The Choral

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The Choral

R

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1h 48m

History

Drama

Music

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62%

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58 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

1916. As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral's ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) -- driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together.

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Critics Consensus

Despite sharp dialogue and a stellar turn from Ralph Fiennes, The Choral struggles to harmonize its numerous characters and themes, resulting in a well-meaning but emotionally scattered drama.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

1h

2/4

The Choral has top-tier production values to its credit, but it all seems cobbled together from other oft-told stories. In the end, it should have taken a cue from Guthrie’s tinkering about with dated material and punched it up a bit more.

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

6h

A moving account of music as a way of coping with war, as well as keeping it at bay.

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Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

7h

A typical provincial British tale about everyday Englishmen and women banding together to accomplish a controversial task against long odds, it’s akin to a warm glass of milk.

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

23m

B

Despite a general lack of electricity, "The Choral" is well-made and compellingly acted, periodically dipping into interesting areas of longing and loss while it tries to deliver reliable storytelling.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

41m

Dull and superficial, The Choral is a series of anecdotal scenes instead of a cohesive story about a revamped choir in 1916 England. This drama has underdeveloped characters with cliché and cardboard personalities.

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Edward Douglas

The Weekend Warrior (Substack)

6h

7/10

Perfectly pleasant if somewhat imperfect, The Choral is a fine time at the movies, allowing people to appreciate how one community comes together to fight against adversity.

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Darren N

@Darren74 Nov 8

Brilliant movie with great acting and music throughout. It manages to touch upon (although perhaps not as deeply as it might) the social issues of the time and is strangely moving as a result. A definite must see.

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Oli F

@Olifawcett Nov 7

The film was ok, the script fresh and performances was delivered reasonably well. However, there it not memorable or outstanding.

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Dan B

Nov 7

A good film. An interesting story, based on a real life choir. Ralph Fiennes is always brilliant and the cast all played their parts well. It did bring the sacrifices of war home to me. The young lives lost and injured. Not a criticism, but the music, although very good, was not to my taste. Had I liked the music it would have been a higher rating.

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Nicholas Hytner

Director

Ralph Fiennes

Actor

Roger Allam

Actor

Amara Okereke

Actor

Simon Russell Beale

Actor

Thomas Howes

Actor

The Choral: Exclusive Movie Clip - Not Bad

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The Choral: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

1916. As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral's ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) -- driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together.

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Producer: Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones
Screenwriter: Alan Bennett
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Sony Pictures Classics, BBC Film, Screen Yorkshire, Head Gear Films, Metro Technology
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Some Language)
Genre: History, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 48m