The Choral (12A)

About the show

Ralph Fiennes leads an excellent ensemble of new and established talent in this funny and moving First World War drama by beloved writer Alan Bennett. It’s 1916 and, as war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. With the annual performance looming, the society is forced to change its entry rules to recruit local young men to swell its ranks.

The choir must also engage a new chorus master, and despite suspicions that he has something to hide, the best bet seems to be Dr Henry Guthrie, driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. Filmed around Salt’s Mill in Saltaire, “a quiet and consistent pleasure: leaves us with a heartbeat of wit, poignancy and common sense”. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.

UK/USA 2025 113 mins Dir: Nicholas Hytner