This odd mix of profound human drama and silly caper sees a rag-tag group of Russian musicians attempting to relive their conductor’s former glory by impersonating the Bolshoi Orchestra for a concert in the prestigious Chatelet Theatre in Paris. There are moments of real cinematic beauty in this film, but there is no balance between the serious elements and the broad fish-out-of-water comedy. Most of the comedy comes from the misplaced Russians running amok in Paris and this usually feels condescending and a bit cheap. On the other side of this, there is a rather touching, if a little over-dramatic story about a long-kept secret between conductor Filipov and a young violin virtuoso, Anne-Marie Jacquet. This is an entertaining film but annoyingly patchy. And the whole “who needs rehearsals if you have lots of heart” thing might work in Glee, but it’s a bit tacky in a grown-up movie.
Words: Charlene Lydon
