Once (WS)

Movie / Show Details

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Winner of the World Audience Award at Sundance, Once starts out as a small-scale romance, like Before Sunrise, before arriving somewhere unexpected. An Irish busker (Glen Hansard, the Frames and The Commitments) meets a Czech flower seller (Markéta Irglová) while singing on the streets of Dublin. (In the credits, they’re listed as Guy and Girl.) She likes what she hears and lets him know. Turns out she’s a musician, too. They work on a few songs together and a friendship is forged. She lives with her widowed mother, who doesn’t speak English. He lives with his widowed father, who owns a repair shop. Since he broke up with his girlfriend, the guy has been drifting, unable and unwilling to get his life in order. The girl encourages him to pursue a record deal, and the guy emerges from his funk. Then he makes a move on the girl, who rejects his advances. He’s confused, but as he comes to find, there’s a reason she’s keeping her distance. Though Once is filled with appealing folk-pop by Hansard and Irglová (released on CD as The Swell Season), the movie isn’t a traditional musical, but rather a more optimistic Brief Encounter. Filmmaker John Carney, Hansard’s former bandmate, captures the real city–in all its affluence and poverty–rather than the picture postcard version. His beautifully shot film serves as a heartfelt ballad about all the underclass Guys and Girls swept aside amidst Ireland’s economic miracle. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

Beyond Once on DVD
Musicals on DVD
Once: The Soundtrack
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Product Description

The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy, a street musician who is playing for change when he meets the girl (Marketa Irglova), an immigrant from the Czech Republic. The pair immediately bond over their shared love of music (he is a guitarist, and she plays the piano), and the film chronicles their tentative relationship. Director John Carney Star Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova Special Features: Audio: Stereo – English, Spanish Subtitles – English, French, Spanish Optional Additional Release Materials: Audio Commentary – John Carney Director; Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova – Stars Featurettes – 1. Making a Modern Day Musical Trailers Runtime: 86 minutes Year of Release: 2007