Shine
Tags: tragedy, insanity, romantic, sentimental

Plot synopsis:
A man (Geoffrey Rush) wanders through a heavy rainstorm finding his way into a restaurant. The restaurant's employees try to determine if he needs help. Despite his manic mode of speech being difficult to understand, Sylvia learns that his name is David Helfgott and that he is staying at a local hotel. She returns him to the hotel and despite his attempts to engage her with his musical knowledge and ownership of various musical scores, she leaves.
As a child, David (played by Alex Rafalowicz) is growing up in suburban Adelaide, South Australia and competing in a local music competition. Helfgott has been taught to play by his father, Peter (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl), a man obsessed with winning who has no tolerance for failure or disobedience. David is noticed by Mr. Rosen, a local pianist who, after an initial conflict with Peter, takes over David's musical instruction.
As a teen, David (played by Noah Taylor) wins the state musical championship and is invited to study in America. Although plans are made to raise money to send David and his family is initially supportive, Peter eventually forbids David to leave and abuses him, thinking David leaving would destroy the family. Crushed, David continues to study and befriends local novelist and co-founder of the Communist Party of Australia, Katharine Susannah Prichard (Googie Withers). David's talent grows until he is offered a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London. David's father again forbids him to go but with the encouragement of Katharine, David leaves. In London, David enters a Concerto competition, choosing to play Rachmaninoff's enormously demanding 3rd Concerto, a piece he had attempted to learn as a young child to make his father proud. As David practices, he increasingly becomes manic in his behavior. David wins the competition, but suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he receives electric shock therapy.
David recovers to the point where he is able to return to Australia, but is still rejected by his father. David relapses and is readmitted to a mental institution as a young man. Years later, a volunteer at the institution recognizes David and knows of his musical talent. She takes him home but discovers that he is difficult to control, unintentionally destructive, and needs more care than she can offer. She leaves him at the hotel from earlier in the film. David has difficulty adjusting to life outside the institution, and often wanders away from the hotel. David wanders to the nearby restaurant.
The next day David returns to the restaurant, and the patrons are astounded by his ability to play the piano. One of the owners befriends David and looks after him. In return David plays at the restaurant. Through the owner David is introduced to Gillian (Lynn Redgrave). David and Gillian fall in love and marry. With Gillian's help and support, David is able to come to terms with his father's death and to stage a well-received comeback concert presaging his return to professional music.

Review: "Shine" purports to tell the story of David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush, who plays the adult Helfgott), a promising pianist who overcame mental illness, with the help of his wife, and returned to performing.The 1996 film is actually a fictionalized version of Helfgott's life - but even had it not been based on a true story, it remains a powerful, intriguing film.David is the child of German émigrés who now live in Australia.
His father Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is a self-taught pianist who teaches David his same love of piano and classical music.
In a small role, John Gielgud of course makes a fine impression as an elderly teacher, a wonderful pianist himself, who believes in David's talent.The best scene is David playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3 - Helfgott's own recording of the piece is used - and the aftermath.
What I missed in this film is music - there was a lot of talk about David's promise, but until the Rachmaninoff not much playing.Helfgott's work today has been deeply criticized for being - well, lousy.
I don't think the commenter has any idea what Helfgot is like on his medication - certainly in the film, he acts strangely."Shine" is highly recommended for its fantastic performances, beautiful music, and its inspiring story..
Nonetheless, it's a very well-made movie.Geoffrey Rush is fascinating in the lead role as "David Helfgott." However, I would give equal kudos to Noah Taylor, who played Helfgott as a teenager, and to Armin Mueller-Stahl, who was Helfgott's father.
This is a good film in every sense but will mean most to fathers with strong views :).The story of a brilliant young pianist whose relationship with his father drives him to some sort of mental illness.
The real Helfgott didn't spend 15 years abandoned in a room with a piano, he didn't have to stand in the rain outside of a bar before they would let him in, he was pretty well known in the local scene as a pianist, his father was not a Holocaust survivor and David had been married before, father and son were never really estranged and David was present at his funeral.But the 'objective' point-of-view that purports to explain him, or any of us at any time based on a few facts, is in the end no less hypocritical than any attempt to pass dramatization as 'the real story'.
Someone can be present at a funeral without being truly present, and someone can feel forgotten and alone even when they're factually surrounded by people, estranged from a parent even when formally this was never so.The film is at a simple emotional level where the attempt to conquer a maddening complexity (music, life) snaps the tethers of mind and in due time the reconfiguring of this damage into blossoming art.
And this is what rankles so much Helfgott's piano critics who find him borderline incompetent in his playing - he is cheered on in concerts because he is the character from this film.Ideally we would be able to discern all these points here instead of one harmony: the truly damaged but kind soul, the inability to place blame for that damage on any ogre father or Holocaust, and being able to somehow experience his music (the real Helfgott recorded for the film) as a trained ear would, fixated flourishes followed by distraction and incompetence according to critics, musically extending the damaged self.For a more demanding film on the same subject of madness and transcendent musical genius see a little known film on a medieval composer called Death in Five Voices: all about the dissonance between different voices trying to harmonize a story and this carried in the music itself..
"Shine" is one of the great movies of the '90's, that became an unexpected success in 1996 and was the movie that earned Geoffrey Rush his as of yet only Oscar win and got the movie 6 more Oscar nominations, including best director and best picture.The movie shows how Australian born David Helfgott gets formed and influenced in his early life by his demanding and abusive father (wonderfuly played by Armin Mueller-Stahl), who is in strict control of the family.
It's a really great directed and told movie, from Scott Hicks.But of course like every good biopic, the movie doesn't only presents facts and some things are altered, in order to enhance the movie and its story or characters.
"Shine" truly benefits from its approach and story.I also enjoyed David Hirschfelder nice little musical score (also Oscar-nominated).
Who knows, perhaps they could had better waited for another 30 years to come up with a movie about his life, for who knows what more strange and beautiful moments his life shall know.Perhaps it's not the most stylish or greatest made movie but the combination of the interesting unique story, pace and main character (and of course Geoffrey Rush his performance of him) are what makes this movie such a basically flawless (you simply just forgive the movie for its flaws and shortcomings while you're watching it) and captivating one to watch.10/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
SHINE (1996) **** Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Alex Rafalowicz, Armin Mueller Stahl, Lynn Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Googie Withers.
Excellent Oscar nominated bio pic about acclaimed Australian pianist virtuoso David Helfgott (played equally brilliant by Rush {deservingly winning the Oscar as Best Actor} as an adult, Taylor as a young man and Rafalowicz as the child prodigy) who suffered mental anguish thru his art largely due to his overbearing father (Mueller Stahl, Best Supporting Actor nominee, in a demanding yet effective role) that led to his nervous breakdown that nearly destroyed him.
Geoffrey Rush is unbelievable as the piano prodigy David Helfgott, and although the film is kind of sewn up a little quickly with the Vanessa Redgrave subplot (what about Helfgott made her so in love with him in a short period of time as to want to marry him?) it is a very well done film that I highly recommend to just about anyone, but especially musicians and music lovers.--Shelly.
The true story of David Helfgott, a piano virtuoso who suffered a mental breakdown early in his life while under the thumb of his demanding father who, for the purposes of melodrama, is not just embittered and jealous but abusive as well.
It's more the combined effect of script/direction/production) 3)Incredibly heavy-handed, clichéd depiction of the father's issues resulting from surviving the Holocaust (ditto above comment; I didn't have a problem with the actual performance) 4)General oversimplification, hollowness and reliance on emotional manipulation to cover up a lack of insightThe above intruded so much on my consciousness that I just couldn't ignore them & let myself get caught up in the music or the story.
This is a nice story, but it is very troubling how the movie suggests that David's mental state, which is obviously schizophrenia, is somehow cause by his father's abuse.
Noah Taylor and Geoffrey Rush (in a well-deserved Oscar-winning turn) played Helfgott during his teenage and adult years.
It is no surprise that this tale, based 'loosely' on the life of pianist David Helfgott (I say loosely because this is by no means a strict documentary, as many liberties are taken with the script) was nominated for the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, and were it not for THE English PATIENT, would have walked away with the grand prize.Geoffrey Rush as the adult Helfgott is amazing and his Best Lead Actor victory for his portrayal of this musical genius was well-deserved as the performance was simply breathtaking.
We hear in the background on an old gramophone (throbbing dotted notes in the bass entirely inaudible); its themes are woven into the film's score; and in the big climactic scene where David plays it in public for the first time, sound effects are distorted so that we hear almost everything EXCEPT Rachmaninov's music as it really is.
Based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who, suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions comes to life with Rush's most urgent performance to date.'Shine' as a film, is a notch above the ordinary.
I fell in love with this movie cause it shows you family selfishness in a raw way, by using the character of Davids father,great acting by Stahl.The directing was incredible,even that little detail when rush does the jumping in the hospital, which symbolizes the traumatized childhood of his character, and more importantly the look in rush eyes, were like an innocent traumatized child.
It also has funny scenes (like the ones in the restaurant which David's gift gets explored again,while he's playing the flight of the bumble bee) The deep and sharp-cut character profiles also makes the movie more interesting.Everyone who is interested in music and arts should watch this movie and see the gifted persons' sacrificing their lives and pains and troubles (like demons crowding together) before getting understood and spreading their blaze around...
I think that the movie skips very important parts of the story such as the time David spent in the mental institute, and we do not get the understanding that he has moved from America to Austrlia.
The runtime is also a little bit long.Pros: Touching and powerful story, great ending, amazing acting, the break down sequence, and Geoffrey Rush's performanceCons: Some slow pacing and an overlong runtimeOverall Rating: 8.5.
It's an uplifting story about a talented pianist who lost it all after suffering for an extreme mental breakdown, it's really inspiring to see someone get back on their feet and become a better person than they ever were before, it makes you feel confident about yourself, and what you have achieved, I love a movie that can do that to their audience.
The cast is magnificent, Geoffrey Rush shines, as he always does, delivering a well deserved Oscar winning performance, his best scenes are with Armin Mueller-Stahl, the chemistry between them is very strong, bringing great passion to their roles.
Pianist David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush), driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown.
Shine is the real life story of David Helfgott, a gifted pianist suffering from some severe mental problems.
Three different actors portray the tortured soul at three stages of his life, concluded by Geoffrey Rush's stream of consciousness and Oscar winning performance, which makes the film well worth the occasionally bumpy ride.
Scott Hicks tells a moving story of musician David Helfgott, a child prodigy who vanishes into oblivion because of a mental illness while he continues battling his inner demons.
Geoffrey Rush won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor, although he only appears for about 40 minutes of the film, and he, Alex Rafalowicz and Noah Taylor all makes for great performances as the leading man throughout his maturing life.
The piece plays a pivotal role in Helfgott's story and as such, this film based on him brilliantly reflects its beauty and turbulence."Shine" is not a typical biopic in this way: there are no scenes written or dragged out solely to open your tear ducts.
When Helfgott finally escapes to London to learn at the Royal School of Music, attempts Rachmaninoff for a recital and suffers a breakdown at the conclusion of the piece, suddenly the film becomes a series of clips: scenes that appear to be in order but lack clear objective and purpose with exception of David's piano skills returning bit by bit.This recital/Helfgott's breakdown scene is the best in the movie.
Geoffrey Rush delivers a stunning performance as the adult Helfgott and allows the viewer to understand the sensitivity of such a brilliant pianist.
3. Maybe as David's father says in the film: "Life is a struggle you have to fight".This is a movie filled with sorrow, happiness and some really good performances, among them Geoffrey Rush as David when he's an adult.
'Shine', however, allows Australian cinema to jump a few steps and really get some world attention.Sure, there have been raging arguments recently as to how close (or how totally far away, as the case may be) the plot is from David Helfgott's life, there can be no doubt that this film is exceptional stuff.The fact that Geoffrey Rush won as Oscar for this film says it all.
He really was the one playing the piano in the second half of the film (though Helfgott recorded the sound), so he deserves great credit for that.
shine is one of the most precious movies for me, i loved it from the first sight, its screen making, acting, cast, plot, every thing is just perfect, and above all how the writer and the director handle to express such intrigued element as the sensitive characters as David Helpoffgot.
Geoffrey Rush amazes in this true-life story about the rise and fall and rise of a concert pianist with acute emotional and psychological problems.The film itself is pretty standard biopic fair, its pedigree elevated somewhat by its independent, art-house vibe.
But Rush is a revelation, and this is the movie that brought him to mainstream attention, particularly after winning the 1996 Best Actor Oscar.Armin Mueller-Stahl gives a frightening performance as Rush's stern and domineering father, and Noah Taylor does nice work, seamlessly portraying Rush as an adolescent.Grade: A-.
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.
This is the first ever Australian movie that I witnessed and its not the story/screenplay/music or the dialogs but the acting of the lead character - Geoffrey Rush!
I do not prefer this kind of music - but after the movie I got myself humming Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3.Geoffrey Rush got an Oscar for this performance.
The real David Helfgott actually contributed as a musician (pianist,of course) for this wonderful film about his life, dramatizing hisstruggles through his childhood and breakdown as an adolescent.Yet it isn't about gloomy and depressing accounts but aboutsurvival and living to the best of one's abilities.
Neither insanity nor therapy nor other people can ruin this will to express things coming out of heart and soul, things that make you shineGeoffrey Rush (David Helfgott) has deserved Oscar for his astonishing performance.
Shine is a Fantastic true story of Pianist David Helfgott and his battle with mental illness, brought on by several factors in his life, each resulting from his "piano prodigy" status.
One thing I think really took away what could have been a fantastic film, is the portrayal of Helfgott, by actor Geoffrey Rush.
I know that many people regard this actor as one of the greatest of our time, but Shine represents quite the opposite.What we have here is a fantastic story of battles though life, turned into a fantastic screen-play, and subsequently, and quite sadly, turned into a simply mediocre film.
Yup I was.Told in three parts, Geoffrey Rush does do a fine job as Australian piano prodigist David Helfgott but honestly I was more impressed by Armin Mueller Stahl as his abusive, insecure father and Noah Taylor as the adolescent David, who shows the moment of his mental breakdown after preforming Rachmaninoff's technically demanding Piano Concerto No. 3.Now that was a good scene even if it's left a little unclear as to why and what happened directly afterwards.
04.05.14"Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for his performance in this true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, who burst on the competition scene at a very early age, but whose star potential was shattered by a nervous breakdown.".
Geoffrey Rush was virtually unknown when he played pianist David Helfgott in "Shine", but his masterful performance here opened the door to a versatile career in the ten years since.
The movie shows how David had a real talent for the piano and wanted to go study in London, but his father Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl) - who had survived the Holocaust - was afraid of his son leaving home and wouldn't let him go.
This eventually led to David having a breakdown, although he later recovered.Rush won Best Actor for his performance, and you'd better believe that he deserved it.
What is most fascinating on the movie is the classical music and also the performances of Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Lynn Redgrave and John Gilgud.
Rush plays David Helfgott, a spectacular pianist whose bad relationship with his father drives him insane.
Thank You Scott Hicks, David and Gillian Helfgott, Jan Sardi, Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor and the entire extraordinary cast for this film.
It's the life story of David Helfgott, a pianist, how he becomes famous and then how he suffers a breakdown.
Shine (1996):Dir: Scott Hicks / Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Gielgud, Lynn Redgrave, Noah Taylor: Intriguing film about a life conquered by discouragement.
Like "Hilary and Jackie", which came out two years later, "Shine" is based on the life of a real classical musician, the Australian pianist David Helfgott.
The film tells the story of Helfgott's life, especially his relationship with his father Peter, his struggles against mental illness and his eventual recovery.Peter is portrayed here by Armin Mueller-Stahl as a domineering tyrant who expects total obedience from his children and who is obsessed with winning and success at all costs.
David's success, however, has come at too high a price, because while in London the emotional strain proves too much for him, and he suffers a mental breakdown and is committed to an institution.This was the film which first made a star of Geoffrey Rush, hitherto a little-known Australian actor.