Friday, October 23, 2009

DVD Vault: Bye Bye Blues

A heart-warming tale everyone should see

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Films can just creep up and surprise you sometime. Not because you did not expect the film to be good. Rather it slams you with such an emotional response that leaves you questioning your life and what exactly you cherish in it. Anne Wheeler’s 1989 film, Bye Bye Blues left me doing just that.

Set in the early days of the Second World War, the tale begins with the Cooper family and the duress that besets them while they are living abroad in India. Daisy’s (Rebecca Jenkins) husband Teddy (Michael Ontkean) is transferred deeper into the war, so she must relocate back home to live with her mother and father in law on their farm in Canada. More specifically, a small town in Alberta, less than a days drive from Edmonton.

Anne Wheeler wrote, directed and produced this wonderfully looking film almost entirely in her home province of Alberta. She truly makes good use of the variety of seasons over the decade this story follows. A few shots evoke such beautiful imagery of the rolling hills that many people find boring.

Daisy is the main protagonist, although the film touches on the entire Cooper family and how they deal with the lack of information about the whereabouts of Teddy during the war, wondering if he is even still alive.

Rebecca Jenkins started off the film without much confidence. It really showed for the first set of scenes that she was not comfortable with the character yet. I was worried at this point that I was about to watch a train wreck after the opening scenes in India. It was the furthest thing from it though! As Jenkins settled into her role as Daisy and her new life, you really start to see her amazing acting ability shine. She also has a very talented voice that takes center stage quite a few times in the film.

As Daisy begins her journey with the realization that she may never see her husband again, she sets out to find work to provide better for her family. This brings Daisy into the hardships women endured back in the 1940s, but her persistence eventually lands her a well paying career in a local dance band. The subtext about her being the only woman in the band is continually in the background.

It is a about this time where Anne Wheeler’s screenplay starts to bring a unique love triangle into Daisy’s life. Fellow band member Max Gramley (Luke Reilly), the man with the mysterious past, begins to fall in love with her. How can he compete with a man who has been out of her life for years now and could possibly be dead? Max pushes Daisy about a relationship but never pushes very hard, just enough to get an honest response. At least until his next opportunity arises.

Somewhere after the band got together did I realize that Anne Wheeler has gotten me so emotionally invested into these characters that I did not want anything to change for them. Aside from Daisy and Teddy’s boy Richard, everyone was content with life and the way things were turning out.

So when the war ends, you can really witness how the demeanour of all the characters shifts. Not because anything has changed, but they know the change is already on the way. Still unsure if the change will be because Teddy will return home or they finally find out that he is deceased.

Teddy does make his way back home, causing some heart wrenching moments that would probably make me cry again and again when watching this film. This puts everyone’s life in a state of flux. We never find out if Teddy returning was good for the family or if his return slowly changed everything for the worse. The saddest part is, Teddy realizes this and really is not sure what to say to Daisy about it.

The music is also a great complement to this film, really helping to sell the time period. Sure you could tell from the visuals themselves but the use of the music really adds to the overall experience.

I saw this film outside on a blow up screen on a very nice evening. My lawn chair, thermos filled with hot chocolate and a friend (Emil!) were prepared to watch this free film, our expectations were not very high. I think we were both blown away by this film. Anne Wheeler made a film full of complexities that will last forever; so many filmmakers fail to achieve making a film of this calibre in their entire careers. I think she can say Bye Bye Blues will last the test of time.

4.5 out of 5

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