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Rating:  - Wish I Could Like It More
When given a good script, Bruce Beresford is a fine director--witness "Breaker Morant" and "Driving Miss Daisy." When saddled with a mediocre script, even one he wrote himself, his films suffer, despite their excellent cinematography and earnest acting. "Paradise Road" falls into the latter category, which is a shame because it has much going for it. Glenn Close leads a band of familiar faces, including Cate Blanchett and a strangely Dracula-like Frances McDormand, all prisoners of the Japanese on a remote island during WWII. The women face the usual hardships--loneliness, starvation, disease, torture--while spiritedly resisting the efforts of the evil Japanese to squash their resolve, which includes forming a vocal orchestra that beautifully performs some of my favorite pieces ("Bolero"; "Danny Boy"). Chances are, though, you've seen it all before in one form or another. The well-intentioned performances range from caricature (McDormand) to please-send-me-my-Oscar (Close), though we never get to the know their characters all that deeply, even with the theatrics. The Japanese characters suffer more, as they're stock types from every WWII movie you've ever seen, with a "Bridge on the River Kwai" wannabe commandant (Sab Shimono), the sympathetic, but immasculated go-between (David Chung) and the requisite sadist (Stan Egi). In fact, it's hard to watch the film without seeing echoes of "yellow horde" paranoia, as this spitfire group of white women ably thwart the best efforts of a race of villainous little men. Unlike "Shindler's List" or "Sophie's Choice," which at least tried to explore the nature of the captors, "Paradise Road" is content that they are simply villains or, at best, misled, missing golden opportunities to take the plot to higher levels. Despite some moving scenes--a camp concert and the gruesome death of a sympathetic secondary character among them--the film falls short of its potential dramatically, true story or not.
Rating:  - Very Well Done
I really enjoy the talents of Glenn Close and this movie is no exception to a performance well done. The story itself deals with some pretty heavy stuff, but it was very well done and the subject matter was presented in a very realistic manner. I enjoyed this movie very much.
Rating: - Brilliant Cast, Touching Story
The story is extremely moving. The cast, however, it not to be believed. It seems all talented actresses today have a part in this film, and give one of the best preformances of their lives. The characters are three dimensional and complex - never flat. Disturbing at times, strong with the beauty of humanity at others. Perfect. Makes you laugh, cry, and cringe. Great!
Rating: - Paradise Road - Song of Survival
This is one of my all-time favourite films.
The moving tale of women POWs who form a chorus and use vocal music to help cope with the harsh reality of Japanese internment.
Paradise Road is a wonderful movie, a true story wonderfully told. It never fails to move me everytime I watch it and I have watched it a few times! ;-)
Rating: - Perfect 10!
Paradise Road depicts the actual events of what really happen during the years of WWII. Held hostage on a remote island a groups of women and their children are forced to abide by every wish the Japanese want. To suvive the harsh climate a group of the woman create a choir called "The Paradise Road Choir" directed by one of their stronger women, Adriane,(Close) on the to ease the saddness that is brought by not knowing where their husbands are or if they will ever return home. Both tragedy and triamph follow the group of woman thorough the three years they are held hostage. I recomend this video to all who are able to watch rated R movies(war violence and brief nudity)and if you are very sensitive make sure that a box of kleenex's next to you.
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