David Helfgott

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Well as you all know I am a piano player. For this reason I am interested in all things piano. So as you can imagine when the movie 'Shine' came out in 1996 I was one of the first people inline to go and see it at the movies.

Also just recently I watched it again on DVD which is what prompted me to write this quick review.  I also saw David Helfgott just after the movie came out.  The concert was very interesting.  He mutters a lot and talks to himself sometimes when he plays and at one point when he made a mistake he had a little laugh to himself.  I enjoyed it, it was entertaining.

David got a standing ovation we he finished the concert even though his playing, by international standards, fell short.  The most important thing for me was that along with the movie and the subsequent touring he did, he managed to expose a lot of people to classical piano who might not normally be very interested.

The attention David Helfgott drew to classical music is a very important contribution.  He exposed a lot of people to the music.  It isn't important to me that he doesn't play to the standard that the "critics" and other pompous posturing aficionados set. Most people can't tell if he misses a note here or there or if his timing might wane. But if people that wouldn't normally go enjoy it and are exposed to classical music by means of David Helfgott then that's a good thing and he should be praised for it.

He may get bad reviews but he sells out concerts, entertains people and gets standing ovations. I guess it's the old clash between pop culture and high culture, and what music is really all about - entertainment. David got caught somewhere between pop and high culture and he has done a lot for classical music from that position. 

The movie 'Shine' follows David's life. The movie starts with David as a young boy and follows his tumultuous childhood. David as a young boy is played by the excellent child actor Alex Rafalowicz who gives an excellent inspired performance. Helfgott's teenage and younger adult years are played by Noah Taylor. 

The music in Shine is excellent and I highly recommend any piano music fan to watch it. Also I feel that the movie stands alone as simply a good movie which anyone (pianist or not) could enjoy.

Zak crash - The Piano Geezer

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