That Day We Sang

Based on a musical that was first performed in 2011 and then turned into this made for TV movie. Tubby and Enid both sang in the same choir in 1929. When a television programme reunites them they begin to fall in love. With the power of song and memories, we see how their lives have changed. As they draw closer their worlds begin to be constructed and shaped again. This tells us who they were and what they have become.

Over the course of the film, we see how musical cinema can be a great boon to a talented cast. All of who I found excellent. They are also a great boon to Lyricists and the songs are warm and fun. Visually it is stunning, with the beautiful clean space and the over lit glow and radiance of another age. As it is shot in HD digital, it will benefit your DVD purchase. So overall so far film at this point is flying along well enough. Then along comes the two main flaws.
Firstly, the whole sweet nature of the film is a little hard to swallow. It has jokes that are good and timed. But the sweetness is so harsh as to be bitter. This is my way of saying that sitting through the whole in one sitting will be hard. I would have to have a Slasher flick on another channel to balance the overly sweet nature. Mix this with the shallowness of what it is trying to say and you might want to run for the hills.

Secondly and most substationally. Memory is key to this film. As we see with Tubby and Enid, songs can cast us back to a time outside of current life. Terence Davis did the same brilliantly in his films and here Wood has been able to construct these memory worlds they lived in. This is where the film both excels and fails. You see for me it is about the problem of making a film about memory and love. Memory often and unintentionally, can hold us back. This is the films strength in that it tells this story. They can also remake us and this film fails in some respects to get this point across.

Watch….but be cautious!