A Soft Remarkable Film Whose Unique Soundstreem Reached All of Us
TIn 2007, “Once” was never meant to be a blockbuster and that’s exactly what its portrayal was, a low budget film shot in Dublin. The movie, in its essence, followed the story of a busker, Glen Hansard and a young Czech immigrant, Marketa Irglova. They meet by chance and connect over music, only to realize that, sometimes, songs are more than just love stories, they are also vessels of unbounded emotions.
The beauty of the film’s simplicity—no elaborate costumes, no overacted drama—made it a stunning revelation. However, what took place after the film greatly affected the lives of the actors beyond the screen, taking a toll on their careers in profound ways.
Glen Hansard: Out of the Pavement and in to the Oscars
Glen Hansard was no stranger to life in the portrayal of Once. Prior to the film’s release. However, having already spent time as a busker and working with the Irish band The Frames, Glen was in no more intricate position. In Once, he was more “Guy”, a street musician lost in the hustle, art and the mess of love. With him, Hansard in a more elemental sense.
The international success of the film was a turning point in Hansard’s career. He was no longer a cult figure in Ireland; he was now a prominent figure in the international indie music sphere. Along with Markéta, he co-wrote the song “Falling Slowly,” and they won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. For many, the weary but modest look of two barely known musicians walking up to the Oscar stage to make a speech is an example of the most epic moments in Hollywood.
Like every other celebrity, he also had to face the other side of the coin. Instead of fame, Hansard had always had a soft spot for genuineness. After Once, tours and the mounting expectations, alongside the constant targeting from record labels, began to court. For someone who described his happiest moments to be when he was playing on the street with a sparse audience, the level of drain mainstream success brought was very much felt.
Marketa Irglova: Complicated Teenage Dream
In the movie Once, Marketa Irglova was just 17. Though, she had no formal acting training, she was a singer and pianist who was brought on the film due to her musical connection with Hansard. Playing the role of the girl, she an emigrant from the Czech Republic who had to deal with her own set of emotional challenges.
Irglová, herself, was in a sense a whirlwind, as she went from being a small-town teenager to a global musician virtually overnight. She was still in disbelief with herself during her Oscar-win moment, being the youngest ever to award in that particular category.
The fame, however, did come with its challenges. Her personality was not the type to deal with the constant traveling, as well as the interviews being bombarded with. She claimed in more recent interviews, that her yearning to appreciate her accomplishments was overshadowed with the fact that she was completely stunned with how quickly her life was moving along.
There was, however, a deeper sense of attachment that Irglová felt with Hansard. While many of their fans found it interesting and charming that the two were romantically involved in their real life as well, it was not that heart warming. Much like the movie ‘Once’, things were more difficult. While the romance was unfortunately short lived, the musical bond remained strong.
It was as if the two were meant to be ‘torn’ from the world and custom fitted with their new reality. Unlike ‘Once’ where they were fully immersed in the world of Hollywood, in reality Irglová and Hansard did not try to gain movie roles after their feature in the movie. Instead, the two went on to create the band ‘The Swell Seasons’ where they were able to pursue their true passion.
Yet, the shadow of Once was omnipresent. Audience members walked into performances ready to hear the delicate heartache of “Falling Slowly”. Reviewers of the band’s albums still pinpointed the songs to the movie. It was almost as if they were typecast, though it was not as actors. Rather, they were the eternally mismatched couple of indie folk cinema. It was a struggle to overcome that perception.
Hansard was still able to carve out his own niche by releasing solo albums that embraced the folk rock stream of conscious story telling. He was able to win the respect of the industry as he increased his accolades and built a reputation as a modern troubadour. In contrast, Irglova chose a much more subdued route. She moved to Iceland, began a family, and practiced music on her own terms. She has frequently discussed how the movie altered her existence, but it also served as a reminder to stay anchored and not get lost in fame.
What the Cameras Didn’t Show
The physical act of Once has its own share of undeveloped narratives within its boundaries that not only framed the movie but the connections in it. Director John Carney wanted to include actors at the start of the project. However, after some time, he began to notice and appreciate the “Hansard and Irglova magic.” It was their honesty and lack of polish that built the story’s poignant realism.
Budget constraints forced the crew to be inventive, shooting scenes galvanized on the streets of Dublin, without attention to permits. Remember the music shop scene? In a real shop, with real customers walking in and around the scene being shot, that is, during the shooting of the shop scene. The budget of around $150,000 gave rise to no trailers, no big crews, and no luxury. However, that is, this lack of polish is what gave once its charm and made it feel like a gff’ to-filmed diary, as opposed to a romance.
The Impact: From Indie to Broadways
Soon after the glories of the Oscars, it was clear that once had taken on, and managed to maintain a maasive beyond what was predicted. In 2011, the story was transformed into a Broadway musical, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and in this way, managed to influence theatre culture of the inde Irish.
Though Hansard and Irglová were not part of the Broadway version, they were able to see how their small songs transformed into songs that were part of a much larger moment. For them, this universal moment was a rather strange.
When Reel and Real Intertwined
In my opinion the most interesting aspect of the film Once is the way it is intertwined about the lives of the actors, especially for Hansard’s character ‘Guy’. To most, he is an enduring face in the history of and film, while to Hansard, he was an incarnation of the aspect of himself he wished to remember. To many youth, ‘Girl’, another character in the film, serves as a testament to and an embodiment of strength, while to Irglová, it was symbolic of her, the woman, that she originated from and at that time was in the process of building her identity.
Later on in life, to most Hansard and Irglová are looked at as the couple that managed to capture the public’s love with their heartfelt performances. Irrespective of the time, when Hansard sings ‘Falling Slowly’ in the concert, people shut their eyes and are transported into the movie. The incredible aspect of the film Once is the way in which it was able to capture and crystallize an ephemeral moment in the lives of a couple artists, transforming it and making it eternal.
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