Paradise Road

Year: 1997
Cast: Glenn Close, Frances McDormand, Julianna Margulies, Pauline Collins, Jennifer Ehle, Elizabeth Spriggs, Tessa Humphries, Sab Shimono, Cate Blanchett, Wendy Hughes, Johanna Ter Steege, Pamela Rabe, Clyde Kusatsu, Stan(ford) Egi, Susie Porter, Lisa Hensley, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Pauline Chan
Directed By: Bruce Beresford

Fleeing Singapore during WWII, a group of British, American, and Australian women straggle to the shore of Sumatra after their ship is bombed, where they're taken prisoner by the Japanese. Headed by Close, the prisoners form a vocal ensemble that crosses their collective national differences and attempts to lift the spirits of the brutalized women. Familiar ground is trod in this prisoner-of-war saga, but the music is genuinely moving, and excellent performances from the cast help sustain interest. The symphonic choral pieces were taken from actual sheet music used by a similar group of real-life WWII prisoners.

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