Mail&Guardian: It's Brilliantissimo! Richard Brooks THE sister of pianist david helfgott has mounted an extraordinaryattack on Shine, the critically acclaimed film which tells his life story. http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/mg/art/reviews/97feb/7feb-shine.html
Extractions: DELAIDE, Western Australia, May, 1986: Kerry Hicks had a memorable birthday that year. She and her husband Scott were expecting friends for dinner, to celebrate. The scene was set for a convivial but hardly unusual evening. Until, that is, Scott, an established film-maker, read in the local newspaper of an eccentric pianist who had survived a mysterious "illness" to return to the recital trail. The man was playing in Adelaide that night. Hicks felt he had to attend. He listened and marvelled. The result, 10 years in the making, was Shine , the unlikely story of a deranged pianist, which is already on course to become one of the most talked-about movies of 1997. With its bittersweet theme of destructive and redeeming love, Shine tells the tale of childlike genius David Helfgott. But the story behind the story - the making of the film - is almost as compelling. The narrative includes some potent cinematic myths: a director with a dream, a virtually unknown star, an unseemly wrangle over distribution rights, and controversy over the film's version of the truth. "Something - I don't know what - compelled me to skip Kerry's supper that night and attend that recital. I'm glad I did," says Hicks. "She's since forgiven me. I remember I came away from the recital feeling like you do when you've seen a good film. It was an extraordinary experience." What intrigued him is evident from his biopic. David Helfgott is no thin-blooded interpreter of the piano repertoire. He hums, grimaces and laughs while he performs. His interpretations are not purist: notes or lines occasionally go missing.
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Denver Post Online: Books And Authors is Margaret helfgott's claim in Out of Tune david helfgott and the 1996 blockbusterfilm about Margaret's younger brother david, a young pianist headed for http://63.147.65.175/books/book284.htm
Extractions: Warner Books, $24 - All that shines is not gold, and the movie "Shine'' is composed of far baser elements: lies and greed. This is Margaret Helfgott's claim in "Out of Tune: David Helfgott and the Myth of Shine,'' and she makes a good case for it. "Shine'' is the 1996 blockbuster film about Margaret's younger brother David, a young pianist headed for greatness but derailed by the mental illness "caused'' by his tyrannical father, himself scarred by the Holocaust. On screen at least, David collapses after performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 - the fearsome "Rach 3'' - and is rescued by his astrologer wife, Gillian, who "resurrects'' his career and takes it to heights unreachable without her. The movie's hype included Gillian's own book, billed as "the true story that inspired "Shine,' '' and a CD of David playing the Rach 3, both best sellers. There was also a frenzied concert tour that appalled the critics and delighted the public for the same reason: its focus on David's psychiatric problems, rather than his musicianship. (The promoters claimed the critics were just suffering from "pianist envy.'') "Out of Tune'' methodically rebuts each distortion of David's life, quoting numerous friends and teachers who were shocked and angered by "Shine'' and never consulted in its preparation, despite being portrayed in it. The family was excluded and lied to for the decade it took to make the film.
Movies Unlimited: Product Page 1996) In his masterful, Academy Awardwinning performance, Geoffrey Rush shinesas david helfgott, the real-life Australian concert pianist who suffers an http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=025157
Movies Unlimited: Product Page Shine (1996) In his masterful, Academy Awardwinning performance, Geoffrey Rush shinesas david helfgott, the real-life Australian concert pianist who suffers http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=025133
Movie Review Of SHINE The film is based on the true story of Australian pianist david helfgott (GeoffreyRush). In it we never actually meet helfgott's father's father. http://www.wheatoncrc.org/reviews/shine.html
Extractions: Written by Jan Sardi. This movie is about fathers and sons and the pain we pass along as the generations go by. The film is based on the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush). In it we never actually meet Helfgott's father's father. All we see is his severe portrait on the wall (a portrait that is virtually a character in the film judging by the furtive way the camera and the characters give it worried glances). And all we hear is the one story about him told several times. The story is told as a ritual exchange between David and his father, Peter Helfgott. Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl) tells the story. It seems that he loved music as a boy. He saved and saved his money and bought a wonderful violin. He asks his son: "But what happened to my violin?"
Shine currently gracing many people's ten best list is Shine, a film which tells thetruelife story of david helfgott, a brilliant child prodigy pianist who is http://www.fuzzydog.com/zzshine.htm
Extractions: "You're a very lucky boy, David." SHINE (PG-13) Hailing from Australia and currently gracing many people's "ten best" list is Shine , a film which tells the true-life story of David Helfgott, a brilliant child prodigy pianist who is driven to madness in the face of his genius. In Shine , we get a hauntingly complex view of Helfgott's life, exploring a quietly destructive relationship with his overbearing father, an incredible passion and talent for music, and the mental collapse that either one or both of these brings forth. Along the way, we are treated to absolutely stellar performances by Noah Taylor (as the young David), Geoffrey Rush (as the adult David), and Armin Mueller-Stahl (as David's father), and some wonderful musical selections (piano pieces, of course) by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and others. So, why not a higher rating? Well, one would suppose (as I did) that a film blessed with such great acting performances and an engaging "based-on-true-life" story would provide for a powerful, moving, and potentially enlightening movie experience. It should. Unfortunately, Shine doesn't quite get there. It's hard to describe what's missing in the
Boston Review | Shine Shine, the Australian film about the life of pianist david helfgott, was an unexpectedsuccess at the box office, garnered an Oscar nomination as best picture http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR22.3/stone.html
Extractions: For more film reviews by Alan Stone, click here or choose from a list of film titles (alphabetical) American Beauty Antonia's Line The Autumn Tale A Beautiful Mind Beloved Bullets Over Broadway Burnt by the Sun Character Un Coeur en Hiver Crooklyn The Crying Game Dancer in the Dark Divided We Fall The English Patient Girl, Interrupted The Governess Hamlet (1996) Hamlet (2000) Intimacy (2001) King of Masks Life is Beautiful Lolita Lone Star Ma Vie en Rose Mrs. Dalloway Othello Persuasion The Piano Phantom Menace Pulp Fiction Remains of the Day The Road Home Schindler's List Sense and Sensibility Shine Shower The Story of Qiu Ju Thirteen Days Titus Andronicus Waco: The Rules of Engagement The Wings of the Dove A high-culture docudrama presents a profoundly misleading portrait of mental disorder. Shine , the Australian film about the life of pianist David Helfgott, was an unexpected success at the box office, garnered an Oscar nomination as best picture, and earned Geoffrey Rush the prize for best actor. Though Rush, an accomplished Australian stage actor, had almost no previous experience in film, he was surrounded by film veterans. Armin Mueller-Stahl, who played Peter Helfgott (David's father), earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. An extraordinary film actor/political activist/intellectual, Mueller-Stahl may be remembered as the farmer in Agnieszka Holland's first major film, Angry Harvest . John Geilgud and Lynne Redgrave, too, have important roles in the film and add their pedigree and polish to the effort.
Musical Autographs: Catalog 50 090. helfgott, david SP 6 x 8 photo of the pianist who inspired thefilm SHINE ..$65 091. http://www.rgrossmusicautograph.com/instrumental50.html
MyJPC | School News Adam (6D), Nathan (3D) and Sarah (1A) Hall recently had the honour of meetingand performing for famous Australian pianist david helfgott (portrayed by http://www.myjpc.com/family/schoolnews.asp?archive=yes&year=2001
GoHastings.com Item Information pianist david helfgott's discography, including david helfgott PLAYSRACHMANINOV, can be found in the Muze classical music database. http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/item/item.asp?prodid=32907514
The Louisville Scene - Movies They don't know he's david helfgott, a oncepromising concert pianist who has justbeen released after a decade in a mental institution following a stupendous http://www.louisvillescene.com/movies/movierev/19961224shine.htm
Extractions: MPAA Rating: PG-13; profanity, brief nudity and implied sexual content. (1 hr., 45 min.) Despite much dark and painful emotional turbulence, this stunning Australian film ultimately glows with its passion for music and a passion for people. No wonder it's already showing up on many year-end polls and has already earned five Golden Globe nominations. As Shine opens, we encounter a stuttering, chain-smoking eccentric, stumbling into a cocktail lounge on a rainy night. He ignores the bemused patrons, and makes his way to an upright piano, standing against the wall. The club's regular pianist is taking a break at the bar. As the dripping-wet oddball sits at the piano and begins fingering, patrons giggle with embarrassment and the regular pianist shouts derisively, "Let's hear it, Liberace!" And then the stranger begins to play, ripping into The Flight of the Bumble Bee flawlessly, at breakneck speed. The laughter stops.
Greg Sandow -- Rachmaninoff 3d Comparisons Poor david helfgott got an F; Vladimir Horowitz got an A, for his version with Fritz Clickthe RA icons below to hear the pianist of your choice, and if you http://www.gregsandow.com/rach3.htm
Extractions: This all started with a "Consumer Guide" I wrote for the Village Voice, New York's big alternative weekly. I listened to 17 recordings of this suddenly popular concerto, and wrote 17 quick paragraphs, with a grade attached to each one. Poor David Helfgott got an F; Vladimir Horowitz got an A, for his version with Fritz Reiner conducting. (Though a later Horowitz release, a live performance with Eugene Ormandy, only got C+.) You can read this adventure, right here on this site. Much later and by a happy coincidence I was asked to write about the concerto once again, this time for the Los Angeles Times. In fact, I was asked to defend it against critical attacks, which I was happy to do. The more I listened to it, for my Voice consumer guide, the more I loved it. And I enlisted two very articulate pianists to help me defend it Alexander Toradze, and Byron Janis. This piece, too, is available here But you want to hear the music my comparisons of six pianists playing the same Rach 3 excerpt. Click the RA icons below to hear the pianist of your choice, and if you have RealAudio 3.0 or higher installed on your computer you'll hear the excerpts "streaming" down the Internet in real time.
Shine The movie traces the true life story of Australian pianist david helfgott, fromhis early days as a child prodigy dominated by his father to his eventual http://www.happening.com.sg/film/picks/Shine/
Extractions: THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES For years, filmmakers have attempted to tell the stories of great pianists. Their attempts usually end up being either overly dominated by the music (such that it dwarfs and obscures the individual's story, like with the 1956 movie The Eddy Duchin Story, where you remember Chopin's Nocturne No. 2 Opus 9 and not the story of the celebrated New York pianist) or too tied up with the artist's love life (and forgets everything else that made that person and his music great, like the melodramatic biopic of Franz Liszt, A Song to Remember). And so, for years, filmmakers have failed. Until Shine. The movie traces the true life story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, from his early days as a child prodigy dominated by his father to his eventual mental breakdown to his regeneration under the loving care of his wife. But Shine is so much more than a biopic.
Extractions: All Formats DVD Video Books Audio Books Collectibles Music Kids All Series A Fine Romance Absolutely Fabulous All Creatures Great and Small Angelmouse Are You Being Served? As Time Goes By Avengers Ballykissangel BBC America BBC Films BBC Heritage BBC Legends Benny Hill BFI Top Films Black Adder Blakes 7 Blue Planet Britten the Performer Changing Rooms Chronicles of Narnia Coupling Doctor Who Dorothy L. Sayers Duchess of Duke Street EastEnders Father Ted Fawlty Towers Forsyte Saga Good Neighbors Gormenghast Great Food Ground Force History of Britain Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The House of Cards Human Face Inspector Morse Intimate Universe: The Human Body Jazz Legends Jeeves and Wooster Keeping Up Appearances Last of the Summer Wine League of Gentlemen Life of Birds Lord Peter Wimsey Miss Marple Monarch of the Glen Monty Python Oscar Wilde Collection Pallisers Poirot Poldark Queen's Jubilee Red Dwarf Ripping Yarns Robbie the Reindeer Scarlet Pimpernel Sex, Chips and Rock 'n Roll Sherlock Holmes Sister Wendy Thunderbirds To the Manor Born Upstairs Downstairs Vicar of Dibley Waiting for God Walking with Cavemen Walking With Dinosaurs Walking with Prehistoric Beasts Walking With... Series
Venice - Films david helfgott is the pianist, and his return to the concert stage is enjoying themomentum of the release of his story, Shine, in Australian cinemas midAugust http://www.filmfestivals.com/venice/vfilmc16.htm
Extractions: Scott Hicks The piano prodigy from a provincial Australian city is suffocated by his well-meaning, overprotective father, but finally breaks free only to implode with a nervous breakdown on the concert stage in London. He spends a decade in Australian mental institutions, and after his release wanders into a bar and invites himself to play the piano complete with vocal eccentricities to the stunned delight of all. This rekindles his career and sets up a meeting with a woman who falls in love with him. Good story: even better because it's true. Better still because the pianist is very much alive, and living in a provincial backwater. David Helfgott is the pianist, and his return to the concert stage is enjoying the momentum of the release of his story, Shine, in Australian cinemas mid-August, on the eve of its prestige screening here in Venice. This was the film at Sundance earlier this year, over which Miramax and New Line fought for US rights; this is the film which has screened at the film festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and which is rocketing the name of its director, Scott Hicks, into the A list. Hicks had been working on the project with the help of the Australian Film Commission for some time before it became a viable production, when Hicks invited producer Jane Scott to come on board officially. Writer Jan Sardi was 'scrupulous' says Hicks, but he notes: 'The film is inspired by David Helfgott rather than being a biographical journey. But it's really a film and a story in its own right.'
E! Online News - Helfgott Debuts In Boston helfgott Debuts in Boston by Jeff B. Copeland Mar 5, 1997, 200 PM PT The realDavid helfgott, the eccentric pianist whose life became Shine, achieved a http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,748,00.html
Extractions: The real David Helfgott, the eccentric pianist whose life became Shine , achieved a lifelong dream last night and made his American debut at Symphony Hall in Boston. The sell-out crowd cheered, the critics gaggedbut then the critics have already savaged his recording of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto and it's the number-one classical CD in the nation. Smiling broadly, the pianist bounded on stage and plowed right into his playlist of Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven. Just as in the movie, he kept up a backbeat of grunts, growls and spoken comments. "Slow it down now, slow it down," he said to himself during one passage. "Make it sing." Many in the audience seemed to hang on every note. "I've seen the movie five times," Gary Burnham, a union official told the Los Angeles Times. "I think I'm as crazy as he is, but nowhere near as talented." Helfgott's first published review came in the Boston Globe.
Performers - Piano Organ And Harpsichord Andre Hamelin. helfgott, david (b. 1947) david helfgott is the pianistwho inspired the hit movie Shine . Horowitz, Vladimir (1903 http://classicalmusic.about.com/cs/pianists/
