Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Florence Foster Jenkins - 2016

Our next film is 2016's biopic "Florence Foster Jenkins", starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.  The film profiles society matron Florence Foster Jenkins as she embraces the operatic sphere.  Her voice is far from professional, yet people flock to her recitals.

The film's supporting cast includes Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda, Stanley Townsend, and Paola Dionisotti.

Society matron Florence Foster Jenkins is the founder of the Verdi Club, a musical society.  She delights in putting on various tableaux for the members, who are very enthusiastic in their praise for Florence and her efforts.  Florence's husband, St. Clair Bayfield, also gives recitations from Shakespeare during these evening events.

We learn, however, that Florence is a very sick woman.  She contracted syphilis from her first husband.  Any excitement and over-stimulation are threats to her life.

St. Clair has his own establishment elsewhere in New York City.  He also has a long term girlfriend named Kathleen.

But he's always there to support Florence.  The morning after her successful Verdi Club tableaux, she excitedly shares the glowing newspaper reviews with St. Clair.

During a concert at Carnegie Hall featuring Lily Pons, Florence is moved to tears by the beautiful music and she's inspired to resume her own singing career.

She auditions pianists and settles on quiet, young Cosme McMoon, who's playing style greatly appeals to her.  She warns Cosme in advance of her practicing habits.  "Now, I must warn you.  I work very hard.  I study an hour every day.  Sometimes two!"

Cosme gets quite the eye opening when Madam Florence begins to sing.  He later tells St. Clair, "Her vocal chords, they don't phonate freely.  Her phrasing is haphazard.  As for her sub-glottal pressure, it defies medical science."

The horrors continue for Cosme when he finds out that Madam Florence is actually planning a recital for the members of the Verdi Club.

St. Clair skillfully asks only newspapers that can guarantee positive reviews.

The ticket sales begin in earnest.  At a luncheon for the Verdi Club, Florence is concerned that they might run out of potato salad (a particular favorite of hers).

Upon investigation, St. Clair finds that they don't need to worry.  Florence's housekeeper is making a huge batch in the bathtub.

The night of the recital comes and Florence begins with "Adele's Laughing Song".

The range of appreciation from the audience is at polar opposites.  The tried and true members of the Verdi Club think she's wonderful.  Newer members to the group can't believe their ears.

At the end of the performance, cheers ring out and calls for an encore are made from the audience.

The whole experience causes Florence not to feel well and she has to be taken home and the doctor is sent for.  He advises rest and quiet.

But rest and quiet is the last thing on Florence's mind.  She drags Cosme to the recording studio so they can produce a record to give as a gift to the members of the Verdi Club.  The musical producer cannot believe what's happening as Florence turns it up to eleven.

With St. Clair gone for the weekend, Florence is restless at home.  She hears a mother on the radio whose son has gone missing in action in Germany.  She feels terrible and feels that she must do something to help the war effort.

She is galvanized into action.  Against the wishes of St. Clair (who cites concerns for her health), she books Carnegie Hall to give a performance with the proceeds going to the armed forces.  She also gives away a large number of tickets to servicemen.

The night of the performance arrives.  Things begin shakily when Cosme arrives very late.  It turns out he was jumped by some sailors.  "They were most disrespectful," he quivers.

The crowd inside is wide and varied.  Cole Porter and Tallulah Bankhead are among the celebrities who've come.  (In reality, Cole Porter was one of Florence's fans, and hardly missed one of her performances.)  The members of the Verdi Club are a bit out of their element when they witness the hijinks of some drunken servicemen and the rowdy crowd.

At the right moment, Florence makes her way to center stage and begins to sing.  The uninitiated to Florence's singing don't take to it kindly and begin to laugh wildly.

Florence is shocked at the behavior of the crowd and stops singing, anxiously looking at St. Clair for support.

She gets a huge shot in the arm from a most unexpected ally who gets the entire crowd up on their feet cheering for Florence.  She smiles, and, with new confidence, resumes the concert.

She finishes the night triumphantly with Mozart's "Queen of the Night's Aria".  Again, the audience leaps to their feet and applauds enthusiastically as Florence takes a bow.

Unfortunately, St. Clair wasn't able to get to all the newspaper reporters covering the event in time.  One slips out and writes a scathing review of Florence and her performance.

The strain of the review combined with the mental and physical exertion of the previous evening's concert causes Florence to collapse and hit her head.

St. Clair brings Florence home to die.  As she slips in and out of consciousness, she imagines herself singing a beautiful opera, "When I Have Sung My Songs To You".

After she finishes, Florence holds St. Clair's hand and takes her final bow as she passes away peacefully.  Her last words to St. Clair were "People may say I couldn't sing.  But no one can say I didn't sing."

Cast rundown:

   Meryl Streep....................................Florence Foster Jenkins

   Hugh Grant......................................St. Clair Bayfield

   Simon Helberg.................................Cosme McMoon

   Rebecca Ferguson.............................Kathleen

    Nina Arianda....................................Agnes Stark

   Stanley Townsend.............................Phineas Stark

   Paola Dionisotti.................................Baroness Le Feyre

And that's all for Florence Foster Jenkins.  The story of Madam Jenkins is based on true events.  She was a very musical child and once held a piano recital for President Rutherford B. Hayes at The White House.  It is not known if Florence was aware that she had great difficulty in holding rhythm and pitch.  She was very protective of her singing, refusing to open performances to the general public.  Many have surmised that her inability to sing correctly was because of the syphilis that so damaged her health.  Her final concert, held when she was 76 years old and a month before her death, was the first general admission performance she had ever done.  The demand was so great for tickets that 2,000 people were turned away from Carnegie Hall, which seats 2,800.

Whether or not she knew how she sounded, Florence left us with a number of recordings which allow us to listen to her unique voice today.

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