Set in a fictional mill town in Yorkshire, England, two years into World War I, “The Choral” can be described as old-fashioned in the best sense. The period details are lovingly applied; the script, by the great Alan Bennett, is beautifully crafted; and the performances, led by the marvelous Ralph Fiennes as the town’s reluctant choirmaster, are all standouts. It’s the kind of movie that doesn’t get made much anymore, and more’s the pity. Because the war is draining the town of its young men, the local choral society, headed by the mill’s owner, Alderman Bernard Duxbury (Roger Allam), is desperate to recruit male voices under the mandatory conscription age of 18. He’s also frantic to hire a new choirmaster. The likeliest candidate, Dr. Henry Guthrie (Fiennes), carries some baggage. He once had a conducting stint in Germany. Despite Guthrie’s enthusiasm for Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion,” he’s an atheist. And the townspeople are unclear about his sexual orientation. As Duxbury mutters to his colleagues, “Let’s just say I’d prefer a family man.” But this is not a movie about a proliferation of prejudices. Duxbury, who lost his only son in the war, truly loves music.-Christian Science Monitor

“A moving account of music as a way of coping with war, as well as keeping it at bay.”-New York Times