Matthew Carter

(2012-04-27 23:43:09)

If you get the opportunity to see this film, it is really worthwhile.

I saw this film in 1983 just after it had been made. I saw it atCardiff Art School which is the same college Chris Monger studied at.It's an atmospheric film shot in 16mm and my memory of it is that itwas Chris Monger's first film after leaving college and as such it's agreat movie. Unfortunately my memory of the plot is not too good, but Ican say that the character of 'Fats' Bannerman played by Ian McNeicehas stuck in my memory strongly. Bannerman is a radio host/VO artistand is played really competently. The viewer is drawn into that worldof late night broadcasting. He has gone on since Voice Over to play awhole heap of other roles in successful films including Chris Monger'smost famous film 'The Englishman Who Went up a Hill and Came Down aMountain'

Dan Carbone

(2012-04-19 04:18:47)

A Forgotten Masterpiece

"Voice Over" is one of the great lost independent films of the 8o's.And believe me, there weren't many great films in that dull, flat-linedecade. The film delves into the mind of a radio DJ in Wales who hasgained a cult following through his dramatic readings. His life isslowly unraveling when he discovers a severely beaten woman on the sideof a road. He takes her into his flat and cleans and dresses her. Akind of primitive consciousness takes hold of the man and pulls himshaking and stuttering into a deep, murky excursion down the rabbithole to a place somewhere between Cocteau and Polanski. On a largerscale, the film's main themes are a meditation on the shattering,fragmented remnants of communication in modern society, the inabilityto find love, and a desperation and loneliness that culminate in afinal flailing struggle to justify one's existence in a stark, desolatelandscape. The only other closest parallel I can think of to this filmis the music of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. "Voice Over" is a sort-ofvisual equivalent to whatever gray mist Curtis was motoring through,whilst not too far away (roughly at the exact same time) directorChristopher Monger was creating his own dark song. The tragedy here isthat while Curtis' work eventually found a wider audience, Monger'swork remains hidden away, probably buried under some old clothes in thefilmmaker's closet. "Voice Over" was originally shot in 16mm and at the time that accountedfor one of the main reasons it was seen by relatively few people. Asfar as I know, in the States, it only played at the Bleeker StreetCinema in NYC in the 1983 which is where I saw it. Janet Maslin wrotean almost criminally moronic review in the New York Times, which gaveaway the film's entire plot. While totally concentrating on it's moresensational aspects, Maslin somehow managed to miss the central pointof the film as well as glossing over its deeply profound originality.Film critics have no idea the damage they cause by trashing work beyondtheir limited view. Critics are not artists and many times they simplylack the ability to comment on or appreciate unusual works. I don'tremember entirely how it was received in Europe, but I seem to remembera depressed Monger at the time, stating that some sort of controversydogged it wherever it was presented. This was actually a sign of thefilms greatness! Sometimes people's first reaction to works ofstartling invention is to slam the work and wipe it out without seekingto explore the unconscious part of them the work has tapped into. Inthis case, a great work of art was literally buried. It will perhapsone day be discovered for the treasure it is. I suspect it hasn't datedin all these years and may now be more relevant than ever. With the advent of DVD there is no excuse for this film to remainunseen. I know hardly anyone will probably read this review, but if byaccident any independent DVD distributors stumble on these wordslooking for a lost gem, seek and ye shall find many rewards within.

fmaudio

(2012-04-18 21:53:53)

Efforts for re-releasing Voice Over

As Mr. Matthew Carter says, it's a fine film, and everybody isencouraged to help promoting the re-release of this film.Bannerman is a successful radio host reading his own romance novellasover the wireless. One day, he encounters a young girl who has beenexposed to a major trauma; perhaps she has been ravished. She showssevere signs of post-traumatic stress, is virtually non-communicativeand traumatized to the point of outward apathy.Bannerman's encounter with her stirs many of his emotions; fromfatherly consideration to erotic (re-?)awakening. Suddenly heexperiences life in its reality, no longer left only to his owndevices, and no longer content with the made-up lives of his romancenovella characters.Unfortunately both for the girl he's nursing and for himself, hespirals to the pit of his own damaged soul, initially most notablyapparent in his changing the style of his novellas, a change not wellreceived by the public or his employers.I've been looking for Voice Over since 1983. I've tried to contact Mr.Monger. I've pointed high-quality re-releasing DVD companies to thisgem. No success anywhere. Voice Over deserves a better fate. Sorry tosay, perhaps, it's Chris Monger's very best film, his latter effortsnever nearly as concentrated, haunting and memorable. Whether VoiceOver will or will not be re-released, I will live with it for the restof my life.