{{short description|2019 drama film}} {{Infobox film | name = The Song of Names | native_name = | image = The Song of Names film poster.jpg | caption = Film poster | director = François Girard | producer = Nick Hirschkorn<br>Lyse Lafontaine<br>Robert Lantos | screenplay = Jeffrey Caine | based_on = ''The Song of Names'' <br> by Norman Lebrecht | starring = Tim Roth<br>Clive Owen | music = Howard Shore | cinematography = David Franco | editing = Michel Arcand | studio = Serendipity Point Films<br />Lyla Films<ref name=deadline /><br />Feel Films<ref name=deadline /><br />Ingenious Media<ref name="NUM" /><br />Telefilm Canada<ref name="NUM" /><br />CBC Films<ref name="NUM" /><br />HanWay Films<ref name="NUM" /> | distributor = Elevation Pictures (Canada)<ref name=deadline>{{cite web|title='The Song of Names' With Tim Roth and Clive Owen Lands at Sony Classics|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|date=26 April 2019|access-date=11 July 2021|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/the-song-of-names-2019-release-tim-roth-clive-own-sony-pictures-classics-1202602695/}}</ref><br />Kinostar Filmverleih (Germany and Austria)<ref name="lum">{{cite web|title=Film #85391: The Song of Names|work=Lumiere|access-date=21 June 2021|url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=85391}}</ref><br />Big Bang Media (Hungary)<ref name="lum" /><br />Netflix (United Kingdom)<ref name="bbfc">{{cite web|title=The Song of Names (2019)|work=BBFC|access-date=21 June 2021|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-song-of-names-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc01mtqwmtq}}</ref><br />HanWay Films (Worldwide)<ref name=deadline /> | released = {{film date|2019|09|08|TIFF|ref1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tiff.net/events/the-song-of-names |title=The Song of Names |publisher=Toronto International Film Festival |accessdate=24 February 2020}}</ref>}} | runtime = 114 minutes<ref name="bbfc" /> | country = Canada<br>Germany<br>Hungary<br>United Kingdom | language = English | budget = | gross = $1,138,700<ref name="BOM">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2953545217/weekend/ |title=The Song of Names (2019) |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDb |accessdate=March 20, 2020}}</ref><ref name="NUM">{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Song-of-Names-The-(Canada)#tab=summary |title=The Song of Names (2019) |website=The Numbers |accessdate=March 20, 2020}}</ref> }}
'''''The Song of Names''''' is a 2019 drama film directed by François Girard.<ref name=theloop>[https://www.theloop.ca/clive-owen-wwii-film-the-song-of-names-getting-tiff-gala-presentation/ "Clive Owen WWII film ‘The Song of Names’ getting TIFF Gala Presentation"]. ''The Loop'', July 23, 2019.</ref> An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht, it stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen as childhood friends from London whose lives have been changed by World War II.<ref name=theloop/> The film was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning five.
==Plot== Dovidl Rapoport, a 9-year-old from Poland and a prodigy at the violin is taken by his father to England in order to take violin lessons. The Simmonds family take him in in order to provide him with a home since his father must return to Warsaw. Their son Martin starts bonding with his new friend, whom he considers his brother, as he likes Dovidl (anglicized to David) playing the violin.
David continues practising the violin while still remembering his family. Years pass, and David and Martin are now 21 years old. There is just one day left for a concert featuring David, when he mysteriously disappears with his violin.
It is revealed that David has fallen asleep on a bus and visited a Polish Jewish community in Stoke Newington, asking them about whether his family is still alive. He is then taken to a synagogue, where a list of people with the surname Rapoport who died during World War II is announced (in the form of a song, to make it easier to remember). After finding out that none of his family has survived, David breaks down.
Years later, in about 1986, Martin is depicted at age 56 and married. He learns about a violinist, who he notices plays in the same pattern as his brother David, who disappeared about 35 years ago. Martin then sets off to Poland to find his brother.
After meeting David's former love, who says that David left on a plane probably to New York, Martin arrives in New York, where he finds David, married with children. Martin is furious with David and tries to persuade him to perform at a concert. David at first refuses but then accepts on two conditions, which as mentioned later by Martin are: not to reveal his program and not to be seen rehearsing.
Two months later, Martin and his wife attend the concert, where David first plays with an orchestra, and then has a solo performance, in which he plays the 'Song of Names', remembering his family. Martin then receives a letter from David stating the former must think of the latter as dead and they must never meet again. The film ends with Martin reading the Kaddish, having reluctantly accepted that David is now dead to him.
== Cast == * Tim Roth as Martin Simmonds ** Gerran Howell as Martin Simmonds aged 17–23 *** Misha Handley as Martin Simmonds aged 9–13 * Clive Owen as Dovidl Rapoport ** Jonah Hauer-King as Dovidl Rapoport aged 17–21 *** Luke Doyle as Dovidl Rapoport aged 9–13 *Stanley Townsend as Gilbert Simmonds * Catherine McCormack as Helen Simmonds ** Marina Hambro as young Helen * Magdalena Cielecka as Anna Wozniak (Warsaw) * Saul Rubinek as Mr. Feinman (New York) * Eddie Izzard as BBC Radio Announcer * Jakum Kotynski as Zygmunt Rapoport * Tamás Puskás as Professor Carl Flesch
== Release == The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2019/07/23/tiff-bringing-in-new-films-starring-tom-hanks-christian-bale-joaquin-phoenix-and-dozens-more.html |title=TIFF bringing in new films starring Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix and dozens more |work=Toronto Star |date=July 23, 2019}}</ref>
== Reception == ''The Song of Names'' received mixed to negative reviews. {{RT data|as of|y|m}}, {{RT data|score}} of the {{RT data|count}} reviews compiled on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus states, "''The Song of Names'' is made from intriguing ingredients, but they never quite coalesce into a drama that satisfies the way it should."<ref name="Rotten">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_song_of_names|title=The Song of Names|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}}</ref>
===Accolades=== At the 8th Canadian Screen Awards ''The Song of Names'' tied with ''Antigone'' for most wins, with five.<ref name="Weaver"/>
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Date of ceremony ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}} |- !scope="row" rowspan=9| Canadian Screen Awards | rowspan="9" | 28 May 2020 | Best Art Direction / Production Design | François Séguin and Pierre Perrault | {{nom}} | rowspan="9" |<ref>{{cite web |first=Norman |last=Wilner |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/features/canadian-screen-awards-nominations-2020/ |title=Canadian Screen Awards 2020: Prepare for a Schitt's show |work=Now |date=18 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="Weaver">{{cite web |first=Jackson |last=Weaver |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/csa-awards-final-night-1.5589379 |title=Antigone named best picture on final night of Canadian Screen Awards |publisher=CBC News |date=28 May 2020 |accessdate=28 May 2020}}</ref> |- | Best Costume Design | Anne Dixon | {{nom}} |- | Best Hair | Michelle Coté, Péter Gyongyosi and Erzsébet Racz | {{nom}} |- | Best Makeup | Fanny Vachon | {{won}} |- | Best Original Score | Howard Shore | {{won}} |- | Best Original Song | Howard Shore, "The Song of Names (Cantor Prayer)" | {{won}} |- | Best Overall Sound | Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Mark Appleby and Daniel Bisson | {{won}} |- | Best Sound Editing | Francine Poirier, Claude Beaugrand, Michel B. Bordeleau, Raymond Legault, Lise Wedlock and Natalie Fleurant | {{won}} |- | Best Visual Effects | Marc-Antoine Rousseau | {{nom}} |- !scope="row" | Canadian Society of Cinematographers | 16 July 2020 | Best Theatrical Feature Cinematography | David Franco | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.csc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/63rd-Annual-CSC-Award-Nominees-and-Winners-and-Links.2020.pdf |title=The 63rd Annual CSC Award Nominees And Winners And Links |accessdate=17 July 2020 |publisher=Canadian Society of Cinematographers}}</ref> |- !scope="row" | Directors Guild of Canada | 27 October 2020 | Best Production Design – Feature Film | François Séguin | {{nom}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/nominees-announced-for-19th-annual-dgc-awards-830268818.html |title=Nominees Announced for 19th Annual DGC Awards |publisher=CNW Group |date=21 September 2020 |accessdate=24 October 2020 }}</ref> |- !scope="row" rowspan=5| Prix Iris | rowspan="4" | 10 June 2020 | Best Sound | Claude Beaugrand, Michel B. Bordeleau, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Claude La Haye, Raymond Legault | {{nom}} | rowspan="4" | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/nominations-prix-iris-2020_qc_5ea23604c5b6f9639811def9 |title=Prix Iris 2020: «Il pleuvait des oiseaux» et «La femme de mon frère» partent favoris |work=The Huffington Post |date=23 April 2020 |accessdate=3 May 2020 |language=French}}</ref> |- | Best Original Music | Howard Shore | {{nom}} |- | Best Hairstyling | Michelle Coté | {{nom}} |- | Best Visual Effects | Alain Lachance, Jean-Pierre Riverin | {{nom}} |- | 3 June 2021 | Most Successful Film Outside Quebec ! | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/2021-06-03/gala-artisans-de-quebec-cinema/trois-prix-pour-la-deesse-des-mouches-a-feu.php |title=Trois prix pour La déesse des mouches à feu |work=La Presse |first=André |last=Duchesne |date=3 June 2021 |accessdate=6 June 2021 |language=French}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title}} *''[http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=filvidandsou&id=569413&lang=eng The Song of Names]'' at Library and Archives of Canada
{{François Girard}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song of Names, The}} Category:2019 films Category:2019 drama films Category:Canadian drama films Category:British drama films Category:German drama films Category:Hungarian drama films Category:English-language Canadian films Category:English-language German films Category:English-language Hungarian films Category:Films directed by François Girard Category:Films with screenplays by Jeffrey Caine Category:Sony Pictures Classics films Category:Films scored by Howard Shore Category:2019 English-language films Category:2019 Canadian films Category:2019 British films Category:2019 German films Category:English-language drama films Category:2010s Hungarian films