Distant Voices, Still Lives

"In memory, everything happens to music."

1988 1h 24m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 138

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.

“In memory, everything happens to music.”

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Cast

Freda Dowie
Mother
Pete Postlethwaite
Father
Angela Walsh
Eileen
Lorraine Ashbourne
Maisie
Dean Williams
Tony
Sally Davies
Eileen as a child
Susan Flanagan
Maisie as a child
Nathan Walsh
Tony as a child

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terence Davies
Writers: Terence Davies
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Terence Davies, shot by William Diver. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Diver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Freda Dowie and Pete Postlethwaite and Angela Walsh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In memory, everything happens to music.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0095037 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terence Davies directs. William Diver behind the camera. William Diver cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Germany.
4Directed by Terence Davies, shot by William Diver. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor William Diver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Freda Dowie and Pete Postlethwaite and Angela Walsh carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "In memory, everything happens to music.".
8IMDB entry: tt0095037 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: William Diver
Editing: William Diver
Costume design: Monica Howe
Makeup / hair: Jan Archibald
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Status: Released
Box office: $771,745
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

Awards

Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film
Golden Leopard

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Terence Davies

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-09-05
★ 7/10
This film is a little like an LP. It has two distinct sides. One "Distant Voices" focuses on just what makes the father of a small family tick. Two - "Still Lives" dwells more on the lives of the children. Unlike on the vinyl though, once we are on that side of the record there are no tracks. The story flits about with a non-consistent chronology to bring us the happy, the sad, the brutal and the gentle and it really does showcase well the acting talents of Pete Postlethwaite as the father. A man of the times, who treats women with scant regard. Not, perhaps, because he is inherently cruel or nasty, but because he knows no better? Even his wife (a strong, if sparing, contribution from Freda Dowie) has to tread on eggshells much of the time. There are three children - "Eileen" (Angela Walsh); "Maisie" (Lorraine Ashbourne) and "Tony" (Dean Williams) and their lives, loves and wartime experiences feature potently in the second stage of this drama that tells us much about the societal influences - and expectations - of families, of men, of soldiers and it's quite thought-provoking. It's about love, too, but not in much of a sentimental manner. Relationships have to have a gritty, pragmatic, aspect to them - and it falls to the youngsters to try and change these entrenchments from varying degrees of success and happiness themselves. There is very little dialogue, here. Most of the narrative relies on the glorious photography and the use of contemporaneous songs from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mercer and some beautifully performed choral works that prove to be truly effective at setting and maintaining a sense of the struggles and joys of this working-class, sometimes unpromising, existence. It's certainly well worth a watch - a few times, I'd say.

Production companies