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ShineRating:
Release Date: 22 August, 1997 Retail Price: $19.98 OUR Price: $17.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Complete Cast (6 total) |
Shine Reviews
Winning at Life!
SHINE is a truly inspiring film about how one musician, David Helfgott, overcomes his domineering father and the unforgiving Rachmaninoff 3 to find joy, love and much deserved recognition.
David's first obstacle is his father, Peter Helfgott, who repeatedly bullies his son to 'always win' and then repeatedly denies him the ability to do so by abusing him and preventing him from getting proper teaching abroad.
When David escapes his abusive father to study at the Royal College of London, he finds another cruel master, Rachmaninoff 3, perhaps the most difficult of piano pieces. Practicing night and day allows him to overcome this obstacle- but at a heavy price- it is indelibly etched in his soul.
He descends into maddness- in which he continually fingers Rachmaninoff, and even starts speaking in a fast, stuttering fashion (perhaps based on the piece), forgets 'important' things such as putting on his clothes.
While David never fully overcomes his illness, it doesn't matter. As the film moves on, it becomes clear that neither his father nor Rachmaninoff 3 could conquer his ebullient spirit. Returning to the piano years later (by wandering into a bar) he wins instant recognition for his virtuoso performance. Later, his charming but humble personality delights a wealthy astrologist, Gillian Murray. They marry, and with her support he returns to the concert scene, and fame. More importantly, he lives with joy- not being afraid of jumping up and down on a trampoline or running with abandon on the beach, or putting his shoes on backward.
Peter Helfgott wanted his son to win piano competitions. David ends up winning so much more- he wins by leading a life filled with joy and love, and by inspiring others to do the same.
Radiant Return from the Abyss
"It is paradise to perform in front of an audience...I feel at one with the audience and I have an image in my thoughts which inspires me. I think of the beauty of the music and imagination it generates." ~David Helfgott
Comic and profound, Shine reaches into the heart of what every meaningful movie seems to embody. The underlying currents are dark and cold, but the heights reach for a much more breezy mood and playful appeal. As a child prodigy struggles to live his life and please his father, he finds ways to survive even when his mind is drenched in obsessions and his life is a series of creative adventures.
As if he can't contain the creativity it jumps from him in moments of inspired greatness. The way this story is woven together on screen is especially entertaining and you can't help but cry, laugh and be pleasantly surprised by the moments of inappropriate yet hilarious behavior. When David Helfgott speaks it is fast and furiously with his mind making connections in a very intriguing fashion.
One of the brilliant moments is when Sir John Gielgud is shouting: "You have to tame the piano..." David Helfgott does more than tame the piano, he gives the piano a heart and the way he plays can be exciting, tense, relaxing, dreamy, intense, heart-sigh beautiful or even soul stirring and profound. You live in anticipation as classical music springs to life from his fingers. When he moves to London to study at the Royal College of music, he suffers more from his illness and seems to be at a breaking point from which he won't recover.
This story of an Australian Pianist with an almost bipolar lifestyle shows the intricacies of survival within an illness. At times, the places he lives are left in shambles as he follows one joy to the next. Shine has profound movies of brilliance, beautiful heartfelt scenes and a dark side that creates a struggle until the moment of redemption in the rapturous standing ovation. Shine had my full attention and took me on a wild emotional ride into the eccentric David Helfgott's world of joyful child-like expression.
Artistic license seems to run freely through this movie and the director may indulge in docudrama in places. In the end, you may just want to set aside the controversy and enjoy this for the beauty and connection. In the end, it is love that saves us all from ourselves and makes life a worthwhile adventure. Shine succeeds on so many levels, where so many other movies fail. My heart was completely captured and I feel that if all people care about is how his father was portrayed, they sadly missed the entire point of the story.
~The Rebecca Review
More Customer Reviews (21 total)
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