VERY ANNIE MARY

UK, 2001, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jonathan Pryce, Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys, Johann Griffyd.
Directed by Susan Sugarman.

Annie Mary lives with her baker father in a small town in a beautiful Welsh valley. At first appearance she appears extremely gawky, even mentally handicapped. What emerges is that she is emotionally handicapped. Everybody in the town knows that she won the Eistedfodd singing competition (with Pavarotti as one of the judges) when she was fifteen. But, that was the week her mother took ill and eventually died. Annie Mary was never able to take up her scholarship in Milan

What happened was that Annie Mary lost her singing voice. Her dominating father continually undermines her self-esteem by thoughtless and heartless put-down comments. Does he blame her for her mother's death? Yet, he depends on her rather terrible cooking, on her support when he sings in chapel. When he has a stroke, he becomes even more irritably dependent.

This makes the film sound more serious than it actually is. The village is a close-knit community and is full of eccentrics, so there are quite a lot of short, funny sequences as well. A young girl, Bethan Bevan, Annie Mary's best friend, is ill in bed, dying. The mayor's annual charity fund-raiser is designed to get enough money for Bethan to have a trip to Disneyland. Everybody is doing their bit with great gusto. Annie Mary eventually joins a group going to Cardiff to try to win 1000 pounds in a variety competition. They are doing a take on YMCA and the Village People (and finish up as the Three Tenors with a difference.)

Not all of the film works consistently. Annie Mary seems sometimes too fey and sometimes too wise. But, the important thing is that, despite her mistakes in taking over the bakery from her father and a huge error of judgment after the competition in Cardiff, we follow Annie Mary's difficulties and hope that, as Bethan Bevan urges her, she will find her voice again and rediscover her self-esteem.

Rachel Griffiths gives Annie Mary an odd charm as well as making her sometimes irritating, sometimes pitiable. Jonathan Pryce is her father, a baker with operatic skills, but too harsh on his daughter.

1. A quirky comedy? The Welsh setting and tone? The blend of the serious and comic?

2. The landscapes of Wales, the mountains and the valley, the village? Beauty? Quaintness? Authentic atmosphere?

3. The importance of music, as a theme? The opera excerpts, John Pugh and his advertising his bakery with opera? The musicals, the hymns, the Welsh songs? The Village People? Annie Get Your Gun? The final opera and Annie Mary singing?

4. The title, singling out Annie Mary? Her being the focus of the film? The eccentricities of Rachel Griffiths’ performance? Her appearance, her hair, clothes? Seemingly impaired? Emotionally stunted? The first meeting her, with her father? The story, her singing voice, her mother’s support – and the flashbacks of her mother? The competition, all the competitors, her winning and Pavarotti being a judge? Her mother going to hospital, dying? The father’s response? Did he blame Annie Mary for her mother’s death? Her reaction to her father’s selfishness, the gift of the cabbage for her birthday and that they would enjoy the meal? Her work, the bakery, confined? Dowdy clothing? Wearing her grandmother’s dress to the socials? Her father rebuking her? Playing the organ for him, assisting him with his singing? Her friendship with Bethan Bevan, Bethan’s illness, her visits, the prospect of the trip to Disneyland? Raising the money? Her romantic infatuation with Colin, her imagination, discussion with him, his being a Baptist missionary? The man at the cemetery and their encounters? Her friendship with Hob and Nob? The women of the village? As customers, their singing, her helping them out, training them with the Village People songs? The minister and his friendship with her father – and her rebuking him when he didn’t come to visit her father after his stroke? Hob and Nob and the rehearsals from (*of?) ‘You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun’? Her own voice, not singing well? The discussions with Bethan – and the going to Cardiff for the eisteddfod? The group as The Village People and finding the other group? The alternate act, the balloon, her flying over the audience – everyone laughing? Their winning? Her rashness in placing the bet, the Grand National and losing everything? The disgrace in the bus, everyone against her, Hob and Nob refusing to serve her? Her father and his stroke, her caring for him, carrying him? The widow and her attentions, wanting to buy out the share of the bakery, her reaction? Her telling her father off? Her visits to the cemetery, memories of her mother? Looking at the house and wanting to buy it? Her going to see Bethan Bevan, apologising for losing the money? Bethan forgiving her? Bethan’s death, her having sung to Bethan properly, singing at the funeral? The final joy in the hall and everybody joining in? A life for Annie Mary – and especially seeing the new house?

5. John Pugh, the strength of Jonathan Pryce’s performance, the initial singing, the mask, Pavarotti? The baker, his skills, selling the bread? His meanness in not allowing Annie Mary to give away a loaf to the woman without the money? His selfishness, her birthday? Appearing in public, his singing ‘Kathleen’? His forbidding Annie Mary to sing? The attentions of the widow? The suddenness of the stroke, Annie Mary carrying him, caring for him? The widow – and the sexual attraction? Annie Mary’s confrontation, her father supporting her? The funeral?

6. Bethan Bevan, her illness, talking to Annie Mary, sharing with her? The hopes for the visit to Disneyland? Being in remission? Her reaction to the gambled money? Telling Annie Mary that she heard she was funny? The forgiveness? Annie Mary singing? Her death? The parents and their appreciation of Annie Mary’s singing?

7. Hob and Nob, their shop, their relationship? Their manner? Gossip, singing from Annie Get Your Gun? Their turning against Annie Mary? Their joining in joyfully at the end? The gay couple in a village?

8. The ladies, coming to the shop to buy bread, rehearsing their songs, the Village People, going to Cardiff, the performance? Tough aspects of their life?

9. The minister, church, chapel, interest in money, John singing? His not visiting when John was sick?

10. The mayor, his town, the charity, the raising money for Bethan Bevan?

11. The visit to Cardiff, the enjoyment, the performance?

12. The humane touches – and the blend of the serious and comic?