You may not have heard of British director Paul Andrew Williams, but the up and coming film maker is starting to make waves over in the UK. Thanks to his early work (such as the the BAFTA nominated London To Brighton and Horror movie Cherry Tree Lane) he has been given the reins to Song For Marion which has pulled together quite the all-star cast with Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp, Christopher Eccleston and Gemma Arterton all signed on.
If you loved the 2007 documentary Young @ Heart then Song for Marion should be for you. It tells the story of a choir of elderly men and women that love singing contemporary pop and rock songs and will feature tracks from Motorhead, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, The Kinks, Oasis, Take That, Madonna and Salt-n-Pepa!
The film revolves around the cancer-stricken Marion (Redgrave) who joins the unconventional choir. Stamp plays her husband Arthur, who despite being able to sing is reluctant to join his wife in her passion. Arterton will play the choir leader that attempts to change Arthur’s mind and Ecclestone will play the son who has a difficult relationship with his father.
Talking to the Daily Mail Producer Ken Marshall also confirmed that Redgrave and Stamp will be doing their own singing “Both Vanessa and Terence can sing, and each has a big solo spot number,” adding that one of Redgrave’s songs is a classic ballad “that will have you crying into your shirt”.
With filming beginning in County Durham on July 18 we can expect to see Song for Marion sometime in 2012. With such an all-star cast and the popularity of the show Glee making choirs ‘cool’ again, I am sure that Song For Marion will make an appearance this side of the pond.
