Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7403 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-08-01
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

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

Special Features
Full Screen
English
Region 2
Interactive Menus

Synopsis
This acclaimed film paints a wrenching portrait of the life of Australian piano virtuoso David Helfgott and his struggles with his war-traumatized, demanding father; mental illness and asylum incarceration; and his obsession with the virtually unplayable Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 ("Rach 3"). Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor--Armin Mueller-Stahl. Academy Awards: Best Actor--Geoffrey Rush.

Customer Reviews

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.

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.

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..