Richard Dreyfuss (Mr. Holland's Opus, The Good Bye Girl), plays Paul Dietrich. a very problematic and sometimes annoying pianist. Paul is supported by his parents that puts pressure on him. He is also thirty years old and this is the cutting edge for this type of music competition. This is his last competition. All he wants to do is win, no matter how, and is hurting himself because of it. Amy Irving (Yentl), plays another pianist who is much more relaxed with herself and her music. Her teacher, Greta Vandemann, played by Lee Remick (Anatomy of a Murder) is possessive about Heidi. Greta Vandemann can trace her teachers all the way up to Beethoven himself! Heidi does not have the pressures that Paul has, she does not even care about winning. She stays in this beautiful house in San Francisco where she can practice on her nice piano, and Paul stays in a cheap hotel. He is a walking volcano. He is petulant, arrogant and annoying but at the same time can cry, which shows that he is human, vulnerable and also very afraid. He hides his feelings but it shows in his behavior. There are other musicians: the black guy who likes practicing the piano naked, the Italian who can play only one concerto but he is really looking for a way to become another De Niro, Pacino or Travolta. There is a very young Russian that adds a little suspense to the plot. They are all stereotypes. My favorite scenes are: Paul teaching Heidi how to drive a car; Heidi stopping playing in the middle of her performance because the middle register is uneven; how beautifully she played Prokofiev s 3rd Concert; Paul been astonished because he was unaware that she could really play; Paul telling Greta that must to be a tremendous responsibility in having to know everything. Greta jumping for joy because she is always so proper. That shows another side to her. This is an enjoyable movie especially for pianists and musicians.
Review of The Competition
