Keira Knightley snuck into a recording studio to lay down the tracks she sings in a new movie and the result is an album featuring the young Oscar-nominated star.
Keira stars with Sienna Miller (almost unrecognisable), Matthew Rhys and Cillian Murphy in John Maybury's film The Edge Of Love.
It's about two women in Dylan Thomas's life - his childhood friend Vera Phillips and his wife Caitlin MacNamara - and their Bohemian romping during World War II.
Keira Knightley sings in her new movie, The Edge Of Love
The movie, which was written by Keira's mum Sharman Macdonald, opens with Keira, who plays Vera, singing Blue Tahitian Moon to people sheltering in an Underground station during the Blitz.
When I visited the set last year, Keira admitted to me she wasn't sure she could carry a tune. "I can't really sing," she said. "I had to have a few lessons, but once I started doing it, a sound emerged that wasn't too disagreeable!"
Well, she's always downplaying her talent - I suspect because of those who, for some reason I can't fathom, sneer at her. She should start believing in herself and get used to the fact that she's emerging as a damn good actress. And her singing, which has a mournful edge to it, is far from "disagreeable".
The album, which is being released later this year on Universal's Classics and Jazz label, also has Keira singing two other numbers featured in the movie: Irving Berlin's Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much and Drifting And Dreaming.
The soundtrack also has Suggs from Madness crooning Hang Out The Stars In Indiana and numbers written by Maybury and Angelo Badalamenti, sung by Siouxsie Sioux, Beth Rowley and Patrick Wolf.
I saw a completed version of The Edge Of Love and, as I revealed in previous columns, Keira and Sienna (who portrays Caitlin) give sublime performances that delve deeper when Maybury moves the story from London to windswept Wales.
There, the two women essentially co-habit with the poet. Indeed, all four leads are brilliant when the story darkens in Wales.
I'm sure it's going to be a contender at Cannes and other film festivals this year.
Both movie and album will probably come out in the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment