Back home

I Saw the Light

213 votes

Producing House

Singer and songwriter Hank Williams rises to fame in the 1940s, but alcohol abuse and infidelity take a toll on his career and marriage to fellow musician Audrey Mae Williams.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2016-02-05

Runtime: 123 mins

Director: Marc Abraham

Spoken language: English

Genres: Music, Drama

Original title: I Saw the Light

Production Companies: Bron Studios, RatPac Entertainment

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
In theory this had loads to recommend it. A young man who captivated the USA with his music, an handsome and charismatically flawed gent who lived his life to the full, philandered, cheated and drank... How, then, did Marc Abraham manage to turn all that into a stodgy television movie? The ever easy on the eye Tom Hiddleston takes the title role and does precisely nothing with it. His mimicry of the style of performing - that slightly chicken-strutting jig he did whilst singing, works well enough but otherwise this is a shallow and lacklustre characterisation. Williams could never have been called a loyal man and the women who featured prominently here - wife Audrey (Elisabeth Olsen), Bobbie (Wrenn Schmidt) and Billie Jean (Maddie Hasson) have precious little to work with to add much depth to this puddle of a biopic. It has a go at creating a documentary feel to it, incorporating some monochrome (and monotone) contributions from Bradey Whitford's version of producer Fred Rose and there is plenty of toe-tapping - especially the fiddlers, but at just over the two hour mark this is a ponderously feeble effort to enliven a man by an actor who spent way too much time in wardrobe and nowhere near enough trying to imbue the subject with personality. "Walk the Line" (2005) it isn't.
2024-07-23

Recommendations

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
0

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

2025-03-13

Many have heard of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary artist from the 70s and 80s. But some may not

Chasing the Line
3.4

Chasing the Line

2021-10-28

Barely 22, Franz Klammer finds himself at the “eye of the storm” when he shows up for the men’s down

The Inventor
4

The Inventor

2020-02-06

This biopic traces the life of Dr. József Béres from the development of the "Béres drops" to his str

Suburban Fantasy
5

Suburban Fantasy

2022-06-02

On the night before he is set to leave his Rhode Island home to study photography in New York City,

El Anka
5

El Anka

1981-01-01

1/4 - In 1925, the young M’hamed El Anka replaced his master Nador at short notice. He realizes that

Camp
2.7

Camp

2003-09-05

Misfits in their lives back home, a group of young people live it up at musical-theater camp. While

For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story
3.1

For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story

2000-11-18

In the early 1970s, Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval (Andy Garcia) is torn between his own musical dr

The Australian Pink Floyd Show: Eclipsed By The Moon
2.6

The Australian Pink Floyd Show: Eclipsed By The Moon

2013-04-12

Eclipsed By The Moon Concerts Filmed Live in Germany at Trier and Oberhausen Arenas on 12th and 13th

Crazy For You
3

Crazy For You

1999-10-20

Crazy For You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and mu

Homicide: The Movie
3.4

Homicide: The Movie

2000-02-13

Retired police lieutenant Al Giardello is running for mayor when he is suddenly shot at a press conf

Company: A Musical Comedy
3.8

Company: A Musical Comedy

2008-02-20

Set in modern upper-crust Manhattan, an exploration of love and commitment as seen through the eyes

MacArthur
3.1

MacArthur

1977-07-15

The film portrays MacArthur's life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan, to 1952, the time after h

Global Groove
3.9

Global Groove

1973-01-01

Global Groove was a collaborative piece by Nam June Paik and John Godfrey. Paik, amongst other artis

Flying Horse
0

Flying Horse

A biopic of pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge, following the courtship and love affair between

Simple Minds: Celebrate - Live at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow
4

Simple Minds: Celebrate - Live at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow

2014-08-08

On 27th November 2013 Simple Minds played a very special concert and filmed it at the brand new awar

Feathertop
0

Feathertop

1961-10-19

When Madame Eau Charme, a social-climbing witch, fails to receive an invitation to the Governor's Ba

The Bremen Town Musicians
3.5

The Bremen Town Musicians

1969-10-10

The adventures of the wandering musicians from Bremen such as Troubadour, Donkey, Dog, Cat and Roost

It Started with Eve
3.6

It Started with Eve

1941-09-26

A young man asks a hat check girl to pose as his fiancée in order to make his dying father's last mo

Tea for Two
3

Tea for Two

1950-09-01

In this reworking of "No, No, Nanette," wealthy heiress Nanette Carter bets her uncle $25,000 that s

1942: A Love Story
3

1942: A Love Story

1994-04-15

The son of a politician loyal to the British rule falls in love with the daughter of a freedom fight