Product: La Pianiste (Original French Version)
Rating: 4.0
A Commercial Success to Say the Very Least
I entirely agree with the previous reviewers. The actors and actresses are of the best choice. The characters are so well portrayed and the settings are so well depicted. The overall effects are quite convincing. It's defintely shocking and at least commercially this film is a success.The choice of Schubert's music at least serves two points. First, Schubert's music is one of the saddest in the history of music, it's the music of the loniest pilgrim. Second, contrary to Beethoven's music, which is so clear and straight forward, the changes of moods in Schubert's music are so sudden and so abundant and that it is often difficult to follow, and so are the turns and twists in this story.A general survey of the life of the pianists would making this story more convincing. An American critized Kissin for knowing nothing but playing on the piano from day to night all his life; Glenn Gould shut himself up in front of the piano since and before his pre-teens; Allica de Larrocha's mother begged her daughter to "live her life" (Allica's word), instead of sacrifying it to the piano; MargaretvArgerich's "fiance" (Margaret's own word) was the piano. The life of a musician destined to become a concert pianist could be very lonely ( and boring )to the point of abnormality unless you really enjoy it, or unless you can balance it with sufficient chamber music or the like. Yet, competition is so keen that 99 concert pianists out of a hundred would advise against a cereer of a concert pianist unless one is exceptionally talented.Obviously the heroine here as "a piano teacher", despite her sacrifice, didn't quite make it as a concert pianist. Her mother, so possessive and dominating, furiously urged her to earn more money to buy a flat etc. Furthermore, the family has a history of mental problem; and her mother sharing the bed with her even when she was forty something. Needless to say, this case is by no means a norm yet it is not at all unconvincing. And having been to the concert hall where this film was shot, it appears to me strikingly sad and true.What is controversial though is the deliberate distortion of the sound of all music, be it's piano or vocal music, so that there is NO MUSIC LEFT AT ALL, ONLY NOISES. Perhaps this serves the main theme of the story better, delivering a greater impact upon the audience. And yet on the other hand, one also wonders if that is really necessary, whether a mix of bitteress & sweetness would be more impressing.