Alan Bennett Returns with New Screenplay
Alan Bennett has returned with a new original screenplay, his first in more than four decades. The Choral, directed by Nicholas Hytner, reunites Bennett’s keen eye for character with a strong ensemble cast.
Cast and Setting
The film features Ralph Fiennes in a leading role, supported by Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, Simon Russell Beale, Thomas Howes, Lyndsey Marshal, Jacob Dudman and Amara Okereke. Together they bring a wide range of British stage and screen experience to the production.
Set in 1916, The Choral follows the small Yorkshire town of Ramsden as the First World War intensifies. With many of its young men sent to the Western Front, the town’s choral society struggles for male voices — even its finest tenor is absent, presumed killed in action.
Themes and Tone
Bennett’s script explores themes of resilience, recovery and reconciliation, tempered by his distinctive dry humour. A moment from the trailer captures that tone: when Fiennes’ character admits to being an atheist, another character replies, "There are atheists now. There's one in Bradford." It’s a line that ...