Director: Wayne Blair
Starring: Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell
Running Time: 103 minutes
Certificate: PG
Extras: Making Of, Character Profiles, Interview with the original Sapphires and Featurette: Shooting in Vietnam
THE SAPPHIRES follows a group of Koori women as they embark on a tour to entertain the troops in Vietnam. Looking at the highs and lows of life on a war-torn road, including fame, it also looks at how the group deal with love, hope, and racism in the late 1960s.
As a musical THE SAPPHIRES offers little originality, but the stories heart will please the feel good movie goer and film buff a like. Writer Tony Briggs has taken the story of his mother and aunt and created something that truly captures the soul of the era.
Proving his acting chops, Chris O’Dowd is great as Dave Lovelace, an alcoholic musician who sees his opportunity when the girls audition at a talent show he emcees in. But his performance is made even greater with the support of Deborah Mailman, who plays ‘Mama Bear’ of the group Gail. The on-screen relationship between O’Dowd and Mailman is one you truly root for.
But it is the musical performances that win you over in the end: Jessica Mauboy’s stripped down performance of Who’s Loving You is a scene-stealing moment, made more enjoyable as the rest of the group try to figure out dance routines. With other great musical moments including their version of Land Of A Thousand Dances.
It may follow every musical cliché but sometimes that’s all you need. So sit down, strap a smile on your face and we promise you’ll be tapping your toes soon enough.
DVD Extras: Great extras for the film buffs out there, with an interesting featurette of them filming in Vietnam. Also look at for the great interview with the original Sapphires, you will definitely see why the story was made.
THE SAPPHIRES is released on DVD and Blu-ray March 4th
