Films about piano

[mattgreenecomposer]

I wanted to start a thread on films about or associated with piano that people would recommend.
I'll start with two of my favorites- "Shine" (Geoffrey Rush) and The Pianist (Adrien Brody).

[thalbergmad]

The beast with 5 fingers.

Thal

[muz1kraz]

I wanted to start a thread on films about or associated with piano that people would recommend.
I'll start with two of my favorites- "Shine" (Geoffrey Rush) and The Pianist (Adrien Brody).

How about that Ray Charles movie that came out a few years back?

[gyzzzmo]

What, that horrible movie where that woman's fingers get chopped off? :S

[camstrings]

32 Short films about Glenn Gould

Richter the Enigma

[camstrings]

The Getting of Wisdom.
An Australian film about a rebellious schoolgirl with a gift for playing piano.

[minor9th]

"The Competition" with Richard Dreyfus and Amy Irving was good--in a typical Hollywood tradition. I just saw a German movie that was excellent titled "Vitus" --about a kid piano prodigy . The boy actor actually plays the pieces--no fakery!

[mattgreenecomposer]

I saw Vitus as well....excellent movie.  You can see the kid play on youtube for here during his audition for the part.  Schumann is all through the movies films score so if you like the a minor concerto, you will like the music in this movie.

[minor9th]

Yeah, that kid is pretty amazing: He's a gifted pianist, great actor, fluent in at least two languages (German/English), and I believe he's won a few youth competitions, too--geez! I hope he goes far either as a pianist or an actor.

[general disarray]

"Attack of the Fifty-Foot Arpeggio."

Followed by "The Pianist" with Isabelle Huppert -- the ONLY horror/porn movie about a pianist.  Not to be missed.

[Petter]

"Attack of the Fifty-Foot Arpeggio."

I wish this movie was real, sounds like fun

[dnephi]

"Attack of the Fifty-Foot Arpeggio."

Followed by "The Pianist" with Isabelle Huppert -- the ONLY horror/porn movie about a pianist.  Not to be missed.

??

[gyzzzmo]

??

The movie is called 'the piano', not the pianist

horror indeed, dont watch it if you love being a musician.

[Petter]

I think the english title is  "The piano teacher" if you mean the Jelinek movie

[danny elfboy]

You mean "The Piano" with Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin and Sam Neill?

[danny elfboy]

I don't know if I "recommend" it but this is a cute thing

"The 5.000 fingers of Dr. T"
The movie is based on the novel of Dr. Seuss (other movies based on his books are "The Cat in the Hat" "How the Grinch stole the Christmas" "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Butter Battle Book") The movie is about the nightmater of a boy whose piano teacher is agotistical and dictatorial. The teacher has 500 students-prisoners and is creating a huge piano to torture-teach all of them at the same time and has brainwashed the boy mother too.

[mattgreenecomposer]

To make things even more confusing there is another movie called the Pianist, which won some awards at a Toronto film festival years back.  I have it on DVD but its not very good.  Sisters become lifelong romantic rivals in this drama of first love when the celebrated Japanese pianist Yoshi Takahashi moves in across the street. 

Anyways...I am looking for a Korean movie I ran into a year ago about a piano teacher who was never quite good enough to play professionally and kinda "gave up" and became a teacher.  Years later she gets a child prodigy as one of her students and he does very well and she kind of takes advantage of the situation.  Does any body know this movie and if so could you pass on some info.
 

[danny elfboy]

There's also a thriller movie about piano playing called "The Page Turner"

[quantum]

There is Madame Sousatzka.  Eccentric piano teacher with gifted student. 

[Petter]

There's also a thriller movie about piano playing called "The Page Turner"

I liked that one =). What was the piece called that they preformed with the trio? Think it was Shostakovich

[bench warmer]

The movie is called 'the piano', not the pianist

horror indeed, dont watch it if you love being a musician.

There is a movie called "The Pianist".  Here's a link to it, with music and pics.  A true story. The book has been translated into 35 different languages.

All Chopin music.

https://www.szpilman.net/

[general disarray]

??

I screwed up here.  The horror/porn movie with Isabelle Huppert (directed by Austrian Michael Haneke) is called "The Piano Teacher" NOT "The Pianist."

If you rent it, you'll never listen to Schubert or Schoenberg in the same way again.  Promise.

p.s.  And there's "Deception" with Bette Davis, where she plays the "Appassionato (sp?)," and "The Great Lie" with Bette again and Mary Astor who plays the Tchaikovsky Concerto.  In all above-mentioned movies, people either get killed, betrayed, raped or pregnant -- but they NEVER stop practicing.  Good family fare, my recommendations. 

[anodibu]

I screwed up here.  The horror/porn movie with Isabelle Huppert (directed by Austrian Michael Haneke) is called "The Piano Teacher" NOT "The Pianist."

The original title is "La Pianiste" (the language of the movie is French) but it is neither a horror nor a porn movie. Not a movie for the faint of heart but a good movie nonetheless. The actress really played the piano in the movie by the way.

[minor9th]

The original title is "La Pianiste" (the language of the movie is French) but it is neither a horror nor a porn movie. Not a movie for the faint of heart but a good movie nonetheless. The actress really played the piano in the movie by the way.

The Piano Teacher is the "horror porn" movie. That's actually a bit of an overstatement. It's certainly quite disturbing, but I wouldn't say it's a porn flick. It's a harrowing tale of obsession/jealousy with some sex here and there. I loved one critic's response: "I'll never think of Schubert in quite the same way again."

[general disarray]

The Piano Teacher is the "horror porn" movie. That's actually a bit of an overstatement. It's certainly quite disturbing, but I wouldn't say it's a porn flick. It's a harrowing tale of obsession/jealousy with some sex here and there. I loved one critic's response: "I'll never think of Schubert in quite the same way again."

Just exaggerating.  In fact, I love the movie, as disturbing as it is.  But anyone I've ever recommended it to, has been outraged and declared me "sick and depraved" for admiring it.  I've really never seen a better performance than Huppert's and that famous older French actress -- whose name escapes me now -- who plays her mother.  Annie Giraudou, I think.

[minor9th]

I agree, the performances are amazing. I received similar comments from friends! One said, "You enjoy seeing people at their worst, don't you?" There may be an element of truth there...

[chopininov]

Although it's not about piano, but more the life of a composer, Amadeus is an exceptional film. As the eponymous name suggests, it's a fictional recount of Mozart's later life until his death.

[optima]

There's also a thriller movie about piano playing called "The Page Turner"

To my personal opinion, both "The Page Turner" (original title in French: "La tourneuse des pages") and The Piano Teacher are disappointing.No offense, but French cinema has an obsession with sex and disturbed minds.After watching The PIano Teacher , I was left with a feeling of pitty (and disgust at the same time)towards the protagonist and her Personality Disorder.. Indeed, this movie was a shock to me  because it is the story of a mentally disturbed woman that is exceptionally good in the one thing I love most-playing the piano!I tend to associate everything that has to do with the piano  with feelings of  love and creativity -this movie just grounded me violently  to reality and to the ugly side of things. So, if you are sensitive and romantic like i am , DONT watch this movie 

[Essyne]

There is a movie called "The Pianist".  Here's a link to it, with music and pics.  A true story. The book has been translated into 35 different languages.

All Chopin music.

https://www.szpilman.net/

I saw it Saturday. Loved it.

[mattgreenecomposer]

Roman Polanski is probably my favorite director... amazing.

The movie I was searching for before is called "For Horowitz."   Has anyone seen this movie?  I was hoping it is good.

[rhapsody4]

I seem to remember coming across a Scott Joplin film a few years ago. Can't remember it's name though, and from what I remember, I don't really think anyone is really missing out if they are not familier with it.

[slobone]

"Attack of the Fifty-Foot Arpeggio."

Followed by "The Pianist" with Isabelle Huppert -- the ONLY horror/porn movie about a pianist.  Not to be missed.

A truly wretched movie -- I hated every minute of it. Couldn't help noticing, though, that it had a lot in common with The Glass Menagerie -- you've got the Mother, the Daughter, and the Gentleman Caller. Except that this one featured broken glass...

[general disarray]

A truly wretched movie -- I hated every minute of it. Couldn't help noticing, though, that it had a lot in common with The Glass Menagerie -- you've got the Mother, the Daughter, and the Gentleman Caller. Except that this one featured broken glass...

You're kidding me!  You hated "Attack of the Fifty-Foot Arpeggio"?

[daro]

Even after more than 75 years, the all-time piano movie has still got to be Laurel & Hardy's "The Music Box."

yd

[slobone]

Even after more than 75 years, the all-time piano movie has still got to be Laurel & Hardy's "The Music Box."

yd

Can't argue with that! 

[chopininov]

Roman Polanski is probably my favorite director... amazing.

Isn't he that child molester?

[indutrial]

I'll start with two of my favorites- "Shine" (Geoffrey Rush) and The Pianist (Adrien Brody).

I actually liked The Pianist, though it's probably one of the most unpleasant movies I've ever seen. Shine was very well-made and well-acted as a movie but my appreciation of the Helfgott story stops there. After learning about how exploitative and manipulative Helfgott's quack astrologer wife was in putting that movie together and engineering his publicity campaign, I'm not sure I can enjoy that film again unless I pretend that it's total fiction. It's not about piano, but The Red Violin was a rather interesting flick. It wasn't all that good, but it did keep my interest for a little while. The way music has to be represented to garner the public's interest (intertwining it with mental illness, murder, or genocide) makes it hard to take Hollywood's treatment of classical music all that seriously. I would nominate Mr. Holland's Opus as one of the better ones out there, since it actually frames a lot of truths about music in the public and has a much more down-to-earth quality, despite its numerous syrupy moments.

[slobone]

If we're expanding to other instruments, don't miss Un Coeur en Hiver. It's about a guy who repairs violins, but it's a terrific movie and has a real feeling for classical music.

[minor9th]

Isn't he that child molester?

Yes, although the girl (12 or 13 at the time) claimed it was consensual, not that that's any better.

[krenske]

there's a movie about a gangster-type, drives a convertible, always carries a stereo on his shoulder, and plays decent piano. from memory, it's probably from the 70's or early 80's. anyone got an idea?

[communist]

theres a movie about Mozart titled Amadeus it was interesting.

[Petter]

there's a movie about a gangster-type, drives a convertible, always carries a stereo on his shoulder, and plays decent piano. from memory, it's probably from the 70's or early 80's. anyone got an idea?

Maybe this

Recent french remake

[minor9th]

Maybe this

Recent french remake

The Beat That My Heart Skipped is excellent.