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This movie is about an early 20th century musicologist and
assistant professor, Janet McTeer. When she gets passed over
for promotion at her work place, she gets fed up and decides to
visit her sister (Jane Adams) who runs a settlement school in the
Appalachian Mountains. Once
she is there, she discovers discovers the untapped music of the
Appalachian Mountains and sets out to document and record it.
The
acting all around is very good. Aidan Quinn plays a mountain
man named Tom who is suspicious and wary of all outsiders. Pat
Carroll plays the farm-wise, but uneducated grandmother of Tom.
She perfectly plays the part and is a delight to watch whenever
she appears on the screen. My favorite scene of Carroll's was when she heard her voice
recorded for the first time. Beside the great acting there
is some gorgeous cinematography. The most breathtaking scene
was when McTeer hikes to various cabins within the Appalachian
mountains.
"Songcatcher" is a nice movie but it sometimes borders
on Hallmark sweetness and some of the subplots seem to be
melodramatic. Being a
film about mountain folk music, however, the highlight of the film
is the sound of various songs whether played as part of the action
or simply heard on the background soundtrack. Additionally,
singer/songwriter Iris Dement has a small part and sings a song in
the film.
If you love country and folk music of old, it's unlikely that
you'll walk away from this picture disappointed. For
those who aren't big fans, the movie is a decent introduction to
such music.
-- Mike
( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )
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