Set in Switzerland, Vitus is a young boy who shows very early musical promise at the piano. His father is an inventor of a new line of hearing aids, and he hopes to one day become the CEO of his company. Both his father and his mother expect him to become a great pianist, and they frown upon his doing such things as carpentry with grandpa because he might hurt his hands.
He also is very bright, with an IQ almost too high to measure. School bores him, but as he gets put into higher grades with older students, they make fun of him. 'Vitus' becomes 'Shitus.' Vitus and grandpa loved planes and flying. They even made a contraption that Vitus wore around his waist, looking like wings. One evening, when it was raining, Vitus went out his second floor balcony and ended up in a crumpled heap on the ground. He seemed OK afterwards, but tests showed his IQ to be closer to normal at 120, and his piano playing became very rudimentary.
In most of the movie Teo Gheorghiu, who actually is a young, award-winning pianist, played Vitus von Holzen at age 12. His acting is very effective. Overall a fine and charming movie.
SPOILERS. Vitus did not actually fall that night, and he was not actually injured, but he had to pretend to become 'normal' so that he could get everyone off his back. His father was mistreated at work by the son of the CEO who had died, and dad was actually fired. But the genius that Vitas was, he took grandfather's savings and with permission created a company 'Mr Wolf Holdings' and playing the expected market swings make millions for gramps, who bought a flight simulator and a plane. Vitus even arranged to have dad's old company purchased when stock went down, and his dad became the CEO.
He also is very bright, with an IQ almost too high to measure. School bores him, but as he gets put into higher grades with older students, they make fun of him. 'Vitus' becomes 'Shitus.' Vitus and grandpa loved planes and flying. They even made a contraption that Vitus wore around his waist, looking like wings. One evening, when it was raining, Vitus went out his second floor balcony and ended up in a crumpled heap on the ground. He seemed OK afterwards, but tests showed his IQ to be closer to normal at 120, and his piano playing became very rudimentary.
In most of the movie Teo Gheorghiu, who actually is a young, award-winning pianist, played Vitus von Holzen at age 12. His acting is very effective. Overall a fine and charming movie.
SPOILERS. Vitus did not actually fall that night, and he was not actually injured, but he had to pretend to become 'normal' so that he could get everyone off his back. His father was mistreated at work by the son of the CEO who had died, and dad was actually fired. But the genius that Vitas was, he took grandfather's savings and with permission created a company 'Mr Wolf Holdings' and playing the expected market swings make millions for gramps, who bought a flight simulator and a plane. Vitus even arranged to have dad's old company purchased when stock went down, and his dad became the CEO.