Young@Heart
by Sally George, Stephen Walker
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DVD details
Actor: Elaine Fligman, Helen Boston, Jean Florio, Joe Benoit, Louise CanadyDirector: Sally George, Stephen Walker
Brand: Fox
Cinematographer: Ed Marritz
Producer: Sally George
Editor: Chris King
Producer: Hannah Beckerman
Producer: Jane Villiers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-16
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Young@Heart
DVD Review: Reasons to Sing
Summary: 4 Stars
Often when people explain why they don't like musicals they say, "I just can't believe people would just be talking one minute and then break out into song the next." These same people might not be bothered by loud explosions in space in a science fiction film or a man shooting a six shooter accurately a couple of hundred yards away in a western or a miracle amphibious vehicle that allows its passengers to survive not one but three falls over large waterfalls. But spontaneous song is going just too far.
Maybe it's because we live in a society that spends much money for concerts and downloads to enjoy the music of others while fewer people are making music of their own.
That's not a problem for the members of Young@Heart, a chorus depicted in the documentary movie of the same name. In 1982 this chorus group, whose members are all 70 years old or older, was founded. Initially they performed vaudeville songs like "Yes, We Have No Bananas," but their director, Bob Cilman, pushed the chorus to try something different: rock and roll.
Many of the chorus members had a preference for classical music, opera or the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein. But they were willing to take on the challenge of music by the Talking Heads, David Bowie and the Clash (or as the 92 year old member Ellie refers to them, "The Crash".)
The new songs are not always greeted with good cheer. When Cilman is asked how he thinks the members will react to Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia" he cheerfully says "They'll hate it." But when interviewed, the members insist that the challenge of new music keeps their minds and voices active and alive.
At times, though, I wondered how really new some to the music was to the members. The film was made in 2006. "I Feel Good" is introduced to the singers, and I was thinking that James Brown released that song in 1965. That means that chorus members in their 70's were in their thirties when the song was released. When Mick Jagger is going to turn 65 this year and Paul McCartney just turned the same age, and Elvis would have been eligible to be in Young@Heart if he had lived, it makes one wonder if rock and roll can still be considered a young person's game.
And at times during the film I wondered if the filmmaker (Stephen Walker) and the audiences don't approach the chorus in a condescending manner ("Isn't it cute those old people singing rock songs!") But the group's music is genuinely powerful. The music video of the group singing the Ramone's "Sedated" is energetic and funny. Coldplay's "Fixed" which was meant to be performed as a duet but becomes a solo is heartbreaking.
The members of Young@Heart have a unique understanding of the command in the Psalm 96:1 "Sing to the Lord a new song." So many of us are content to listen to the oldies stations on the radio that play the music of our youth. In church, we want to sing only the songs we know. But that's not what God wants for us. He wants us to sing a new song not just to keep our minds fresh but also our spirits.
Considering the age of the group members, it should not be a surprise that in the film we see the group struggle with greater challenges than tricky rhythms and lyrics. Illness and even death plays a role in this film as it does in the members' lives. Their grace in facing life's ultimate challenges will inspire the view even more than the film's music.
Description of Young@Heart
Get ready to rock out with the most entertaining "golden oldies" you will ever meet, a fun-loving senior citizen?s choir called Young@Heart. To prepare for a show in their hometown that is only weeks away, the lovable seniors must learn a slate of new songs, ranging from James Brown to Coldplay. The chorus? tireless musical director leads the group through a series of hilariously chaotic rehearsals, proving that hard rock can be hard work ? especially when you?re hard of hearing! Climaxing in a triumphant performance that will leave you cheering, their inspiring story celebrates the unbreakable bonds of friendship and the life-affirming power of music!The questions start as soon as you know that Young@Heart is about a group of singing senior citizens as they prepare for and then perform a concert with a repertoire consisting of songs by the likes of Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and James Brown. Can this premise, basically a novelty, sustain itself for nearly two hours? Will the director give in to the temptation to make it schmaltzy and sentimental? Will we be laughing at these oldsters, or with them? The answers: yes, no, and a little of both. Directed by British filmmaker Stephen Walker, the 2007 film takes place primarily in Northampton, MA, home to the Young@Heart chorus, whose average age is 80. Most readily admit to preferring classical and musicals to the pop and rock given to them by music director Bob Cilman, and some of the tunes--Sonic Youth?s "Schizophrenia," Allen Toussaint?s "Yes We Can Can" (once a hit for the Pointer Sisters), and Brown?s "I Got You (I Feel Good)"--prove especially vexing. But the singers? good natures and determination to master the material over some six weeks of rehearsals carry the day. Most of all, while they thoroughly enjoy themselves, it?s no joke to them, and thus not to us, either. Of course, folks this age are bound to have health issues; indeed, the specter of death hangs over the scene like a banshee, occasionally making itself right at home. But the chorus members? insistence on carrying on in the wake of tragedy makes for a climactic concert that?s moving and powerful--Fred Knittle, who had withdrawn from the group due to heart issues but whose beautiful bass voice remains intact, returns for this one show to deliver a version of Coldplay?s "Fix You" that will bring a tear to the eye of the most flint-hearted cynic. Mixed in along the way are the group?s "videos" of songs like the Ramones? "I Wanna Be Sedated" and David Bowie?s "Golden Years"; bonus features include deleted scenes and a brief featurette about Young@Heart?s gig in Los Angeles. --Sam Graham
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Stills from Young @ Heart (Click for larger image)
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