The story of a young man who defies his father's wishes in order to pursue his dreams. Both thought-provoking and powerful, it tells a story of rebellion and of individuality through the eyes of a pianist whose only form of self-expression is found in the keys of his instrument.
(22 votes)
2.
This acclaimed film paints a wrenching portrait of the life of Australian piano virtuoso David Helfgott and his struggles with his war-traumatized, demanding father; mental illness and asylum incarceration; and his obsession with the virtually unplayable Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 ("Rach 3"). Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor--Armin Mueller-Stahl. Academy Awards: Best Actor--Geoffrey Rush.
(22 votes)
3.
This tearjerker by Australian filmmaker Scott Hicks is a surprising story about real-life classical pianist David Helfgott, an Australian who rose to international prominence at a very young age in the 1950s and 1960s, and suffered a psychological collapse after enduring years of abuse from his father (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Hicks has three very fine actors portraying Helfgott at different stages of his life, including the adorably wry and goofy Noah Taylor (Flirting), who takes up the character's teen years, and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, giving a great performance playing the musician as a schizophrenic adult. Despite the Helfgotts' compromised psychological health, Shine is hardly a depressing experience. If anything, the story is really about how long one person's life can take to make glorious sense of itself. Sir John Gielgud, in golden form, plays Helfgott's teacher. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
(21 votes)
4.
A Scott Hicks Film
Based on the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, this delightful movie charts the early and traumatic early years. Telling the story in flashback we see David as he grows up and into a child prodigy while his father abuses him and his siblings with the memory of his childhood in Europe and the loss of his family in the concentration camps. David finally breaks away from his father and goes away to study overseas, he later suffers a breakdown and returns to Australia and a life in an institution. Many years later he is released and through several twists of fate (in reality even more unlikely that film portrays) he starts playing a piano in a bar before finally returning to the concert hall.
(20 votes)
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