I Saw the Light tells the story of the Alabama singer-songwriter Hank Williams who, even if part of the artistic field for a relatively short amount of time, set the pillars of country music with his haunting voice and power songs. Most of his songs are still considered to set the American standards today and have been recorded many times over by pop, rock and country artists alike.
Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) emerged from the local Alabama music scene after World War II. By his side, from the first minutes of the film, we find his soon to be wife Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen). She was desperate to sing as well but her voice and talent was no match for Hank’s. Of course, when you have two strong headed people, both wanting to be the shiny star, it’s not long until problems appear, most of them fueled by this strong eagerness to succeed and make a name for themselves.
Add to that a very tense relationship between Hank’s mother and his wife and you’ve got a truly hard to manage day to day life. Of course, they were both in love and that was probably the reason why Mr. and Mrs. Williams kept on ending up together. However, sadly, that is not always enough.
Williams’ songs cover a wide range of emotions, and he used his own personal drama as inspiration. But even with all the other women, kids, friends and troubles, Hank did make his dream happen and ended up on Nashville’s prestigious stage and radio show the Grand Ole Opry and even getting guest spots on the then-new medium of TV. Of course, his life was still a rollercoaster: he refused to hide his longtime alcoholism and dependency on painkillers behind the wholesome facade Nashville and the Opry expect of its stars, but Hank still stayed popular until the very end of his life.
The strong side of this motion picture is the very well chosen cast. A lot of people had their doubts about bringing a British actor to play the iconic Hank Williams, but Hiddleston captures Hank’s tormented nature naturally. Somewhat similar look wise and as American as he can sound, Hiddleston will give artists a run for their money. Musicians, be careful, Tom Hiddleston might steal a good deal of your audience if he decides to start performing regularly. Elizabeth Olsen as Audrey has that sweet but very certain about her expectations air about her. The two have a good screen chemistry and that shows.
When it comes to the music, well, it’s Hank Williams: you should know what to expect and if that disappoints you, it has nothing to do with the film. But it really doubt it will be the case.
What I found a bit distracting was the general slow pace of the film and the fact we could have seen a bit more about how Hank managed to build such a career in such a short amount of time. For those of you who do not know the story of Hank Williams, this film will manage to clear any form of doubt in regards to the struggles he has been through. I saw the light is raw, real and deep. But it would have been good to look for a better personal and career balance.
I Saw The Light will give you some great insight into some part of the life of great musician. It will make you sad, considering he died when only 29 and he could have offered so much more, but will also make you realize what a few great years he had and value what the legacy he did manage to live behind. Hank Williams was a flame which burned blindingly bright and that should be celebrated in every way possible.
I Saw The Light is out now in UK cinemas.
