Length: 06:56
Logline: A wife suspects her husband after finding a chipped vase.
This was commissioned by the Beeb as part of their new drama shorts scheme but for obvious reasons I've classified this as a comedy. It's a bit of a one trick pony but is complex enough to work on several levels. The story is a simple one. A wife questions her husband after finding a chipped vase. The trick is that a jazz track - Rex Stewarts 'Conversation Piece' from 1966 is played over all dialogue which is lip synced to Stewarts improvised cornet playing giving a comical and emotional layer to the visuals.
Of the two characters, Maurice, played by familiar face John Henshaw, and wife Jean, played by equally familiar Celia Imrie, neither seems to take president over the other so it was hard to evaluate just who's story this was. Jean leaves us with a wry smile at the end as though she's won some small victory so it could be hers. Henshaw sticks to his characteristic facial expressions while Imrie speeds through a wide range of emotions in each of their portrayals. Tunmer has cleverly written the script and timed the action perfectly so as to let Stewarts high and low tonal trumpeting give Maurice and Jean distinct and fitting "voices". Without knowing what exactly is being said, the audience is left to fill in the blanks on their own and the soundtrack is a smart way of guiding them.
It goes without saying that this is a high quality production. The limited size of the location isn't a problem as there is plenty of camera movement, playing with focus and enough shots to keep the edit quick and visually interesting. Added points for the nice way the track is repeated which both concluded the plot as well as providing audio for the end credits. The ticking clock during the non-soundtrack parts was also a good little way of keeping tempo and pace in a subtle way.
Official website for the film is found here.
Best Bit: The moment the first lip syncs to squawky cornet.
Worst Bit: I kind of wanted to know what they were saying. (You can read the script on the website, yay)
Final thought: Try watching it with the sound off.
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
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