Geoffrey Rush deserved that leading role Oscar

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2018)

Coming back to a fondly remembered film after many years can be revelatory - sometimes recalled greatness remains, or even appears enhanced; in other cases, it's more like a bottle of not very good red kept far too long. But Shine, the story of just about world famous pianist David Helfgott, to me is firmly in the first category. The story was just as compelling and engrossing as I recall from the promotional fund raising screening in 1996, all proceeds to The Melbourne Chorale.
This was the role that launched Geoffrey Rush's film career internationally, and the film world is the richer for it. Mueller Stahl is totally believably awful as David's overbearing father, where his child prodigy's achievements are the totality of his world. Noah Taylor as the adolescent David and Alex Rafalowicz as the child prodigy are wonderful in these roles, and the visual continuity is convincing. This provides a logical lead in to Helfgott's mental health issues in his early adult life, where he is seen in various institutions in London and Australia.
The editing, where Rush is seem playing parts of the scores he can manage, with cuts to other pianists is convincing, and as a medium level player, Rush's visible upper body looks like he is playing most, if not all, of those difficult notes.
If you haven't seen it and are interested in the psychology of performers, in classical piano music, or just a well told tale, make the effort to dig Shine out. I don't think you will be disappointed.