mothers. The women are forced to bow to the Japanese officers and its flag. The women must endure torture and hard labour while trying to remain positive and level headed. Many believe the war would end soon and their husbands or soldiers will come looking for them. Nonetheless, the living conditions are brutal, and many face sickness and death. Needless to say, their spirits rapidly flag. Some of the women choose to work in a brothel for Japanese officers for better treatment and decent food. The women have been at the prison camp for two years now. Adrienne Pargiter, a graduate from the Royal Academy of Music, and Daisy "Margaret" Drummond a missionary, decided to create a vocal orchestra in order to encourage the women. Some of the women fear for their lives because the Japanese officers, especially Sergeant Tomiashi "The Snake", who is made known for his cruelty and abuse, have prohibited any meetings whether religious or social. The orchestra finally performs for the entire camp, even the officers stop to listen to the vibrant music. However, the music only works as motivation for so long and the women continue to dwindle in numbers. After some time, the women are moved to a new location where they will remain for the duration of the war. The war ends and the women rejoice for their freedom. The film closes on a scene of the last performance by the vocal orchestra. The vocal orchestra performed more than 30 works from 1943 to 1944. The original scores survived the war and are the basis for the music performed in the film. In 1997, many of the survivors were still alive during the making of the film and contributed to the inspiration for Paradise Road. Cast In credits order: Glenn Close as Adrienne Pargiter Frances McDormand as Dr. Verstak Pauline Collins as Daisy "Margaret" Drummond (based on Margaret Dryburgh) Julianna Margulies as Topsy Merritt Cate Blanchett as Susan Macarthy Jennifer Ehle as Rosemary Leighton-Jones Wendy Hughes as Mrs. Dickson Johanna ter Steege as Sister Wilhelmina Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs. Roberts Pamela Rabe as Mrs. Tippler Clyde Kusatsu as Sergeant Tomiashi, 'The Snake' Stan Egi as Captain Tanaka David Chung as Mr. Tomio Sab Shimono as Colonel Hirota Penne Hackforth-Jones as Mrs. Pike Pauline Chan as Wing Lisa Hensley as Edna Susie Porter as Oggi Anita Hegh as Bett Tessa Humphries as Celia Roberts