We really enjoyed this film about the composer Peter Warlock. The overall atmosphere of the film was well established and the 1930's feeling of smoggy London was not too over the top. Best of all was the acting by both the main players in this film. The transformations between the characters was well done and not knowing the real story of Warlock, he must have been really freaky. We would recommend this film.
10 Reviews
Under-rated dark psychodrama from London.
=G=26 August 2001
"Voices...", a brooding dark psychodrama set in London in 1930, tells of a feud between a music critic and a reclusive composer which turns violent and the girl/lover caught in the middle. This fat, sumptuous, sepia toned, and sometimes tedious psychodrama features fine performances by the two principals (Northam & Bergen), excellent musical scores both foreground and background, and is much underrated and underhyped.
VIEWER ADVISORY: The less read about this film prior to viewing the better. I read one user comment on IMDB.com which spoiled both the "hook" in the middle and the finale.
VIEWER ADVISORY: The less read about this film prior to viewing the better. I read one user comment on IMDB.com which spoiled both the "hook" in the middle and the finale.
Fascinating story but almost all untrue
Dick-10810 June 2000
After seeing on video this extraordinary schizo biopic I accessed the Peter Warlock home page and found that except for his death by "gas poisoning" (which was not declared to be suicide) there is very little truth in the film. Including the music. Only one song in the film was actually written by Warlock - the rest of Warlock's music was written for the film. There was no secret of Warlock's identity and he apparently he did not review his own music. But there is a splendid performance by Jeremy Northam and the sets and costumes are great. Just don't believe the story.
A Decent, Interesting Film!
Sylviastel5 March 2009
I never heard of Peter Warlock or Philip Heseltine but Jeremy Northam is a terrific actor. The script needs work but the film is a decent look at two personalities as different as Jekyll and Hyde. Warlock is a genius composer while Heseltine is a troubled music critic for the paper. In this film, there is a love story and the actress who plays his love interest does a memorable job in the role. The story is set before 1930 in England. The film tries to explain the sad life and madness that destroys the genius behind Warlock's brilliance. The love interest is the only one who seems genuinely concerned for his well-being while other characters seem to encourage his madness to produce genius. Sadly, his behavior is self-destructive to say the least.
Stretching the truth
LCShackley11 December 2004
I've been a fan of early 20th century British music for years, have many recordings of Peter Warlock's works, and have read about Philip Heseltine <no spoilers>. I have NEVER come across any reference to the convoluted plot twists that the movie purports are part of his life story. A drunkard, yes, but a psychotic? Hmmm. Good performances, tho, and perhaps the BEST performance is by Sylvia McNair, whose golden voice graces most of the pop and classical pieces in the soundtrack. (One good Warlock story...he wrote one of his most famous Christmas carols along with a poet friend, and sold it to a newspaper in order to have enough money to get drunk on Christmas.)
A story with much depth and acted very well
dwpollar23 March 2001
Warning: Spoilers
1st watched 9/29/2000 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Malcolm Clarke): Well-done portrayal of a man who did not know how to appreciate his artistic side and therefore became a split personality(one artistic, one very critical of his split's artistic compositions). A story with much depth and acted very well.
Fact and fiction
hof-424 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Fact: Philip Arnold Heseltine (1894 - 1930) was born in London. In February 1915 he secured a job as a music critic for the Daily Mail but resigned in June frustrated by the heavy editing of his reviews. He continued to write music criticism and to lecture on music for the rest of his life. In 1918 he started composing under the musical nom de plume of Peter Warlock. Of course, the true identity of Warlock was no mystery for anybody in the classical music scene. He interacted, as critic and composer with members of te British music establishment such as Frederick Delius and his works are occasionally revived in classical radio/stream stations; some can be found in Spotify. There is no evidence he wrote criticism of his own music.
Fiction (as per this movie). Heseltine was a certifiable lunatic with split personality, the two halves being Heseltine and Warlock. As Heseltine he writes poisonous reviews (bordering on libel) of Warlock's music. The hate reviews are fancifully attributed to a violent childhood incident involving Heseltine's father burning his piano in front of him (!). The inconvenient fact that the two halves look the same is solved by making Warlock a recluse (!).
I found this movie objectionable. It attempts to pass as fact what is only fiction, and gives a demeaning, biased portrait of a person that actually existed, a portrait that may be taken by a casual viewer as fact (there is no warning or explanation at the end). For a less feverish view of the composer watch the TV film Peter Warlock: Some Little Joy (2005).
Fiction (as per this movie). Heseltine was a certifiable lunatic with split personality, the two halves being Heseltine and Warlock. As Heseltine he writes poisonous reviews (bordering on libel) of Warlock's music. The hate reviews are fancifully attributed to a violent childhood incident involving Heseltine's father burning his piano in front of him (!). The inconvenient fact that the two halves look the same is solved by making Warlock a recluse (!).
I found this movie objectionable. It attempts to pass as fact what is only fiction, and gives a demeaning, biased portrait of a person that actually existed, a portrait that may be taken by a casual viewer as fact (there is no warning or explanation at the end). For a less feverish view of the composer watch the TV film Peter Warlock: Some Little Joy (2005).
accurate or not, this film is hot!
gotfong10 September 2006
Jeremy Northam is unbelievably BELIEVABLE in this film (as usual). Truly an under-used actor considering his remarkable ability to "become" his character. (Granted, he tends to play similar characters over again, but why stop when you're on a roll--or role?) I've read much about the film's historical inaccuracies, and while that may be, people still also rent "Immortal Beloved" which is similarly inaccurate but a well-made film nonetheless. Northam is on the same pedestal occupied in my mind by Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. They are incredibly REAL in their portrayals--you'd believe anything they tell you regardless of how bizarre because they come across as genuine. Aside from one corny sequence in this film (a recollection that includes a flaming piano--no kidding, it's terribly done), the film is engaging and well-shot. (For real Northam lovers, there's also some ultra-high-quality butt...and then some...footage. He's a sex God.) Whoof! Apart from that, still a well-made, enjoyable film. (But especially BECAUSE of that.)
favorable/neutral
cindy-5628 July 2000
I'm surprised to see this listed as a 1995 movie, because it's a "new release" in the video stores and the film's case has a date of 1999. I agree with Dick 108's review heartily. The acting is very good, and the story is interesting. Like Dick, I was intrigued and researched, on the 'Net, Peter Warlock, and found the the movie seems far from the truth. It may have been based on a book or article by one of Heseltine's friends, a Mr. Gray. More I won't say, because I don't want to spoil things for someone reading this before seeing the movie. The actor, Jeremy Northam, looks exactly like him.
I thought he was just a pretty face.
Mag-137 July 1999
Warning: Spoilers
The film wasn't true to Peter Warlock's life, and the viewer was keenly aware someone was trying to pull the wool over your eyes. But Northam as Warlock, and later as Heseldine starts to go crazy. He was FANtastic. I didn't know the guy could act. I thought he was just a pretty face.
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