When I was asked if I'd like to preview new DVD release The Sapphires, I didn't know much about it and when I saw the jacket image, I have to admit I thought it looked quite cheesy. But I've just sat and watched and laughed and almost cried and shook my head at the injustices and absolutely loved it.
The film starts in the 1950's at a small-town talent show in the Australian outback then fast-forwards ten years to a time when Martin Luther King, Aboriginal civil rights protests and the war in Vietnam were all in the headlines. It tells the tale of four Aboriginal women, three sisters and a cousin, desperate to make a name for themselves as a singing sensation, who head off to war-torn Vietnam to sing to the troops.
The girls have big voices and even bigger attitudes so sparks inevitably end up flying. Dave Lovelace (played by Chris O’Dowd), a down-on-his-luck Irish musician who ends up becoming the girls' manager, is a brave man who's willing to put the cat amongst the pigeons and shake things up within the group to get the girls where they belong ... but it's far from an easy ride.
I love the fact that the film goes beyond light-hearted entertainment and is willing to bring up controvsersial subjects, such as the kidnapping of Aboriginal children by the Australian government and the racism that existed back in "the bad old good old days". By turns laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, it's a lovely film that the whole family can watch.
It's being released just in time for Mothers' day so if you're looking for a gift idea, this could be perfect, especially if your mum likes feel-good movies and soul music.
Release date: 4th March 2013
Cert: PG
RRP: £15.99 (DVD)
Disclosure : I received a preview disc in order to write an honest review.
Other reviews you may be interested in :
would quite like to watch this
ReplyDelete