MovieChat Forums > Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) Discussion > I have FFJ's recordings........

I have FFJ's recordings........

posted 9 years ago by queentulawanda1
15 replies | jump to latest

She truly was HORRIBLE! She sounded like she was trying to parody a bad opera singer, but she REALLY was very serious about her singing and truly thought she was good, because her voice teacher told her she was. (The teacher wanted her money, so encouraged her to keep coming for lessons.) Florence really believed that she was "the voice of the century", in spite of the bad previews she got.. Sychophants around her told her that the bad reviews were all lies bought off by rival sopranos who were jealous of her talent. The only thing she had going for her was money - much like Harry Truman's daughter, Margaret, for whom Harry bought Carnegie Hall out for a night so his daughter could give an equally abominable voice recital. When Margaret was panned, Harry wrote a scathing letter to the newspaper reviewer, then called the paper and demanded that the offending reviewer be sacked. And he was! Alas, poor Margaret, unlike Florence, never showed her face aon a stage and "retired from her singing career". I wish someone would make a movie about Margaret.

Streep was a child musical prodigy in voice and was trained by the esteemed voice teacher/opera diva Estelle Liebling, Beverly Sill's teacher.

[–] Venus-25 9 years ago

Thanks for the mention about Margaret Truman. It's a relief to hear that this wasn't an isolated phenomenon.

If you have a chance, see the French film Marguerite. I somehow think it will be judged to be a better film than this.

The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.

[–] queentulawanda1 9 years ago

Thanks! I'll look for it!

[–] croftcrescent 9 years ago

I agree that Marguerite is probably a much better (more moving and sadly funny) film.I haven't seen THIS film yet,but intend to.I feel the Meryl Streep one will probably be played mainly for laughs,whereas the French one had much humour,and a lot of pathos,and made you think how we see/hear ourselves.

[–] Max1975 9 years ago

We saw here in France 3 weeks ago.
I was expecting that FFJ will be very funny movie, but actually I've found it very sad. You will probably laugh few times as Meryl is great in this like rest of the cast, but when you leave the cinema you don't feel like you've just watched a comedy.

__________
I'm the best at what I do, and what I do best isn't very nice.
I'm the Wolverine.

[–] bpollen 9 years ago

I would say it's poignant. And funny. And a viewer would have to agree that Bayfield and Jenkins did indeed "live in a happy world," as Bayfield put it.

[–] nile-goddess 9 years ago

I loved the scenes in which FFJ seemed totally transported by music, e.g. at the recital in Carnegie Hall early on in the movie, and even by Cosme's audition. She truly adored music; her own recitals (and even her lessons) made her so happy.

[–] cultfilmfreaksdotcom 9 years ago

Rich Woman Singing Opera Who Can't. Sounds like Citizen Kane to me.

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[–] mlaiuppa 9 years ago

Not quite the same.

Kane pushed his wife even when she wanted to quit. She had a more realistic idea of her talent.

Jenkins was oblivious to her lack of talent. She was a lovely woman and people loved her enough not to hurt her feelings. She was a great patroness of the arts and I guess many felt that protecting her feelings and enabling her delusion was a small price to pay for the good she did.

There is some question as to whether her husband was also after her money or if he truly loved her enough to make her dream come true. I'm glad they went the second route in this film.

[–] jane_bront 9 years ago

This was a sad story with quite a bit of humor and well-acted all around. I find it hard to believe that the real FFJ did not hear herself the way everyone else heard her. How is this possible without her hearing - her sense of tone - having been previously damaged? Possibly by the progression of syphilis? It was either that or a kind of self delusion that was the ultimate example of mind over matter if she really did not recognize that she was an awful singer.

[–] Dejay 8 years ago

I didn't think it was sad. She SUFFERED from syphilis and this was what gave her joy. Wouldn't it be cruel to destroy the illusion and take that from her? It's a bit like telling your young child that grandma is just gone forever instead of heaven. It was a religion of one.

And her performances where unintentional comedy gold so it's not like nobody got anything out of it. The world would be poorer without her.

She was also a benefactor to many and didn't have an heir so any money wasted really was money well spend. It's hard to say if those who benefited from her didn't give her a fair deal?

PS: You could also compare the whole deal with karaoke. To sing badly is part of the charm, it's fun if everybody is embarrassing themselves.

[–] MrEdnablackadder 8 years ago

I have this CD, "The Glory (????) of the Human Voice": at the end of Florence's recital, they've included some Faust recordings of this surreally bad singer Thomas Burns, singing both the role of Faust (as tenor) and Valentin (as baritone). The performance ends with the Faust trio performed by him and a Jenny Williams as a duet because- for some reason- they didn't have the bass! A great companion piece to Florence's recital and much funnier to me. FFJ's singing is such a surreal experience that I find it more difficult to laugh at it, also considering that her life story is rather sad. On the other hand, this Mr. Burns appears to have at least some basic cognitions of singing; he's just... hopeless. Wish one could find more info about him.

[–] Keelai 8 years ago

Thomas Burns sounds like Elmer Fudd with a New York dialect.

[–] MrEdnablackadder 8 years ago

Thomas Burns sounds like Elmer Fudd with a New York dialect.

 That's a fitting description.

[–] miloustein 8 years ago

I still own the vinyl version from RCA Victrola from 1970 (German Issue)), which I bought around 1979, right when I started to collect "novelty" songs. My fav was always Queen of the night because we listened a lot to Mozart at home, and that was at the time my fav opera, so we enjoyed even this version. I was always amazed at the weird side of FFJ but also at the courage of issuing such songs... did a little research but at the time there was not a lot available (remember, internet came slightly later ^^). I would have never ever thought that some director would come out with a biopic. I like the film, don't need to add any comment on what's already said here.

But what concerns the music, over time, I discovered other songs considered "the world's worst record" (Kenny Everett, 1978) (reissued partly in 1983 by Rhino etc). Out of them all, my all-time favorite songs are Jimmy Cross' "I want my Baby Back" (1964), Gloria Balsam's "Fluffy" (1979) (must have listened to these two songs over a thousand times each).. etc

On the terrible side but still amusing to listen to from time to time is Wild Man Fisher's "Young at Heart" (1977).

From there I explored Captain Beefheart (terrible LP Trout Mask Replica 1969) or the more humorous songs (e.g. Zappa: You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here, 1965) or some R&Rers (Buzz Clifford's Baby Sitting' Boogie, 1960, She Wooley's The Purple People Eater, 1958).

It's not always clear if it is intended to be funny or if they had just a terrible music taste. I don't want to argue about more recent music, the spectrum exploded and really sh*%tty music is produced .. for what sake? Greedy producers or spoiled youngsters? I am old enough not wanting to read here "de gustibus..." That would be really silly.

We have fun parodies like The Detergents "Leader of the Laundromat" (1964) spoofing The Shangrli-Las superb song... so this one passes without doubt, it's just the text which changes basically...

Just thinking of Spike Jones with all his madness pure contributions to modern music...

So there are many artists with doubtful qualities and were still released, like some really bad films still get financed. FFJ however was 20+ years ahead of the big music industry and one must definitely put in doubt some of her entourage. She was living for music and her dream was a small fragile plant inside her which was nursed up as she grew older and sicker. One cannot condemn her for having had the wish to sing. And I respect her singing much more than some other who call themselves "artists" nowadays. Because she was a human and kind person and had a real big heart. Sometimes it is just not possible to persuade someone to go against an inner wish.

--
Porque tambien somos lo que hemos perdido!

[–] darogr 9 years ago

I checked some out on YouTube...yes, pretty bad although she did try. I love the quote from the real FFJ something like "They can say I can't sing, but they can't say I didn't sing."
That's what it was about to the real FFJ, just the love of singing and performing. Hey by today's standards with some auto-tune she would be a "Diva".
Also from what little research I have done, the real FFJ just held private or semi-private recitals. She wasn't trying to make it in show business or buy her way into show business, so it was more like a no harm no foul situation lol.
I would love to see a real story about FFJ and not some Streep fluff.