Music in my heart

Forman's masterpiece. There are more works. I assume that M.Forman managed producing good films even in the States.

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher). 2001. Germany/Poland/France/Austria. Directed by Michael Haneke. Thrumming with erotic tension and as precise as a metronome, Haneke's adaptation of the novel by Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek earned three major awards at Cannes: Best Actress (Isabelle Huppert), Best Actor (Benoît Magimel), and the Grand Jury Prize. Huppert gives a courageously uninhibited performance as Erika Kohut, a cold and ruthless piano teacher by day and a voyeuristic, pornophilic, and self-mutilating fantasist by night. Upsetting this delicate dichotomy is a gifted and seductive student nearly twenty years her junior, as each of them vies for the upper hand while plunging to the lowest depths of sexual transgression and defilement. Looming over her every thought and act?and taking up one side of her bed!?is Huppert's monstrously domineering mother (Girardot), in what is perhaps the most fascinating and fearless depiction of a mother-daughter relationship since Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata, another chamber piece of high culture, repression, narcissism, and madness. Courtesy Kino International. In French; English subtitles. 131 min.

Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) is a mute young Scottish widow, sold into marriage by her father to plantation owner Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill.) Arriving in New Zealand with her young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin), she is devasted when her new husband immediately sells her beloved piano to neighbour Baines (Harvey Keitel, complete with suitably funky Maori tattoos) rather than carry it up the cliffs to her new home. Ada offers to give Baines piano lessons in exchange for the eventual return of her piano. However Baines swiftly demands lessons of quite another kind?


Sounds a bit kinky? Don?t be (too) alarmed. Although Jane Campion?s historical drama contains several extremely erotic scenes, there is nothing gratuitous about them and they certainly aren?t plot fillers added as a bit of light relief. Complex, indeed disturbing, issues are raised in this film. The tragic themes of forbidden love and issues of power (is Ada a woman taking control of her life or is she merely being victimised throughout the film?) are perhaps not especially new or original, however they are dealt with sensitively and fit with the general mood of the piece. ?The Piano? isn?t everyone?s cup of tea ? it?s easy to watch and pick at as being a tad too pretentious. Perhaps it is. I myself am inclined to see it is as a much more ?conventional? sort of film as opposed to other fans who rave on about its profundities.


However there are several reasons that with ?The Piano? Jane Campion became the first female director to win the Palme d?Or Prize at Cannes. Holly Hunter delivers an exquisite performance, made all the more remarkable by not uttering a single word throughout the movie (coincidentally, trivia fans, she also played all the piano pieces in the film too.) Anna Paquin?s mischievous and meddling Flora forced me to re-evaluate my usual prejudice against child actors. Both fully deserved the Oscars they won for their roles. Other delights include Michael Nyman?s famous, romantic score and Stuart Dryburgh?s lush cinematography. Combine all this together and you have a haunting and memorable cinema experience.

The Pianist is based on a memoir by Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish concert pianist who survived the Holocaust by hiding out in Warsaw. The film opens as the Germans are about to march into Poland and follows the Szpilman family on their, alas, only too well-known route from initial small humiliations to the ghetto deprivation and finally aboard the Auschwitz-bound train. That's the first act.

Double written as usual.

Shine tells the story of David Helfgott, the now world-famous pianist and composer. A child prodigy he eventually left Australia for the London School of Music but, due to the pressures of performance, his rejection by his father and other contributing factors he suffered a nervous breakdown while performing at the Royal Albert Hall. Director Scott Hicks returns to the present day as David wanders the streets, sees a piano in a restaurant, makes his way through the crowds and proceeds to play; his rehabilitation begins.

An absolutely stunning film, Shine is essentially two tales skilfully blended together. The second tale is that of David's rehabilitation with David being played by Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush. Rush is the personification of David, even physically resembling him. His portrayal of a man whom different people term eccentric or mad asks important questions not heard since Rainman. This second part is an absolute joy to watch, and of course to listen to, forming an important balance to the somewhat more sombre first half.

In the first we see David as a young boy and adolescent; nervous, twitchy, constantly pushed. Noah Taylor shines through as the teenage David, forever on edge, forever striving to achieve. Taylor is a joy to watch in what is essentially a very moving tale and one suspects that if he had been eligible for the Oscar he may even have won it. Added to Taylor's excellent performance t is that of Sir John Gielgud. Taking the role of David's piano tutor in London he positively revels in the role given to him; that of an over arty, musical, red wine drinking wise old man. Gielgud adds an air of lightness to the story that is essential lighten this darker part of the film. Scott Hick's cast are a dream. All act as if their lives depended on doing justice to a story that tugs the heartstrings at every opportunity. It is his handling of the story that really impresses though as the story never becomes overly heavy or too lighhearted. It is never selfpitying, always played with dignity and warmth. His script does true justice to an incredibly compelling story and his direction and cast make what was essentially a very small movie into a truly massive and wonderful film. Shine was the film of 1996, see it again and make it your film of 1997.

By EUFS

François Truffaut is drunk on the possibilities of cinema in this, his most playful film. Part thriller, part comedy, part tragedy, Shoot the Piano Player relates the adventures of mild-mannered piano player Charlie (Charles Aznavour, in a triumph of hangdog deadpan) as he stumbles into the criminal underworld and a whirlwind love affair. Loaded with gags, guns, clowns, and thugs, this razor-sharp homage to the American gangster film is pure nouvelle vague.

P.W's the lightest work.

Before it was a classic, before it was a hit musical, Singin' in the Rain was a hit song. 'What?' you say. Yup. Gene Kelly decided to build a wonderful movie around a hit song. But it works to perfection.

Julie Andrews is perfect.

Audrey Hepburn is perfect.

Extraordinary.

Nice try by Parker with Madonna.

Alain Corneau's best work.

26th Int. Istanbul Film Festival

Wild Grass was not added yet. I hope , one day, they will do it. Jury at Cannes called AR. He staged to speak. He was really funny with his black suit and tie, but red shirt. 87 years of old guy seemed to me too young.

Alain Resnais , one of the most respectful film Directors in the Cinema of Art.

Nice to hear u William after long pause.

Catherine Deneuve is extraordinary.

Hair is a 1979 film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same title about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center. The hippies introduce him to their environment of marijuana, LSD, and unorthodox relationships.

Roy Scheider is remarkable.

It is a rare example of a British road movie, shot in black and white and featuring music from a number of New Wave bands from the time, as well as established artists such as Kraftwerk and David Bowie

What a cast. Can u make this film again ? Who can dare it ?????

Great musical.

Nothing special. Just for Elvis.

This is The Who's 1975 entry into the world of rock movies.

Julia Andrews is magnific. The first musical from my childhood.

Super. Forget second version.

Early classics.

Great musical.

Liza Minnelli is outstanding.

Private documentar with fun for the Beatles fans.

Fantastic.

Well done.

A part of life of fictional jazz guitarist Emmett Ray according to W.A.

In 1996, Ry Cooder gathered together some of the greatest names from the history of Cuban music from the 30's, 40's and 50's to collaborate on the best selling and Grammy winning album The Buena Vista Social Club.

The songs from Liverpudlians.

Changing destiny of her son from dark to light when there is no chance for her-self.

I see some people are not able to read this film when they have no-problem with their eyes.

Nicole Kidman's a new try in musical field.