The Ballad of Wallis Island (#677)


I spent the Easter weekend with my daughter Tracey in Virginia, and we walked to her local theater where we saw a movie she had selected. It was a very good, very unusual and very entertaining film entitled THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND. Wallis Island, as near as we could figure, was off the coast of England, Ireland or Scotland, and its almost only resident is an eccentric man who won the lottery twice and could thereby afford  to pay a once popular vocal group to come to put on a concert just for him on the beach. Herbert, the lead, who is given $500,000 when he arrives to this bizarre situation not aware that Charles, the eccentric, has also invited his onetime bandmate, who was also his lover. It was funny and poignant and more sad than happy, and the music was interesting and not at all familiar to me. But the actors, including the always reliable and accomplished Carey Mulligan, and characters they played were depicted in a good way. The one hour and 40 minute film was enjoyable and entertaining throughout and deserved the thumbs up by 97% of critics, 92% of audiences, and 100% of my daughter and me. Hope you're able to find it at your local theater.   

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