Shine [1997]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

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Synopsis
The true story of Australian child prodigy, David Helfgott, who is accepted in a London music school enabling him to pursue his passion for classical music and escape his overbearing father. However, his mental decline continues and only the love of one woman can help him...

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From the Back Cover
Inspired by the true story of Australian child prodigy David Heifgott ( Rush), Shine examines his journey from a childhood dominated by an overbearing father to his nervous breakdown as a young adult. When David is accepted to a prestigious music school in London as a teen, he's only too happy to escape his home life and pursue his passion for classical music. But his father's rejection and the pressures of mastering such concertos as Rachmanioff's lead to his downward spiral into mental illness. Only the love of one woman can help him re-enter society and share his musical gift.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2004-06-23 rating:
Sheer brilliance
If I'm honest now, when i sat down to watch this film i was ready to be bored. The film is about classical music, so not an erratic story about a group of adventurous rock gods. I was wrong. This is one of the most moving and memorable films i have ever seen, whether this is because its a true life heart wrenching story or it features passion in the form of musical genius, i cannot decide. The superb acting talents made the characters come alive, so much so that the viewer feels that they could describe their feelings to the most intricate detail. I would recommend this film to anyone.

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review by: donanselmo date: 2004-02-01 rating:
Stunning performance by Geoffrey Rush
He won the Oscar in 1996 for Best Actor in this role, where he portrays a pianist, David Helfgott, whose great carrier as a pianist is severely damaged by a nervous breakdown. The way Rush shows the ingenuity of a slightly odd mind and the influence that it has on the movement of the body is truly stunning.
Get it, especially if you love Rachmaninoff or piano in general!

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review by: date: 2001-02-01 rating:
Forget everything you ever thought about classical music
This is certainly a film that can change your view on classical music. The story follows, somewhat erratically via flashback and revisiting, the life of an talented but capped young boy that make you find it hard to believe that it's true. Only when you realise that this is in fact the case does the hardship and struggle faced by David Helfgott really hit home. This erratic story line must have been intentional as it mimics the strange behaviour of the man himself as a result of rejection and pressure from his father at such a young age, and servers only to draw you in to the character more.

The descriptions and delivery of the music throughout gives you insight to the passion and fullness of classical music that always seemed to be missing in music lessons (at my school anyway). Sir John Gielgud's performance as his music teacher makes the music seem as fresh and vibrant as Oasis or Blur today. I dare anyone to watch this and not be moved, heartened and touched by the story of the man, but also not to be enthused to go out and build a huge collection of Rachmaninov or Vivaldi..

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review by: date: 2001-01-02 rating:
Sensational
This is the type of film that I love. It sensitively explores the relationship of a gifted young muscician to his repressive, but ambitious father, and later on, of the grown David to the adult world. It is funny, moving, and compelling. I particularly loved the piano playing, and bought Rachmaninov 3 on the strength of it.


review by: date: 2000-03-13 rating:
A really moving film
I really love 'Shine' because it's a film that genuinely moves me. It's based on the true story of David Helfgott, who is played as an adult by Geoffrey Rush in this unusual Australian bio-pic. Rush's acting style in this role is so frenetic and convincing that I didn't recognise him at all in later films like Elizabeth! Noah Taylor is equally brilliant playing Helfgott as a disturbed young boy, living in the shadow of an extremely repressive father. Another great reason to watch this video, along with the world-class acting, is the piano-playing - much of the sound for the later post-fame sequences is apparently provided by Helfgott himself.

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Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 12
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1990 - 1999
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