Allelujah (film)

Last updated
Allelujah
Allelujah poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Eyre
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBen Smithard
Edited byJohn Wilson
Music by George Fenton
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 11 September 2022 (2022-09-11)(TIFF)
  • 17 March 2023 (2023-03-17)(United Kingdom)
Running time
99 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Allelujah is a 2022 British drama film directed by Richard Eyre and written by Heidi Thomas. It is based on Alan Bennett's play of the same name. The film stars Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill, Russell Tovey, David Bradley, Derek Jacobi, and Judi Dench.

Contents

Allelujah had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2022, and was released in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Plot

The Bethlehem hospital, nicknamed "the Beth" by locals, staff and residents, is a small geriatric hospital in the city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, being threatened with closure due to funding cuts to the NHS. Among the staff that work there are a doctor known simply as Dr. Valentine, and head nurse Sister Alma Gilpin, who is to be honoured for her services to the Beth with a concert and the presentation of a medal.

A filming crew from a local television programme called Pennine People is invited to the Beth to document a volunteer-led effort to save it from closure, during which time they also interview the Chairman of the Board and some of the residents. At the same time, Colin Colman, a consultant to the Health Secretary, arrives at the Beth, whose closure he had advised, to visit his father Joe and assess the hospital. One of the residents, Mary Moss, is discouraged from being interviewed on-camera by the television crew, but Valentine gives her an iPad and encourages her to document her day-to-day experiences.

A frail incontinent woman named Mrs. Maudsley is admitted to the Beth and initially looked after by Valentine, but tended to by Alma the following night. She is found dead the next morning, and the Beth is threatened with legal action by her daughter and son-in-law, who were due to inherit her home only three months later. During this time, the Beth takes on a work experience student, Andy, and Colin reconnects with his estranged father, the two contemplating Joe's attempts to politically indoctrinate his son. Realising the Beth's importance to not only his father but also the local community, Colin returns to London and passionately defends it in a meeting, storming out after his pleas are ignored by the others present.

That night, Andy fails to act in enough time to prevent Joe from soiling himself in his bed. He is tended to by Alma, who makes a reference to his being on "the list". Afraid of what this might mean, Joe calls Colin and confides this fear in him. The next morning, Andy arrives at the Beth with a pack of cigarettes that Joe had requested he get, but finds Joe dead in his bed. The ceremony to honour Alma is due to occur that day; before it starts, Mary takes Valentine to one side and shows him a video she took of Alma tending to Mrs. Maudsley. Valentine deduces that Alma has been poisoning the most frail residents by lacing their night-time cups of warm milk with morphine. He alerts the Chairman of the Board to this during the ceremony. Alma is jailed for life, and the Beth is closed, with its residents being moved to various other facilities.

In an epilogue, Valentine is shown working in an intensive care unit at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he encounters Ambrose, one of the Beth's former residents, who dies holding his hand. An exhausted, enraged Valentine leaves the hospital and breaks the fourth wall with an impassioned monologue in defence of the NHS. [2]

Cast

Production

In October 2021, it was announced that Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill, Russell Tovey, and David Bradley had joined the cast of the film, [5] and principal photography began later that month. [6] [7]

Release

Allelujah had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. [8] The film was released on 17 March 2023 by Pathé in France and Switzerland and in the United Kingdom through Warner Bros. Pictures. [9]

Critical reception

The film has received a polarised response from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 39% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career that spans seven decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and seven Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Branagh</span> British actor and filmmaker (born 1960)

Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. His accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Olivier Award. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours, and was given Freedom of the City in his native Belfast in 2018. In 2020, he was ranked in 20th place on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal National Theatre</span> Theatre in London, England

The National Theatre, officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England. The NT was founded by the actor Laurence Olivier in 1963, and many well-known actors have performed with it since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Jacobi</span> English actor (born 1938)

Sir Derek George Jacobi is an English actor. He is known for his work at the Royal National Theatre and for his film and television roles. He has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. He was given a knighthood for his services to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.

Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Eyre has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for six BAFTA Awards and two Tony Awards. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 News Year Honours, and knighted in the 1997 New Year Honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bradley (English actor)</span> English actor (born 1942)

David John Bradley is an English actor. He is best known for his screen roles including Argus Filch in the Harry Potter film series, Walder Frey in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, and Abraham Setrakian in the FX horror series The Strain.

The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Castin a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. It is the final award presented during the ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Tovey</span> English actor (born 1981)

Russell George Tovey is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama Being Human, Rudge in both the stage and film versions of The History Boys, Steve in the BBC Three sitcom Him & Her, Kevin Matheson in the HBO original series Looking and its subsequent series finale television film Looking: The Movie, and Patrick Read in American Horror Story: NYC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Thomas</span> English screenwriter and playwright

Heidi Thomas is an English screenwriter and playwright.

Nobby Clark is an English photographer of theatre, opera, dance and live classical and contemporary music performance.

<i>My Week with Marilyn</i> 2011 film directed by Simon Curtis

My Week with Marilyn is a 2011 biographical drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh). The film concerns the week during the shooting of the film when Monroe was escorted around London by Clark (Redmayne), after her husband Arthur Miller had returned to the United States.

<i>Four in the Morning</i> (1965 film) 1965 British film by Anthony Simmons

Four in the Morning is a 1965 British film directed and written by Anthony Simmons and starring Judi Dench, Ann Lynn, Brian Phelan and Norman Rodway. The score is by John Barry.

<i>Ordinary Lies</i> 2015 British TV series or programme

Ordinary Lies is a British television drama series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 March 2015. The six-part first series, written by Danny Brocklehurst, is set in a car showroom. The second, also in six-parts, is set in the warehouse of a sports goods company based in Wales. The series executive producer is Nicola Shindler. The series was commissioned by Charlotte Moore for the BBC. In Australia, the series premiered on BBC First from 25 July 2015.

The Vote is a 2015 play by British playwright James Graham. The play received its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse as part of their spring 2015 season, where it ran from 24 April to 7 May 2015. Directed by Josie Rourke and set in a fictitious London polling station on election night 2015, the play was broadcast live on UK television channel More4 on the night of the election.

<i>Victoria & Abdul</i> 2017 film by Stephen Frears

Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 British biographical historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.

Louis George Ashbourne Serkis is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Alex in the 2019 fantasy adventure film The Kid Who Would Be King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Davies</span> English actress

Eileen Davies is an English actress, nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Film Awards 2012 for her performance in the film Sightseers, her roles have included “Flora McArdle” in the TV serial Coronation Street and as Joan Murfield in EastEnders and Molly in Allelujah (2022).

Allelujah! is a play by British playwright Alan Bennett.

<i>National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage</i> 2013 documentary directed by Nicholas Hytner

National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage is a 2013 live staged event film directed by Nicholas Hytner. Shown in theatres and on PBS and National Theatre Live. The program is presented by The Royal National Theatre which celebrates 50 years of theatre, with some extracts of the best productions from the last five decades including Alan Bennett, Noël Coward, David Hare, Tony Kushner, Eugene O'Neill, Harold Pinter, William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, and Tennessee Williams performed by the countries best performers including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Penelope Wilton, Simon Russell Beale, Frances de la Tour, Ian Holm, Derek Jacobi, and Joan Plowright.

Bally Gill is a British actor. He won the 2018 Ian Charleson Award for his performance as Romeo in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Romeo and Juliet. Best known for his role as Neel Fisher in BBC drama Sherwood, he has also appeared as Agent Singh in Slow Horses, in the ITV crime series Manhunt, the BBC medical comedy-drama This Is Going to Hurt as well as AMC's Interview with the Vampire He made his film debut in the adaptation of the Alan Bennett play Allelujah in the role of Dr Valentine.

References

  1. ↑ "Allelujah (12A)". BBFC . Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "first Look Images for Allelujah Starring Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders". thepeoplesmovies.com. 5 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Jessica Baglow - Allelujah". jessicacarneyassociates.co.uk. 11 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Eileen Davies Feature Film". spotlight.com. 2022.
  5. ↑ "Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill, Russell Tovey and more to star in Alan Bennett's Allelujah film". 25 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Alan Bennett adaptation 'Allelujah', starring Judi Dench, kicks off UK shoot for Pathe". 25 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "'Dynasty' Actor To Play Joe Biden; Sci-Fi 'Sentinel' Wraps In Estonia; 'Allelujah' Underway In UK; 'The Six' Gets UK Cinema Run – Global Briefs". 26 October 2021.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Sharp, Marie (28 July 2022). "Stephen Frears, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence films among Toronto galas, special presentations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Crowds Throng U.K.-Wide BFI London Film Festival – Global Bulletin". 25 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Allejuah - Rotten Tomatoes
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.