolen from real life, and the story is at once familiar and fresh. Driven more by music than by dialogue, ONCE features a stirring soundtrack of heartfelt indie rock sung by Hansard and Irglova. Before his foray into film, director John Carney (ON THE EDGE) played bass in the Frames, and his passion for music is clear in this modern musical that hits every note perfectly.

Customer Reviews

Satisfying and moving (2008-09-07)

I rented this on the basis of a long-remembered Grauniad film review and I was really pleased I did. Not so much a musical as a fully-realised excuse to air the wonderful songs, it is realistic and moving. Don't expect plot twists and thrills and spills - just a logical playing out of two people meetings and interacting with music as the basis for their relationship. I bought the sound-track immediately. Excellent.

How often do you meet the right person.. (2008-07-14)

It took "Once" sometime to grow on me but by the end of the film I was wishing it would go on for much longer than it's allotted 84 minutes. "Once" is a modern day musical set amid the Dublin underclass. A part time busker meets a Czech immigrant flower girl who happens to be a keen pianist. Together they share a tentative platonic romance ,form a band and cut a disc in a recording studio. The busker is nursing a broken heart from a previous relationship while the girl has an estranged husband in the Czech republic, the father to her little girl.The love story is poignant,yet unfulfilled, but the highlight of this film is the music, slightly irritating at the start of the film but magnificent by the end. Highly recommended.

One star for Once (2008-07-10)

My Goodness, what a dreadful film. One annoying beard, several annoying songs and a pointless story. I recommend fast-forwarding any of the montages with this pair singing over the top if you want to get through it unscathed.

Brilliant (2008-07-02)

I really like this film. It's refreshingly different and so is the ending. Much more real life with people with real problems. I'd recommend it.

A Small Film With A Big Heart (2008-06-27)

Oh what a little gem this film is. SO simple in its storyline and execution, but yet it manages to pluck at the heart strings on so many levels. DO NOT be put off by the word 'Musical' - I hate them and despite this film describing itself as just that, it never feels this way. The songs are mighty and the inspired direction, and the 'virginal' acting debuts on the part of the two leads, give the whole thing a freshness and a heartwarming reality that will charm all but those who sadly were born with their hearts in neutral. Watch it and like me you might feel moved to sit down and write a review and then buy the soundtrack, right there and then. After that you might consider checking out the music of The Frames too (Glenn Hansard's original musical vehicle). So sorry if it turns out you don't like it even after all that has been said here and before - you really are missing out.

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