Activities: films about classical music
There are many films about classical music and about the great composers.
We have chosen two which are both excellent films.
Your teacher will decide which you watch: or maybe you can watch both!
Amadeus is about Mozart
Shine is about the pianist David Helfgott
Case study: AMADEUS
Read this introduction to the film Amadeus.
Amadeus is a 1984 American epic period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and adapted by Peter Shaffer from his stage play Amadeus. The story is set in Vienna, Austria during the latter half of the 18th century, and is a fictionalized biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's music is heard extensively in the soundtrack of the film. The film follows a fictional rivalry between Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri at the court of Emperor Joseph II. [1]
Extra Reading: Read a bit about the plot....
An elderly Antonio Salieri confesses to the murder of his former colleague, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and attempts to kill himself by slitting his throat. Two servants take him to a mental asylum where a priest, Father Vogler, implores him to confess.
Salieri recounts how, even in his youth, he desired to be a composer, much to the chagrin of his father. He prays to God that, if he will make Salieri a famous composer, he will in return promise his faithfulness. Soon after, his father dies, which Salieri takes as a sign that God has accepted his vow. He is educated in Vienna and becomes court composer to Emperor Joseph II.
Mozart arrives in Vienna to perform at the request of his employer, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Salieri attends the performance to meet Mozart and, despite Mozart's obscenity and immaturity, finds his talent to be transcendent.
The Emperor desires to commission Mozart to write an opera and, despite the reservations of his advisers, summons him to the palace. Mozart happily accepts the job, much to the annoyance of Salieri. Mozart premieres Die Entführung aus dem Serail to mixed reviews from the Emperor. Salieri suspects that Mozart has slept with the star, Caterina Cavalieri, despite his engagement to Constanze Weber.
The Emperor desires that Mozart instruct his niece, Princess Elisabeth, in music, but Salieri discourages him from doing so. Constanze visits Salieri to persuade him to make the Emperor reconsider, but she is unsuccessful.
Salieri is enraged that God has bestowed upon Mozart the talent he has so desperately desired and vows to destroy Mozart. Mozart, meanwhile, struggles to find work and begins drinking. His father, Leopold Mozart, comes to visit him in Vienna. Constanze and Mozart take Leopold to a masked party (which Salieri also attends), where Mozart entertains the guests with musical antics. Leopold disapproves of his son's hedonism, and the family argues until Leopold leaves town.
Salieri hires a young girl to pose as the Mozarts' maid while spying for him. She takes him to the Mozart residence, where he discovers that Mozart is working on an opera based on the play The Marriage of Figaro, which the Emperor has forbidden. When Mozart is summoned to court to explain, he manages to convince the Emperor to allow his opera to premiere, despite Salieri and the advisers' attempts at sabotage.
Messengers arrive in Vienna with news of Leopold's death, and in response a grief-stricken Mozart pens Don Giovanni. Salieri recognizes the dead commander as symbolic of Leopold and hatches a plan. [1]
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[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Amadeus (film)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amadeus_(film)&oldid=933767498 (accessed January 4, 2020).
So, this is a film told from the point of view of Salieri (the Emperor's composer) who recognises Mozart's brilliance and is very jealous.
We know right from the start of the film that Salieri says he MURDERED Mozart. Was that really true?
While you watch the film, remember that film directors often create parts of the story to make the plot more exciting! There is no evidence to say that Salieri really killed Mozart; in fact, in real life they probably got on fine.
You can hear Mozart's beautiful music throughout the movie.
ENJOY THE FILM!
After watching it, there are some questions which you can do on your own or with a partner, to hand into your teacher.
Extra activity: read more about Mozart
EXTRA ACTIVITY
Mozart still fascinates experts today. They cannot understand how he was so brilliant at composing music. And he was also interesting as a person: as you can see in the film, he had a childish sense of humour and he loved going to parties. And he had a silly laugh!
Read about him in the following article.
Case study: SHINE
Read this introduction to the film Shine.
Shine is a 1996 Australian biographicaldrama film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions.... Geoffrey Rush was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 69th Academy Awards for his performance in the lead role. [1]
EXTRA READING Read a bit about the plot.
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 United States. 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 studies under Dr. Cecil Parkes (John Gielgud) and 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....... [1]
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[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Shine (film)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shine_(film)&oldid=933118366 (accessed January 5, 2020).
So, Shine is about a boy who has extraordinary musical talent but a terribly difficult life because of his frail mental health. His many hard hours of practicing and his perfectionism, and also the pressure put on him by his strict and sometimes abusive father, eventually make him have a breakdown. This is a true story. Here is a bit of a spoiler: the end is happy!
During the film you will hear beautiful classical piano music, and specially the very difficult piece that Helfgott is obsessed with learning so as to please his father: the 3rd piano concerto by Russian composer Serguei Rachmaninoff.
ENJOY THE FILM!!!
After watching it, you have some questions here that you can answer on your own or with a friend and hand in to your teacher.
Extra activity: watch a video of the real David Helfgott
David Helfgott went through very difficult years because of his mental breakdown. Now he is much better, but he is still quite hyperactive and he still talks to himself while he plays the piano! Here he is in the ceremony when Geoffrey Rush, the actor playing him in the film, got an Oscar. He plays the piece that the character plays in the movie restaurant scene: it is The Flight of the Bumblebee by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
It is moving to see this talented musician who went through such terrible times happy and playing the piano again.
Oscars The real David Helfgott Licencia YouTube
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