Extractions: Rated PG-13 Rating: Two and a half stars Cast: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave and John Gielgud. Director: Scott Hicks. Writer: Jan Sardi. Cinematographer: Geoffrey Simpson. Composer: David Hirschfelder. Distributor: Fine Line. Running time: 105 minutes. Scott Hicks' "Shine," which chronicles in weirdly entertaining terms the catastrophic nervous breakdown of an Australian piano prodigy, bears a striking resemblance to two other films, one more obvious than the other. This remarkable story of David Helfgott, a gifted pianist, now 49, whose talent and career languished for 20 years while he hopped from mental hospital to mental hospital, is especially similar in theme and mood to "Angel at My Table," Jane Campion's equally remarkable 1990 film biography of New Zealand poet Janet Frame. Misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic, Frame spent eight years wasting in hospitals. But the psychological catalyst in Helfgott's collapse was his tyrannical dad, Peter, whose role as a driven "stage father" brings to mind Mama Rose in Mervyn LeRoy's 1962 film musical "Gypsy." They share the same cruel, arbitrary behavior that's also enragingly contradictory. In "Gypsy," Rose coerces her daughter into doing a strip routine in the hopes that it will make her a star and, in the next scene, when the daughter has indeed become a star as Gypsy Rose Lee Rose criticizes her for being "a cheap stripper."
Dimensions Page 9 Fargo, the Coen brothers' outrageous, creepy comedy about a kidnapping gone wrongin Minnesota, and Shine, the true story of pianist david helfgott and his http://cityhonors.buffalo.k12.ny.us/city/Dims/199697/97Mar/P09.html
Extractions: BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA SHINE "Shine" is the incredible story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, a man pushed by his father and his love of music to excel, then held back by that same man when his success results in scholarships to study in America, then London's Royal Academy of Music. Armin Mueller-Stahl is the Holocaust-scarred Peter Helfgott whose pain at having seen his family destroyed causes him to react with abusive behavior when his own son wishes to leave the family nest. David is played from his teen years until his breakdown in his twenties by Noah Taylor ("Flirting") and in his forties, when he's saved by the love of Gillian (Lynn Redgrave) by Geoffrey Rush. LAURA: "Shine" is the best feature film I've seen so far this year (although I'm still totally enamored of the documentary "Paradise Lost" in my number 1 slot). Scott Hicks, an Australian director more known for his documenaries, has done a masterful job presenting Jan Sardi's screenplay about the life of a tortured pianist to the screen. He's assembled his film as a three movement concerto, first taking his time to establish the very young David Helfgott and David's family background, then going into overdrive as David Helfgott as a young man suffers through the conflict of how his success and the pursuit of his dreams tears him away from his family and finally slowing the pace again as the older David is brought back into real life from an institution by the love of several women.
Metroactive Movies | Shine Shine' tracks the rollercoaster career of troubled Australian pianist davidhelfgott. About david helfgott, the real-life pianist the movie is based on. http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/12.26.96/shine-9652.html
Extractions: Mark Tillie Shoot the Piano Playing: Pianist David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush) attacks the keys with shattering intensity in "Shine." 'Shine' tracks the roller-coaster career of troubled Australian pianist David Helfgott By Richard von Busack F OR SHEER TECHNIQUE, Shine will be so highly praised that people will be blinded to its occasional slickness. Even some of the most blatant scenes are effective. A good example is the depiction of a piano recital in the same visual terms as one of the fights in Raging Bull . The borrowing from Scorsese comes complete with the slow-motion halo of sweat and the hero's fall to the canvasexcuse me, to the floor of the recital hall. Years later, the undone pianist, David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush), is raving away in the mental hospital, talking almost incoherently to a visiting woman playing "Bicycle Built for Two" on the spinet in the day room. When Helfgott tells her his name, the music abruptly stops, just like the saloon piano used to when the gunslinger walked through the swinging doors. Shine Online: The Fine Line Features Shine web page.
MetroActive Movies | Talking Pictures Though intrigued by my offer to see the brilliant new film Shinethe story ofAustralian pianist david helfgott and his rollercoaster relationship with http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/01.16.97/talk-pix-9703.html
Extractions: Black and White: 'Shine' depicts pianist David Helfgott's keys to sanity. Pianist Jeffrey Kahane shines Writer David Templeton takes interesting people to interesting movies in his ongoing quest for the ultimate post-film conversation. This time out, he meets up with esteemed pianist/conductor Jeffrey Kahane of the Santa Rosa Symphony to discuss the musically savvy, critically acclaimed film Shine RENOWNED MUSICIAN Jeffrey Kahane is a man so desperately busy that he has not been out to a movie theater in days, weeks, months. Furthermore, I am politely informed, he probably won't make it to a movie anytime soon. Though intrigued by my offer to see the brilliant new film Shine the story of Australian pianist David Helfgott and his roller-coaster relationship with sanity and Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concertoand admittedly eager to see it, Kahane has expressed concerns that he would not be able to find the spare time to go off to a show. Fortunately, a conveniently released videocassette of the film (intended for homebound Oscar voters;
David Helfgott BRAAVO, david helfgott! Geenius, kõmulegend või lihtsalt hull? pianist on allesnüüd, 50aastasena jõudmas rahvusvahelise tunnustuseni ja saanud (kuri http://www.er.ee/klassik/braavo/helfgott.html
Extractions: Pühapäeval 23. novembril kell 9.05 BRAAVO, DAVID HELFGOTT! Geenius, kõmulegend või lihtsalt hull? Pianist on alles nüüd, 50-aastasena jõudmas rahvusvahelise tunnustuseni ja saanud (kuri)kuulsaks. Davi Helfgotti legendi puhus lõkkele abikaasa Gillan Helfgotti bestseller Love You to Bits and Pieces Penguin 1996) ning Scott Hicksi menufilm SHINE. Skisofreeniat põdev pianist on filmi särapaistes teinud kontserdireise ja uusi plaadistusi. Helfgotti Rahmaninovi-album püsis 1997. aastal üheksa kuud ajakirja Billboard klassikatabeli esikohal. Kas Helfgotti liigutav lugu on legend või bluff, sellest Tiia Tederi saates.
David Helfgott's Concerts Are Not For Critics pianist david helfgott, subject of the highly praised film ''Shine,''has been playing soldout performances throughout the nation. http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/032897/david.htm
Extractions: Knight-Ridder Newspapers - (KRT) Critics are savaging him while audiences are loving him. Pianist David Helfgott, subject of the highly praised film ''Shine,'' has been playing sold-out performances throughout the nation. While fans of the film cheer Helfgott the man, critics are jeering Helfgott the musician. Which brings up the question: Who is right? It all depends. If the reason you're seeing him is because you want to hear classical music performed with eloquence and finesse, stay home. You're not going to get it at Helfgott's concert. If the reason you're going is because you've seen the movie and were inspired by Helfgott's story, then chances are you're going to eat up his performance. The scathing reviews of Helfgott's tour miss the point. We are not ponying up the big bucks to hear the definitive version of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, a piece that the movie ''Shine'' showcases. We know going into the concert that there are probably much better interpretations by better qualified musicians. Why we are applauding and giving Helfgott standing ovations - such as the one at this week's Oscar celebration - is that his story is moving us. Hollywood certainly might have taken some liberties with the story. (Helfgott's sis says Daddy was hardly the monster portrayed by Oscar nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl)..
Critics Should Lighten Up On 'Shine' Pianist By now millions know david helfgott's story, testimony to our media's speed and fewoutside Australia had heard of this oncepromising pianist who slipped into http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/032897/critics.htm
Extractions: The Orange County Register - (KRT) By now millions know David Helfgott's story, testimony to our media's speed and breadth. Before ''Shine'' opened here last Thanksgiving, few outside Australia had heard of this once-promising pianist who slipped into a mental fog and lost a decade in institutions before emerging to a new life as a pianist in a wine bar. The success of ''Shine,'' which has earned more than $30 million at the box office, led quite naturally to a curiosity about the real David Helfgott. A global audience has taken to him just as warmly as customers of that Perth wine bar. After four Los Angeles recitals sold out, tour promoters announced Helfgott would play the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto with orchestra Aug. 25 at the Hollywood Bowl, which seats 18,000. This is really about two stories - ''Shine'' and the real Helfgott. When the artifice of Hollywood merged into a more complicated reality, trouble began. In the brief stardom of ''Shine'' and the real-life Helfgott, we've beheld the full cycle of media fame: Discovery, celebration, dissemination, destruction. The media swirl around ''Shine'' has been amazing. A book written by Helfgott's wife, astrologist Gillian Helfgott (''Love You to Bits and Pieces,'' Penguin) is competing with another book by a Helfgott neighbor (Beverley Eley's ''The Book of David,'' HarperCollins). There is reportedly a spat over royalties.
Australian Musicians ~ AMUSIClassical Directory helfgott, david ( ) pianist; Henderson, Moya (b. 1947); Hill, Alfred (Melbourne,16 NOV 1870 - Sydney, 30 OCT 1960)conductor, composer, and pedagogue. http://www.geocities.com/musiclassical/composers/auscomp.html
Extractions: Cross-referenced to our major pages Agnew, Roy (Ewing) (Sydney, 1893 - Sydney, 1944)pianist/composer Ahern, David (Sydney, 2 NOV 1947 - )composer Antill, John (Sydney, 8 APR 1904 - Sydney, 29 DEC 1986)composer Banks, Don (Donald Oscar) (Melbourne, 1923 - )composer Bauld, Alison (Sydney, 7 MAY 1944 - )composer Benjamin, Arthur (Sydney, 18 SEP 1893 - London, 9 APR 1960) composer/pianist Bonighton, Ian (1942 - 1975) Bonynge, Richard (Sydney, 29 SEP 1930 - ) Australian conductor, married to Joan Sutherland in 1954 Boyd, Ann (Sydney, 10 APR 1946 - )composer/flute Brideoake, Peter (b. 1945) Bronhill, June ( - ) Brumby, Colin (Melbourne, 18 JUN 1933 - ) composer Butterley, Nigel
David Helfgott In the years before his mental breakdown, david helfgott was known as a musical isnot about witnessing a spectacle I went expecting to hear a great pianist. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/8254/helfgott.html
Extractions: David Helfgott Dorothy Chandler Pavilion March 25, 1997 Since the March 4 commencement of his American tour, David Helfgott has often been the target of harsh and even mean-spirited criticism focusing almost exclusively on his eccentric stage habits and him as a person, as a result of the release of "Shine." In the midst of these verbal barbs, it's easily forgotten that David is first and foremost a musician. Reading the reviews, one gets this image of a nightmare waiting to happen - a man with something akin to Tourette's Syndrome, falling apart before your eyes. I saw David perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion the day after the Oscars, and I can tell you it's all completely exaggerated. In the years before his mental breakdown, David Helfgott was known as a musical genius years for a reason. Watching him in concert is not about witnessing a spectacle - I went expecting to hear a great pianist. I was not disappointed. To be sure, this is not your traditional, often staid, classical performance. Frankly, it's that sort of performance that probably keeps me away from many classical concerts. Yes, David has his eccentricities - the tone-deaf sing-along among the most glaring. Nevertheless, David has a brilliant understanding of the material he performs, as well as a magic touch. He plays music which requires not only lightning speed, but subtle phrasing. I was sitting in the first balcony, and even in the farthest seats, the acoustics in the Pavilion are superb. There were moments during David's concert that I literally felt goose bumps and chills up my spine. Within the first five minutes, I sat back and closed my eyes, thinking
091097 Naturally, when I heard that david helfgott, the Australian pianist this movieis based on, was coming to South Florida, I tried to line up an interview. http://www.xso.com/columnists/colleen/0910colleen.htm
Extractions: Defending David Helfgott Some music critics say a mentally ill man is being exploited. A mental health expert disagrees. By Colleen Dougher-Telcik York Daily News, said that exploitation was too mild a word for what he calls the marketing of David Helfgott. What’s happening, he said, is a sin. He cites an excerpt from Gillian Helfgott’s book: "One could give David enough medication that shops and restaurants and crowded streets would not bother him. But then his time would be taken up doing all the little tasks that regular members of society do, and he’d be robbed of his passion to play each and every day of his life." "Yet she firmly insists," Teachout wrote, "that Helfgott’s inability to function as a regular member of society is not an affliction but a choice - though one, it emerges, that she appears to have made on his behalf." In many cases, he said, psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and manic depression can be treated effectively, allowing their victims to lead comparatively normal lives. He wasn’t the only critic who took this approach. Is it possible, I wondered, that this woman Gillian, who married David 13 years ago, despite the fact that he smoked 125 cigarettes a day, drank 15 to 20 cups of coffee, jabbered incessantly, and took as many as 10 showers a day, would, after all these years, exploit this man?
Fine Line Features | Shine -The Original Article By SAMELA HARRIS. Meeting pianist david helfgott is like tumbling outof everyday life into a softly eccentric wonderland of sounds. http://www.finelinefeatures.com/shine/helfgott/arttext.htm
Extractions: May 28, 1986. Page 3, Adelaide Advertiser By SAMELA HARRIS Meeting pianist David Helfgott is like tumbling out of everyday life into a softly eccentric wonderland of sounds. But David, 38, is a world unto himself and his tale is one of genius, tragedy and triumph. The extraordinary WA musician has recently returned to the concert platform after a decade of psychiatric treatment and musical obscurity, shepherded by a woman's love. He is in Adelaide to give a recital at Edmund Wright House tonight. Peering myopically through milk-bottle-bottom lenses, he proffered a warm, long-fingered hand and his murmurous voice began a strange rhythmic exploration of the sound of new names: "Sssam-sam-samela-sam..." Then, as if magnetically drawn to the piano, he sat at the sleek Steinway, caressed its keys and filled the ornate old room with the intricate sounds of Liszt's La Campella while transforming his name-refrain into friendly serenade. Rocking on the piano stool, sometimes bowing his head to the keys, singing, sighing and occasionally asking for a cigarette yet never interrupting the fluidity of his music he resembled no other concert pianist. As the musical prodigy son of impoverished Polish migrants, David Helfgott was, at 12, the youngest to enter the ABC's annual WA State concerto and vocal competitions, which he went on to win six times.
Asiaweek.com The film explores the life of Australianborn, Jewish pianist david helfgott andhis relationship with his disciplinarian father (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/97/0221/feat2.html
Extractions: Other News TIME Asia TIME.com CNN Asia FORTUNE.com ... AOL.com By Peter Hutchings / Sydney A PIANO PLAYER, A nervous breakdown and a middle-age career comeback not exactly the usual plot elements of a box-office hit in Australia or anywhere else for that matter. Indeed, Shine, based on the life of troubled Australian piano prodigy David Helfgott, boasts not so much as a B-list Hollywood star (see following review). But the $4.6-million feature, now opening throughout Asia, has already inspired audiences on three continents, even prompting director Steven Spielberg to comment: "This is a film I wish I'd made myself." Since its debut at 1996's Sundance Film Festival, Shine has won nine Australian Film Institute awards. Last week, it was honored with seven Oscar nominations, including best film, best director for Scott Hicks and best actor for Geoffrey Rush. Rush, who plays the adult David, has already received four best-actor awards, including a Golden Globe. Hicks has signed an independent development deal for future productions with Spielberg's DreamWorks. Helfgott's 1995 recording of Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 3" (the piece associated in the film with his breakdown) has become a chart hit in Australia, Britain and the U.S. Already, the film has grossed $6 million in Australia and $16 million in America.
MusicMoz - Bands And Artists: H: Helfgott, David: Links movie Shine. Stories and photographs and links and stuff. helfgott,david (1947) Australian pianist; biography, photos links. http://musicmoz.org/Bands_and_Artists/H/Helfgott,_David/Links/
Extractions: about submit item become an editor feedback ... Helfgott, David : Links David Helfgott - The official site includes recital dates, a biography and the latest news. Film's Real-life Protagonist Now Greets Life With Zest - Short notes on David Helfgoot, Artist portrait and a review of recent recordings (usatoday, 12/01/98). Helfgott, David - Portrayed in the movie Shine. Stories and photographs and links and stuff. Helfgott, David (1947) All the Web AltaVista Google HotBot ... Yahoo This category needs an editor Help build the largest human-edited directory of the Web Submit a Site Open Directory Project Become an Editor Last update: 1:38 GMT, Monday, December 7, 2002- edit
Shine: Great Moments On The Australian Screen Shine tells the dramatic story of Australian musical prodigy, david helfgott. helfgottshone as a pianist from an early age and was intensely nurtured and http://www.sna.net.au/greatmoments/movies/shine/shine.html
Extractions: Other great moments... The Sentimental Bloke (1919) Dad and Dave (1938) Kokoda Front Line (1942) Back of Beyond (1954) Jedda (1955) Skippy (1968 - 69) My Brilliant Career (1979) Gallipoli (1981) Neighbours (1985 - ) Crocodile Dundee (1986) Shine (1996) Click on the images to see a larger picture. Noah Tylor and John Music Director and Composer: David Hirschfelder Cast: Geoffrey Rush , Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud, Googie Withers Synopsis Shine tells the dramatic story of Australian musical prodigy, David Helfgott. Helfgott shone as a pianist from an early age and was intensely nurtured and guided by his musically-frustrated father, a Holocaust survivor.
David Helfgott, Pianist Date PrevDate NextThread PrevThread NextDate IndexThreadIndex david helfgott, pianist. Subject david helfgott, pianist; http://www.glenngould.org/mail/archives/f_minor/msg02053.html
Extractions: Date Prev Date Next Thread Prev Thread Next ... Thread Index A number of aestheticians are getting together to produce a symposium, to be published, on the issues raised by the current concert tour of the Australian pianist David Helfgott. If there are any ASA or f_minor list members who have seen Helfgott (or heard his recordings) and who would be interested in writing on the topic, please contact me. Feel free to forward this message to other relevant lists. Dr. Denis Dutton Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Art Editor, Philosophy and Literature University of Canterbury Christchurch, New Zealand Phone: (03) 366-7001, ext. 8514 Fax: (03) 364-2858 home email: constant.force@clear.net.nz Prev by Date: Re: Coincidence? Next by Date: Two Portraits Prev by thread: Re: Two Portraits Next by thread: A small request Index(es): Date Thread
GG: Helfgott Redux Hi Miners, Some time ago the Aussie pianist david helfgott, aided by the film 'Shine',sprang to the scene and was declared (by some) to be another Gould. http://www.glenngould.org/mail/archives/f_minor/msg03227.html
Extractions: Date Prev Date Next Thread Prev Thread Next ... Thread Index To : "f-minor" < f_minor@email.rutgers.edu Subject : GG: Helfgott redux From tpconway@ozemail.com.au Date : Wed, 17 Jun 1998 17:44:09 +0800 Delivered-To : f_minor-og@email.rutgers.edu Sender owner-f_minor@email.rutgers.edu Prev by Date: Re: GG: a poem inspired by GG's 1955 Goldbergs Next by Date: Re: GG: Helfgott Redux Prev by thread: GG: Guertin's Schoenberg Book Next by thread: Re: GG: Helfgott Redux Index(es): Date Thread
Shine Although the family are poor, music plays a major part in the helfgott family's life Peter repeatedly david is becoming quite a talented pianist under his http://www.shef.ac.uk/~cm1jwb/shine.htm
Extractions: Director: Scott Hicks; Producer: Jane Scott; Screenplay: Jan Sardi and Scott Hicks; Photography: Geoffrey Simpson; Production Design: Vicki Niehus; Editing: Pip Karmel; Music: David Hirschfelder. Stars: Geoffrey Rush (David Helfgott, Adult), Armin Mueller-Stahl (Peter Helfgott) Noah Taylor (David Helfgott, Adolescent), Lynn Redgrave (Gillian), Googie Withers (Katherine Susannah Pritchard), Sonia Todd (Sylvia), Nicholas Bell (Ben Rosen), John Gielgud (Professor Cecil Parkes), Justin Braine (Tony), Chris Haywood (Sam) A film nowadays rarely achieves perfection. Shine comes damn close. Taken at first glance, the true story of an Australian child prodigy pianist who suffers a mental breakdown and spends years in institutions, only to re-emerge and become a concert pianist would normally have the multiplex audiences running for the exits. But wait and, please, give Shine a chance to prove that it is one of the most finely crafted films for a long time. Shine As I said, in description
Dag Og Tid Tyrannisk far Shine byggjer på ei verkeleg historie om livet til ein lyslevande pianist. david helfgott nærmar seg i dag 50 år, og han er framleis http://www.dagogtid.no/arkiv/1997/08/shine
