He seems to have a genuinely good relationship with the kids and the rest of the adult cast manage to give strong displays too especially Berleand, who makes the best of a one-dimensional role. In the lead role Gerard Jugnot is hugely impressive as the well-meaning Mathieu, giving a humane and completely believable performance. It’s here that The Chorus fails.įirst off, let's discuss the things that The Chorus gets right. Done well, this kind of formula filmmaking can certainly be moving and thought-provoking but to do that a film must still attempt to add a little something of their own to that formula. All these characters enter a difficult environment filled with troubled youths and face great resistance at first, but soon their influence unlocks the students’ inner talents and has a profound effect on each of their lives. Mathieu is following in the footsteps of Glenn Holland ( Mr Holland’s Opus), Mr Chipping ( Goodbye Mr Chips), John Keating ( Dead Poet’s Society), Louanne Johnson ( Dangerous Minds), Mark Thackeray ( To Sir, With Love) and countless other inspirational movie teachers. It is giving nothing away to say that The Chorus has a happy ending. Perhaps this former musician could shape them into a choir? But Mathieu sees some potential in his students after hearing them sing he notices a couple of them possess good voices. He is immediately startled by the brutal methods that are employed by the fierce principal Rachin (Francois Berleand) to keep these troubled boys in check. Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot) is an idealistic teacher who arrives at boys’ boarding school shortly after the second world war.

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