Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) User Reviews

Wonderful but difficult film

[Wryter47 · 8/10 · 16 July 2013]

This is an important film and evidently is regarded as such by many serious reviewers, so I watched it and found it sometimes very hard to sit through because it struck more than a few painful chords in my own memory of my family when I was growing up in the 40s and 50s. Indeed.

My continuing impression is that men of that era, not only in the UK and US as well as elsewhere, were really almost clinically unreflective in that they were so used to being tolerated and getting away with murder that they were nearly incapable of seeing themselves in anything resembling a true light.

How women both sustained family life by themselves and because of their friendships with other women belies the fact that they felt powerless to change anything for the better, at least for more than five minutes.

My fantasy is that it would be great for a lot of men of my generation (now 70) to be tied down with their mouths taped and their eyes propped open with toothpicks, if need be, and forced to watch this movie about forty times! Since that's not going to happen, all I can do is recommend that the peers of my generation at least consider watching it. It can only do us good!

Peter

The "real truth", was far worse than the movie.

[stuhh2001 · 8/10 · 26 June 2002]

In an interview, Terence Davis has stated that he had to tone down the reality of the story because as depressing as the film is, the "real thing" would be unendurable for audiences. We have all seen rage on the screen. Brando, De Niro, and Pesci, have had their moments, but the two actors who truly frightened me, and left me literally trembling, were Temuera Morrison, as the Maori father in "Once Were Warriors", a film from New Zealand, and Peter Postlethwaite, as the father in "Distant Voices". These actors hit something visceral in me, that my therapists never even guessed at. Fear of the father? Living with a man (my dad, so consumed with anger at a world that never had a truly happy day for him) who could only vent his rage at his family? Who knows, and at the age of 68, who the hell cares. Besides, Postlethwaites (I'm sure this name kept him out of the "bigtime" for many years, a little shobiz humor folks) acting honors go to the mother, Freda Dowie. She's on Masterpiece Theatre a lot and she's either mentally ill, or like this woman, a battered housewife trying to keep her kids and herself alive. Happiness or even a nice day is not on her agenda. Just trying to get through poverty, and not having her jaw broken by her husband is a happy day to her. If you like exploding autos, and thong draped anorexic Barbie dolls, this movie is not for you. But if you want to see a work of art carved out of Davis' agony, see this movie. Oh yes, I remember he said in an interview on NPR, that he couldn't remember his father ever touching him, or saying a kind word to him.

easier to appreciate than enjoy

[mjneu59 · 7/10 · 14 November 2010]

Terrance Davies' two-part nostalgia exercise is, depending on your tolerance for unembellished honesty, either a sentimental trip down memory lane or a cold-eyed wallow in drab English monotony. The British writer director went to great lengths to re-create a facsimile of working class family life circa 1940-1950, and his meticulous attention to detail sets an almost too perfect mood: the film is both painfully realistic and totally depressing. Using a fragmented, hopscotch style approximating the actual process of memory itself, Davies mixes bits and pieces of autobiographical detail to show how cultural traditions have a way of repeating themselves for a typical Liverpool family, held together by stifling blue collar conditions and a good deal of recreational singing (38 period songs are featured on the soundtrack). The snapshot style doesn't allow for any dramatic momentum, but the film is constructed more as a sampling of brief, transient moments, and is extremely well crafted and emotional despite the often oppressive melancholy.

One of the best British films of the last twenty years

[dominic-9 · 3 February 1999]

Terence Davis moving, harrowing and elegantly artistic masterpiece is one of the few Britsh films of recent years to embody a distinctly British identity. The plot involves a family wedding in working class Liverpool just after the second world war and the various episodes in the family's past dealing with their sometimes brutal and disturbed father. The beauty of the film lies in the deeply artistic composition of various shots, coupled with Davis' enduring compassion and understanding for the chararcters, especially the father played brilliantly by Pete Postlethwaite. It is an incredible evocation of family life and even though at times it makes for hard viewing, this is a film that must be seen.

Amazing

[Moviespot · 10/10 · 16 October 2007]

This film caught me 14 years ago when I first saw it.. and yesterday I was really touched by it again. A registration of 'forgotten' times somewhere during....the first half of the 20th century in Britain...a Totally Overwhelming sense of melancholy filmed in an extraordinary way by Terence Davies.A true work of art. The excellent idea of calling up emotions by letting the characters sing the sing-along songs of the era.... Then there is the photography of this film...seldom have i seen a modern day movie that brings up past times as this piece of wonder.... very , very tastefully done...the coloring and costume designs , the decorations...everything works to give you the idea that you'r staring into a timemaschine...wow.. amazing ! Heartbraking story of 'normal lives , by normal people , who are all gone and 'forgotten'... Still one of the most amazing pieces of cinema around !

One of the most rewarding and unique films I've ever seen.

[the_cinesexual · 10/10 · 2 April 2001]

It's difficult to say exactly what this luminous masterpiece is about. It's a memoir of sorts but a highly stylized one where memories are re-experienced and conveyed through songs, frequently communally sung; painful familial interactions powerfully shot as if the scenes were paintings or sets on a stage. This formal approach resonates simultaneously with richness and alienation, pathos and ecstasy. Difficult to shake.

Not at all what I expected and there's certainly nothing quite like it anywhere in the history of cinema. Powerfully acted and masterfully directed: One of the great works of British movie-making.

I also highly recommend Davies' two other great works: "The Long Day Closes" and the recent, made for Showtime movie starring an amazing Gillian Anderson, "The House of Mirth." I personally didn't care that much for "The Neon Bible."

This is how the tough survive.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 24 March 2022]

Not much to love in this fortunately short look at the life of a family told over the course of two decades, starting with the hardworking but troubled patriarch Pete Postlethwaite in the first half. Obviously dealing with severe depression that leads to mental illness and abusive traits, towards wife Freda Dowie, son Dean Willians and daughter Angela Walsh, he has bursts of temper that are frightening and out of control. Then there's the aftermath of his demise as the issues of widow Dowie and the grown adult children which hasn't changed them much outside the changes in music that brings them together for regular sing-a-longs

Reminding me of the series of new wave British dramas of the 1960's, this is a powerful drama about issues of the working class that don't change much between World War II and the following decade. Excellent performances all around are helpful in keeping the audience engaged, with the pop-ins of various neighbors, partucuparky Walsh's pal Pauline Quirke and the children's own offspring. Music works not only to represent the passage of time, but the passing on it generations. It's quite touching but often very sad and depressing at times. While this represents a typical working class British family, it could be any family of any race and class, and thus a relatable and unforgettable drama.

The most powerfully innovative film of the past quarter-century.

[ewc · 10/10 · 18 March 2002]

Among powerful films of the past quarter-century, none surpass this one for elegant and innovative design. Unfortunately, it will remain, it appears, a singular achievement, even among the works of Davies, for nothing he has since done approaches its power. The inability to comprehend how and why a film works, although now an all-too-common failing among filmmakers, is in Davies's case uniquely sad, for the promise of this film was unprecedented.

Happy Families

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 2 October 2013]

Then film composes its scenes like an impressionistic painting but also like a vintage photo that moves and draws you into it.

In the present day with digital film and Photoshop such effects are common but back in 1988 this required skill from the director, editor and the cinematographer.

Distant Voices, Still Lives are effectively two related short films spliced together.

The first half set during the 1940s is the effect on a family of a tyrannical, brutish father who haunts them even after their death.

The second half takes place in the 1950s with the characters getting married and yet for the women, some of them are never far away from the brutish life of their youth as the men they married might still be prone to violence.

You see the family at weddings, funerals, christening and at the pub. Like Dennis Potter dramas. Music and songs are used to reflect the mood and move the drama along.

Not all songs would be known to the modern ear. Just like some of the drinks the characters order in the pub, the songs they sing belong to another time.

Maybe the singing is too good, I doubt in reality families sung that well in the pub. Debi Jones carries off the difficult songs well, the cast are uniformly good.

Pete Postlethwaite dominates the film even though he is not there for the latter part of the film. Also notice the more cordial relationship he has with his youngest daughter in contrast with his other children.

It is an art house film, it may not suit everyone especially given the number of songs but its is an important British film of the 1980s.

What a sad sentimental movie

[just-4 · 8/10 · 19 March 1999]

I'm not the sentimental type, I don't know what it was in this movie, the rain, the singing or the sadness of live, but I just got all warm inside. It was such a beautiful film, and it had just the right length too. Very nice.

A triumph of Davies the director, not Davies the writer

[dr_clarke_2 · 7/10 · 11 August 2020]

Distant Voices, Still Lives is the feature length debut of Terence Davies, a man sometimes described as Britain greatest living film director. The film made something of a splash amongst cinephiles on its release, and has a fine reputation that sees it appear on lists of the best British films. However, it is fair to say that it is unlikely to be to everybody's tastes. Written as well as directed by Davies, Distant Voices, Still Lives is actually two separate films, shot two years apart, with the same cast and crew: Distant Voices is the first one, Still Lives the second. Together, they show us a glimpse into the lives of the Davies family (the film is fictional, but has autobiographical inspirations), working class Liverpudlians, first during World War II and then in the nineteen-fifties. It depicts the lives of the family members and their friends with simple honesty; the characters are brought to life by an extremely naturalistic cast drawn from British theatre and television, including Pete Postlethwaite who is terrifying as violent father Tommy Davies. Described by some as a British Arthouse film, Distant Voices, Still Lives is the first great showcase for Davies' talents behind the camera. Visually, this is a beautifully, supremely accomplished movie. Opening shots focus on a flight of stairs and an open door and actors pass in front of or behind these, whilst we hear dialogue and signing. The cast is allowed to look straight at the camera, which adds to the film's intimacy. Davies' style is clear, crisp and precise, and he uses close-ups, double-exposures and fade-outs to very good effect. The location filming adds to the film's sense of realism. The attention to period detail in the costumes and props is remarkable. The film is almost structured like a photo album, providing snapshots of the family's life. Within each half of the film, a non-linear narrative is used, flitting backwards and forwards to paint a picture of the Davies family. Various narrative tools are deployed to good effect. Singing is used symbolically throughout the film, with characters often singing, either in the pub or whilst they carry on their lives. A notable example is when the family sings whilst taking shelter from an air raid, with the sounds of the siren and explosions on the background. The songs chosen work well alongside those used non-diagetically. And yet... for all the beauty and the elegance and the sheer artistry of Distant Voices, Still Lives, it's terribly uninvolving. Some critics have dared audiences not to be moved to tears: many will barely be moved at all. The problem lies in the very fact that the film is assembled like a montage of snapshots, which never really give the viewer chance to get to know and empathise with the characters. The film is sumptuous but sterile: one if more likely to marvel at the framing of the shots than get emotional about what they depict. Ultimately, the drama derives from the nuts and bolts of the characters' very ordinary lives, and the sad fact is that they really aren't that interesting. Make no mistake: Distant Voices, Still Lives is a very, very good film. Sometimes, it is entertaining enough to simply sit back and admire the sheer craftsmanship of a piece of film-making, and this is one of those times: the movie flies by. But it is a triumph of Davies the director, not Davies the writer.

Beautiful, emotional, poetic...

[ledzepp461 · 10/10 · 1 September 2002]

It gets better each time I see it. The music is brilliant and the story is touching, but in a very melancholy way. This is as close to poetry on film as I have ever seen. I only wish it would be released on DVD.

Distant Voices, Still Lives

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 5 September 2023]

This film is a little like an LP. It has two distinct sides. One "Distant Voices" focuses on just what makes the father of a small family tick. Two - "Still Lives" dwells more on the lives of the children. Unlike on the vinyl though, once we are on that side of the record there are no tracks. The story flits about with a non-consistent chronology to bring us the happy, the sad, the brutal and the gentle and it really does showcase well the acting talents of Pete Postlethwaite as the father. A man of the times, who treats women with scant regard. Not, perhaps, because he is inherently cruel or nasty, but because he knows no better? Even his wife (a strong, if sparing, contribution from Freda Dowie) has to tread on eggshells much of the time. There are three children - "Eileen" (Angela Walsh); "Maisie" (Lorraine Ashbourne) and "Tony" (Dean Williams) and their lives, loves and wartime experiences feature potently in the second stage of this drama that tells us much about the societal influences - and expectations - of families, of men, of soldiers and it's quite thought-provoking. It's about love, too, but not in much of a sentimental manner. Relationships have to have a gritty, pragmatic, aspect to them - and it falls to the youngsters to try and change these entrenchments from varying degrees of success and happiness themselves. There is very little dialogue, here. Most of the narrative relies on the glorious photography and the use of contemporaneous songs from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mercer and some beautifully performed choral works that prove to be truly effective at setting and maintaining a sense of the struggles and joys of this working-class, sometimes unpromising, existence. It's certainly well worth a watch - a few times, I'd say.

nostalgia for a time that never was

[LunarPoise · 3/10 · 19 November 2011]

Distant Voices, Still Lives sets out very deliberately to be painterly, observant, episodic and poetic. What is is, however, is haughty, stiff, self-conscious and uninvolving.

Growing up working class, I remember the singing, the drinking and smoking, and the fights round the kitchen table. The singing wasn't as professional, sober or choreographed as this. The drinking was messier, the smoking unhealthier (no one in this film has a smoker's cough, they all look like 'cool' smokers), and the fights and violence were a lot more visceral and furious. At one point the mother here is covered in bruises head to toe. Domestic violence was awful and for some victims relentless, but mostly (sometimes willfully) hidden from view. This film overplays it. As it does with the constant singing, which just becomes annoying.

I can appreciate the cinematography even if it does draw too much attention to itself, and the careful depiction of period detail. What I cannot accept is the wooden dialogue sequences, and the use of a nostalgia filter in a non-ironic way. The same themes have been covered in Once Were Warriors, Nil By Mouth, East is East, Tyrannosaur... Those films deal with the material in a much more vivid, affecting manner. There is not, of course, only one way to approach these subjects. But the approach taken by Distant Voices, Still Lives does not work.

Just because a film sets out very deliberately to be art cinema does not mean that it is. Britain's past is mis-represented in both folklore and aesthetic terms in this turgid outing.

not a false note

[sbamp49 · 11 April 2005]

Pete posthlewaite hits a performance that is so unique it is frightening. so true was the passion there where times in the movie when I wished he would die! The episodic and random nature of the flashbacks made it seem like memories from one's own childhood which reinforced the naturalistic acting and indeed made it almost voyeuristic! The true beauty of the film lies in the realism of the scenes and in the accurate depiction of life as it really is in all it's ugliness! Above all the movie said to me that out of "brutallity" can come "compassion and humanity". One scene really hits home is the Christmas scene where the camera pans up an idyllic British street where the Christmas lights are shining and by nature our faces are starting to smile and then dissolves into the living room where the family are sitting in expectation. You can feel the tension as you see the first shot and when he pulls the tablecloth off the table and shouts "CLEAN THIS UP",I remember jumping up!!! MASTERPIECE In my eyes yes! 10 OUT OF 10

The bestest movie ever, ever, EVER.

[tmhoover · 10/10 · 8 August 2006]

I saw this movie when it opened. I was 16. It floored me. I returned to it again and again during my film school days. I was in my 20s. It continued to floor me. I just dusted it off and watched it after several years without it. I'm 33. It floored me again. I can't get over the singularity of purpose matched with the mastery of craft. Or the ineffable sadness. Or that horrible little man who plays Les.

Bestest movie ever. See it repeatedly.

Why, oh why, is this film not on DVD? My VHS copy (taped from TV) is not nearly adequate to the task, and letterboxing would surely improve it. Any takers?

What a great film

[denise-882-139023 · 10/10 · 11 July 2021]

Watching this film about family life evoked so many memories of my own life.

Even though the film is set in earlier times than mine and even though the events portrayed were different, it still resonated with me.

The feelings, often not through dialogue, but through visual images and songs, were broadcast loud and clear.

I was totally absorbed and really did not want it to end.

Distant Voices, Still Lives

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 12 August 2015]

This British film as an entry in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, when I read the title I assumed it was another foreign language film, I obviously never would of heard about it if it wasn't for the book, but I was going to watch it, directed by Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea). Basically the film is set in the 1940s and early 1950s in Liverpool, and focuses on the life of a working-class Catholic family, and the story is split into two parts, "Distant Voices" and "Still Lives". The first part, Distant Voices, focuses on grown up siblings Eileen (Angela Walsh), Maisie (Lorraine Ashbourne) and Tony (Dean Williams), and their Mother (The Omen's Freda Dowie), mourning the death of the Father (Pete Postlethwaite). In childhood, during wartime, the three siblings lived under a domineering patriarchal regime with the Father, young Eileen (Sally Davies) has happy memories, but young Maisie (Susan Flanagan) and young Tony (Nathan Walsh) have troubled memories as the easily angered Father brutally beat his wife and children. Following the funeral of the Father, the family finally have a happier occasion, Eileen is getting married, but whereas the family and guests sing songs and enjoy themselves at the reception, Eileen cannot contain her emotions and breaks down hysterically grieving for her father. The second part, Still Lives, two years have passed, it is few years before rock 'n roll and The Beatles take over the music scene, the three siblings have settled with their own separate lives, but they are not all happy, for Eileen the only happiness she experiences, escaping her drab existence, is in the pub with her friends having sing-songs. Also starring Marie Jelliman as Jingles, Brookside's Michael Starke as Dave, Vincent Maguire as George, Antonia Mallen as Rose, Debi Jones as Micky, Chris Darwin as Red, Andrew Schofield as Les and Pauline Quirke as Doreen. This film is an autobiographical film from director Davies, Postlethwaite in his short time on screen is really convincing as the short-fused father, there is no story as such, it is mostly a series of family gatherings and lots of sing-songs in the pub and other locations, counteracting the disturbingly realistic beatings and domestic violence, and the consequences of them, this is a worthwhile drama. Very good!

Incredible Terence Davis feature

[martinpersson97 · 10/10 · 27 October 2023]

Terence Davis always impresses, and this is definitely a great testament of his ever great capabilities when it comes to filmmaking.

The actors all do an incredible job, as one would expect from such legends. All of this, of course, accompined by a stellar script, very unconventional, emotional and all around incredibly well written.

The cinematography, cutting and editing is incredible, very much in tune with Davis' unique style, and all around incredible beautifully put together indeed.

All around, truly an incredibly, very unconventional and non-linear drama. Highly recommended for any lover of film!

Haunting

[fullthundermoon-36564 · 10/10 · 27 November 2021]

A exceptionally talented cast put together a collection of themes, like a photographic collage with superbly placed soundtrack. Very nostalgic without being too personal or sentimental. The best of British cinema.

Beautiful and evocative movie dealing with domestic violence

[draperhacker · 10/10 · 22 February 2012]

This is one of the most moving films I have ever seen. Having read the previous reviews I can see the polarity of appreciation but I am firmly with the reviewers who see the film as a moving evocation of times and emotions of yesterday but that still has a resonance today. Although the film's narrative is more of an emotional roller coaster than a chronological device and shot through the lens of a son less loved than hoped if you can give yourself up to the emotional extremes the film offers a journey through a life that doesn't offer answers just the remembered high's and lows. As someone who lived a life so closely to the family in the movie it could almost have been my own I can appreciate the way the film has been approached in an attempt to map the extremes of the good times and the bad times. Isn't this the way we all look back? Who remembers the incidental details of life that don't make an impression? I couldn't possibly attempt to re-tell my whole life but I could certainly in the telling, probably end up with a story pretty much in line with this movie except not nearly as well told or revealed in such stunning images. For those whose lives may have little connection with this kind of family, it's revelations or the times I ask you to understand that its unrelenting grimness and violence does find a balance in the comfort of family and loved ones. For those who feel the movie didn't go far enough and the lens romanticizes domestic violence, I ask you to consider for those of us who lived through this journey that clinging onto and juxtaposing so abruptly the good times against the lows that in retrospect this was the only way to find some way or sense to a life where there was many a time where the negative far outweighed the positive. I find this movie so cathartic and it always leaves me with a sense of peace knowing that ultimately its is love in whatever form wins the day.

Hated it

[rteeter · 1/10 · 25 August 2007]

I like art films. I like Pete Postlethwaite in other movies he's been in. I don't have a problem with violence per se; "Once Were Warriors" is one of my favorite movies.

This movie, however, was terrible. I only sat through it because I was with someone who wanted to see it; otherwise I would have walked out. The scenes seemed to alternate between the family singing together on the one hand, and the Dad beating everybody on the other. That's the whole movie as far as I could tell.

Apparently some of you saw more to it than that, and more power to you, but this movie certainly isn't for everybody.

why are these films not on DVD

[boundandgagged1 · 20 December 2006]

Both distant voices and the long day closes are remarkable films for their style, and insight into the subtlety of human feelings and failings. They certainly won't be to everyones taste but as pieces of classic cinema they are priceless. Because of their limited appeal it is maybe understandable that they are not films to bring in millions, however it is tragic that they are not available on DVD so that at least they can attract a wider audience. I have the original VHS copies of these films, (bought when they were available - they are not now) and will have to dig these out of storage and have them transferred to DVD.

Freda Dowie was born to play the downtrodden mother

[emuir-1 · 8/10 · 5 August 2010]

If every a woman was born to play a part, it was Fred Dowie as the abused mother in this film. Her face just screams "hit me - knock me about". She has the careworn downtrodden look, while keeping her shameful secret to herself, that I have witnessed many times. There were so many little touches in this film that made it so real for me. The claustrophobic home, the BBC light programme playing on the radio: Billy Cotton Band Show, Beyond our Ken, Jean Metcalfe with Family Favorites all brought a touch of nostalgia. I noticed many things I had completely forgotten - like when the mother was cleaning the upstairs sash window by sitting on the window sill outside the window with the window pulled down to her lap.

Like "Once were Warriors" this was also a very disturbing film due to the father's unpredictable violence, and not easy to watch, but once seen it is never forgotten. Who ever knew what would 'set him off' sometimes nothing was needed.

With the power to make me weep within seconds, "Distant Voices, Still Lives" is incredible bold filmmaking.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 9/10 · 10 July 2013]

Distant Voices, Still Lives is one of those films I've been meaning to see for years. With its two- part structure, it's never seemed like a film that's easy to digest and now having seen it, that's quite true. With its very experimental approach to storytelling, it's a family drama put into a blender as the narrative rocks back and forth from when the children were young to the brutal father's death in the children's adulthood. While it risks being incoherent and lacking character development, it instead presents shards of pure brittle emotion that cut to the bone right away. It's powerful to the point of one short vignette making me weep within seconds, but it also has the ability to make me laugh often. The shards are put in order as the character's memory triggers transitions and happiest moments are met with relevant saddest moments from the character's lifetimes. It's an incredible way of filmmaking.

The visuals are drained of all colour, leaving the picture as aged brown and white which give it a nostalgic value, it's a clear influence on low-key filmmakers such as Roy Andersson. The camera-work is especially interesting as to what it does and doesn't show with the camera sometimes lingering in a room while the characters leave, allowing us to eavesdrop on their conversations. It gives us time to observe the rooms and seems to highlight the memories and events that took place which give them an eerie atmosphere. While the cinematography is deliberately dreary, the characters sing traditional and popular songs of the time, this music colouring their lives. It's really beautiful and unique substitute to personalised dialogue, much of which when it's there, feels theatrical. The strongest performance is definitely Pete Postlethwaite, who gives an astounding turn as the children's father.

The first part, Distant Voices, focuses on the three children's relationship with their father and the second part, Still Lives, focuses on the consequences of their father's actions. It's a powerful and profound statement on the relationship between men and women as some repeat history with abusive men and some try to push forward for more equality. Still Lives is more cohesive than Distant Voices, even if there are less events, but the jumping around element of the latter is sorely missed and does render it a little disjointed at first. It all comes together when it becomes apparent that the film tracks the point when one family becomes three different families and how the repercussions of childhood ripple down the generations. One of the best films I've seen in a long time. Unforgettable. Terrence Davies will certainly be one to look out for, and I'm sure will influence my own filmmaking too.

9/10