Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant has been set by Pathé to be released across the UK on the 6th of May 2016. The comedy drama directed by Stephen Frears (Philomena, The Queen) tells the inspirational true story of the eponymous New York heiress who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great singer.
We now have a first official picture and the release date.
The voice Florence (Meryl Streep) heard in her head was divine, but to the rest of the world it was hilariously awful. At private recitals, her devoted husband and manager, St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant), managed to protect Florence from the truth. But when Florence decided to give her first public concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, St Clair realised he had perhaps bitten off more than he could chew. The film celebrates the human spirit, the power of music and the passion of amateurs everywhere.
As an insight: Florence Foster Jenkins was an American socialite and amateur operatic soprano who was known and ridiculed for her lack of rhythm, pitch, and tone; her aberrant pronunciation; and her generally poor singing ability. It is said Florence might have once pointed out that “People may say I can’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.”.
The film’s supporting cast members include Simon Helberg as Florence’s long suffering piano accompanist, Rebecca Ferguson and Nina Arianda. The film is produced by Michael Kuhn (The Duchess) and by Tracey Seaward (Philomena, The Queen). It is executive produced by Pathé’s Cameron McCracken, BBC Films’ Christine Langan and Qwerty’s Malcolm Ritchie.
