The Ballad Of Wallis Island Blu-ray Review
“The Ballad Of Wallis Island” wins you over in the end.
Based on a comedy short titled “The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island” and written by Tom Basden and Tim Key, “The Ballad Of Wallis Island” is a British comedy-drama film. The story takes place on the titular island where a lonely retired widower (Charles) resides. Charles is attempting to make a dream come true by paying for musician Herb McGwyer (formerly of folk duo McGwyer Mortimer) to play a private concert. Herb has gone on to a solo career while Nell Mortimer has since retired from music. The two were also once lovers. Unbeknownst to Herb, Charles has also invited Nell to the island for a McGwyer Mortimer reunion. While super fan Charles is excited to hear the folk duo play again, old wounds may resurface for both Herb and Nell. Can they play together? Can they get along? Will this entire trip be more life changing than anyone expected? Elsewhere in the story is a pivotal storyline involving a romance brewing between Charles and Wallis Island shop owner Amanda.
“The Ballad Of Wallis Island” is the type of movie that starts off a bit shaky. You’re wondering if this quaint little comedy could get grating real fast especially with the eccentric talkative loner character Charles rambling on and on. Slowly, but surely though the James Grffith directed film starts winning you over. Not only does the story dig into the characters to unveil more layers, but the story also starts pulling at your heart strings in surprising ways. Yes, that is cryptic, but some plot elements should not be revealed. Part of the magic of this movie is seeing how it all unfolds and how the character’s lives change over the course of this experience. It’s really quite a rewarding, funny, and emotional character piece about music, love, the past and moving forward in life.
A movie is only as good as its cast and thankfully the performances here are top notch. The always fantastic Carey Mulligan is as great as ever in the role of Nell. You can’t imagine anyone other than Tim Key as Charles. He embodies the character completely. Tom Basden perhaps underplays Herb, but it works. The contrast between him and Charles definitely adds to the story and the comedy.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? This hi-def picture quality is surprisingly stunning. The location shooting and the image quality will leave you breathless.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? From the dialogue to the music, the 5.1 track is sharp.
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