Prismark10 There is nothing much original about A Song for Marion and ultimately it harms the film. Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) is dying of cancer but retains a zest for life and participates in a pensioners choir who do a revved up version of The Ace of Spades. She worries about her curmudgeonly husband Arthur (Terence Stamp) who resents her being in the choir when she is ill and he also has a strained relationship with their son James (Christopher Eccleston.)When Marion is gone Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) who leads the choir tries to get Arthur to open up, put side his bitterness and get involved with the choir. The choir have managed to get through the finals of a competition but they are regarded as a one note joke.The old age pensioners tearing through the classics is a plus for the movie. Terence Stamp's angry character and his verbal sparring with Christopher Eccleston is straight out of the kitchen sink dramas of the 1960s and leaves a sour note.

Zoooma A small picture from England that was renamed upon U.S. release as Unfinished Song. An absolutely amazing movie! Almost perfect. Terence Stamp pretty much is perfection. He was nominated for Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards. Vanessa Redgrave was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The movie follows a senior citizen and how he deals with his wife's cancer. In England they're called OAPs or Old Age Pensioners. I knew nothing about the movie going into except the title. Soon enough it's clear how predictable it will be but the events that unfolded tore me to pieces. There was crying from sadness but 5 times as much crying from overwhelming joy. Gemma Arterton? Never heard of her (because I haven't seen any recent Craig 007 movies) but now I am in love with her. So pleasant to watch! Christopher Eccleston was great as was the little girl who played his daughter. Everything here works. Almost. Some of the free outdoor concert scene was a little lame and could have been much better but otherwise an all-around outstanding movie. If it doesn't make you cry, you have no soul! I'm probably gonna watch it again in a few days and it will be one of the very few movies that I burn to disc to keep.9.2 / 10 stars--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

Rich Wright Observe the common tearjerker. Check out our characters: A sad old gruff (Terence Stamp) with no joy in his heart, and his jolly terminally ill wife who sings in a local pensioners choir. Old people? SINGING?! BAH HUMBUG!! The young choir master, played by Gemma Arterton, encourages him to sit and watch, but nope. He'd rather sip his tea, or play a stimulating game of dominoes. He's got problems of his own too... Like a fractious relationship with his son. He NEVER told his lad "I love you". Isn't it sad? *SNIFF*After the elderly glee club get themselves onstage and murder songs like Let's Talk About Sex, wearing stupid costumes with much facial gurning, they somehow impress a judge who puts them through to some national finals. Sadly, and not at all predictably, the grouch's wife dies before the big day arrives. Hmm... Who'll take her place... Could it be a) Lord Lucan b) Mr Majeika or c) The Living Embodiment Of Scrooge Himself. Place your bets now...It's admirable in a way, the plot throws up artificial contrivances then snuffs them out a few minutes later in an equally asinine way . Like the scene towards the end, when the oldies choir is kicked out of the competition JUST before going on stage... because the organisers don't want to be accused of 'dumbing down'. Well, on that score I CAN agree with them, but... why bother sending down a guy to judge them and why invite them all the way to the big event, only to inform them of their disqualification just before the performance?ANSWER: Because the movie needed a BIG MOMENT of Terence Stamp rebelling, forcing his way onto the stage, all his fellow pensioners in tow. And of course, despite blatantly ignoring their instructions, the organisers let them proceed. It's just bad scriptwriting, where the ends justifies the means no matter how unconvincing the execution is. A better film would have found a way of pushing all the right buttons, without all this film-flammery.And guess who's in the audience cheering on his dad, after receiving a 'surprise' package in the post containing all the old photographs of him having fun with his pater when he was just a nipper, proving ONCE AND FOR ALL he was 'loved'? Is it: a) Elvis b) Puff The Magi... Oh, what the heck, you know the rest. So anyway, as you may have guessed, I'm not exactly the intended audience for this blubfest, which is supposed to looked on with an uncritical eye by those who want to have a good ol' sob into their duvet. Those of more clear thinking are advised to put their faculties on hold for the duration, lest you end up spoiling the entire story for yourself by predicting everything in advance. It isn't difficult.On the plus side, it's nice to see so many actors and actresses of er, 'senior years' being given a chance, despite the fact most of the time they're just in the background, miming terribly. And it's impossible to dislike any aspect of the movie to be honest, after all... It's intentions are good. It just all feels like they're going through the motions rather than giving us anything of substance, and I came away feeling as hollow as an Easter egg.I haven't got a heart of stone, I HAVE enjoyed stuff like this before. See Brassed Off for details. This is just risk-free, no frills, playing to the gallery fluff in comparison. 5/10

gavin6942 Grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) honors his recently deceased wife (Vanessa Redgrave)'s passion for performing by joining the unconventional local choir to which she used to belong, a process that helps him build bridges with his estranged son, James (Chris Eccleston).The director, Paul Andrew Williams, made a name for himself in darker territory -- the wildly successful horror comedy "The Cottage" and the gritty home invasion story of "Cherry Tree Lane". The latter is so nasty that it left me (a hardened horror fan) squirming in my seat because of its realistic approach to the subject matter.With that background, Williams is just about the last person I would have expected to take on a heartwarming tale of curmudgeon and his wife's elderly singing troupe. And yet, he weaves everything together expertly. I smiled quite a bit (I rarely laugh). I was captivated. And what seemed like a pretty lame story from the plot was actually rather entertaining and the characters were people I could identify with.Really, though, the core of this film that separates it from others is the group of old folks singing rock and hip-hop songs. Maybe the joke is not completely new (Betty White has been pushing the envelope for a decade) but how can you argue with crotchety old fogies thrusting to Salt N Pepa and Motorhead? Definitely worth checking out, and fairly appropriate for the whole family.