| Product Summary | | Publisher: Foxvideo | | Format: DVD | | UPC: 00024543477594 | | Buy.com Sku: 205963939 | | Item#: V2LF72 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 3331 | | Category Keywords: Ireland Musical Romances | Rating:  |
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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled, Sensormatic
A serendipitous meeting on the streets of Dublin between a down on his luck Irish street performer and a poor Czech immigrant sparks a bond that plays out in this hip, modern day music film. Once follows the two as they write, rehearse and record the songs that reveal their unique love story.
"A miracle of a movie that is both fairy tale and slice of life." Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"...as smart and funny as it is sweet; it swirls with ambiguity and conflict beneath a simple surface." Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"The music is so rich and completely satisfying and the characters so appealing..." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"...may well be the best music film of our generation." Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
"In its own subdued, mellow way, Once is just about perfect." Nathan Rabin, The Onion A.V. Club
Editor's Note
The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy, a street musician who is playing for change when he meets the girl (Marketa Irglova), an immigrant from the Czech Republic. The pair immediately bond over their shared love of music (he is a guitarist, and she plays the piano), and the film chronicles their tentative relationship. Both are weighed down by plenty of baggage: his songs are fueled by a painful breakup, and she is a young mother who left her husband behind in her native country. Like the independent favorite BEFORE SUNRISE, ONCE is a simple, sweet drama that doesn't rely on an elaborate plot. With its use of digital video and handheld cameras, ONCE matches its spare visual style to its intimate mood. Each moment feels stolen from real life, and the story is at once familiar and fresh. Driven more by music than by dialogue, ONCE features a stirring soundtrack of heartfelt indie rock sung by Hansard and Irglova. Before his foray into film, director John Carney (ON THE EDGE) played bass in The Frames, and his passion for music is clear in this modern musical that hits every note perfectly.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Once - DVD Review By: Katey Rich - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 12/15/2007 1:22 PM | | The tiny-budget Irish musical Once became a surprise hit over the summer, grossing $9 million and making stars out of its main actors, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. A romance that clocks in at 83 minutes, it's a story so simple that its main characters don't even have names; they are referred to in the credits as "The Guy" and "The Girl." Still, Once features charm and talent to spare, and with nine wonderful original songs, a killer soundtrack to boot. ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 10/14/2008 |
| Running Time: 86 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 2247759 | | UPC: 00024543477594 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (2007) | | | Sundance Film Festival, John Carney, Audience Award - World Cinema - Dramatic | |
Nominee (2007) | | | Sundance Film Festival, John Carney, Grand Jury Prize - World Cinema - Dramatic |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"[I]ts low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow ONCE with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved." 05/16/2007 p.E9Entertainment Weekly
"[The songs] are softly gorgeous odes to troubled hearts....ONCE moves with the dartingly unresolved, clear-eyed spirit of a French New Wave film." 05/25/2007 p.66 Sight and Sound
"ONCE is as enchanted with the expressiveness of song as a Jacques Demy movie....These numbers carry an affectingly plaintive charge, laying bare the characters' hurts and hopes..." 10/01/2007 p.64 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] magnificent, unique movie....ONCE is an 85-minute ballad with musings on love and loss that cannot help but speak to everyone." 11/01/2007 p.48 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "A subtle, engrossing romance, but one laced with a bittersweet tang....The songs are fantastic." 11/01/2007 p.50 Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] low-budget Irish charmer....[With] deft directorial determination..." 03/01/2008 p.124 Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] charismatic leads, [a] heart-wrenching story and powerfully raw musical performances..." 04/01/2008 p.83 Variety 8 of 10
Two actual Dublin singer-songwriters of as-yet minor renown play fictive ones in "Once," which took the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance. Winningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes. Pic's charm seems so offhand one might not notice the skill with which helmer John Carney pulls it off, or how it plays like a full-blown musical without anyone bursting into song. Picked up for world rights minus Ireland by Summit Entertainment, "Once" will require outreach to folk/alt-rock fans to realize offshore sleeper potential...A mid-30s man ID'd only as "Guy" (Glen Hansard) still works and lives above his father's vacuum repair shop, busking downtown in off-hours, hoping for a music-biz break. One day he's approached by a pretty Czech immigrant "Girl" (Marketa Irglova), who supports her mother and child -- the father remains back home -- selling roses to shoppers. She, too, is a musician-songwriter. When Guy gets past her initial pushiness, he finds both an artistic collaborator and a frustrating love object. Soon they're drafting other players for a marathon recording sesh. Natural thesping and appealing music make the whole enterprise a low-key charmer. - Dennis Harvey
Reel.com 10 of 10
Forget the generic title, Once is an utterly beguiling, pitch perfect romantic musical that speaks volumes about love, passion, creativity, and hope. The beauty of the film is in the skillful way writer/director John Carney advances his simple story with minimum dialogue and maximum gorgeous, heartfelt music. As a former member of the Irish band the Frames, Carney clearly knows the world of songwriting and performing, and he's used this personal insight to terrific effect. As importantly, he was able to enlist the Frames' hugely talented, charismatic lead singer Glen Hansard to write a number of songs for the film--plus star in it to boot. The script evolved in tandem with Hansard's evocative songs, with Carney managing to organize this sweet tale in a classic, but relaxed three-act structure. The result is as special as the unique way Carney developed the project...It's not often that a movie feels like it's over too soon, but at 88 captivating minutes, this is one of those rare cases. A much-deserved World Audience Award winner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Once has the potential to be an influential sleeper hit, especially if its outstanding soundtrack can gain traction. I can't wait to see it once again. - Gary Goldstein
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