"The Competition" is a very enjoyable movie and delves slightly into the stress of piano-competition. There are more shenanigans going-on that are not apparent in this type of competition, not only for the many pianists' stresses, but also on the part the judges play in choosing the finalist. Those competitions deal with humans, and ANYTHING can influence the judges' decisions. The best pianist does not always win. This movie shows some of the competitors' "required" pieces being performed: it's more than the "concerto"-playing part of the contest. In many competitions, the pianist is given an unfamiliar score for "sight-reading" and affects the final judgment. The "concerto"-playing event is always the big one: after making it to that event, the stress is almost unbearable. You only get to play the concerto once; anything can screw it up. When a major artist releases ANY recorded concerto, the general public does not always realize the recording is not done in one sitting. Just like scenes in a movie, many passages are recorded several times and the best chosen to splice them all seamlessly together. For the "concerto"-playing event, you have one crack at it. Heck, one could play flawlessly, but a judge may just not like them at that particular performance. Very similar to skating in the Olympics, "deals" are made, too.....
Many years ago, I was a concert-pianist talent. To me, ALL of the six finalists' synchronized banging looked pretty good. It is my opinion, some of the competitors who didn't make it to the big event WERE actually playing. AND, I also think that "Tatjana" (Vicki Kriegler) was actually playing the short sequences of Braham's 1st Concerto. I'm very familiar with that concerto, and it's a killer. What convinces me of this is the "curve" of her fingers of her left hand which is necessary to play those big chords. After all, actors/actresses DO play piano !!! Her role didn't call for her to "place", anyway......I also agree that "Heidi" (Amy Irving) almost convinced me she was playing Prokofiev's #3 - another ballbuster. Great coaching! That entire scene was brilliant, with "Erskine" (Sam Wanamaker) looking over his shoulder at her, realizing "Dietrich's" (Richard Dreyfus) performance was popular with the audience (did you notice the orchestra stood-up?), but "Heidi" made them all look like first-year students. Po' ole "DiSalvo" (Joseph Cali) had to follow her ! Most comments thought "Greta Vandernmann" (Lee Remick) was a-bitch-on-wheels teacher. Brava, Lee ! She was only certain her pupil was the best, but her own career had taught her raw talent wasn't the only ingredient necessary to make a world-class pianist. Just like football-coaches, piano-teachers can be brutally tyrannical - not nice at all. Does anyone remember the admonishment "those who can't play teach"? Lots of jealousy in there......
It doesn't matter that the plot of this movie was predictable - "Paul" WAS a bit too assured and rude. The "gotta-make-a-stop" scene told the whole story; we are there to make music, not sex. Noticeably, it was "Paul's" last shot; "Heidi" had nothing to lose and was confident of her talent. The chemistry between the two was there with brilliant acting - especially, "I-never-thought-you-could-play-better-than-me" scene. The entire cast was stellar, as was the directing.
Oh - for "stetsons" - there ARE DVDs available on eBay. Be careful what you buy ! And, many DVDs of all of the concerti by many great artists are available. If you want to revel in this awesome music, imagine how the entireties of these concerti will wow you - you heard only passages of each. For the Prokofiev piece, just remember "Heidi's" hands.....
"The Competition" has something for all kinds of movie-watchers. Good acting, believable characters, a little political intrigue, a little "backstage" intrigue, lovely cinematography and all that great music. What a winner - 10, no doubt !
Many years ago, I was a concert-pianist talent. To me, ALL of the six finalists' synchronized banging looked pretty good. It is my opinion, some of the competitors who didn't make it to the big event WERE actually playing. AND, I also think that "Tatjana" (Vicki Kriegler) was actually playing the short sequences of Braham's 1st Concerto. I'm very familiar with that concerto, and it's a killer. What convinces me of this is the "curve" of her fingers of her left hand which is necessary to play those big chords. After all, actors/actresses DO play piano !!! Her role didn't call for her to "place", anyway......I also agree that "Heidi" (Amy Irving) almost convinced me she was playing Prokofiev's #3 - another ballbuster. Great coaching! That entire scene was brilliant, with "Erskine" (Sam Wanamaker) looking over his shoulder at her, realizing "Dietrich's" (Richard Dreyfus) performance was popular with the audience (did you notice the orchestra stood-up?), but "Heidi" made them all look like first-year students. Po' ole "DiSalvo" (Joseph Cali) had to follow her ! Most comments thought "Greta Vandernmann" (Lee Remick) was a-bitch-on-wheels teacher. Brava, Lee ! She was only certain her pupil was the best, but her own career had taught her raw talent wasn't the only ingredient necessary to make a world-class pianist. Just like football-coaches, piano-teachers can be brutally tyrannical - not nice at all. Does anyone remember the admonishment "those who can't play teach"? Lots of jealousy in there......
It doesn't matter that the plot of this movie was predictable - "Paul" WAS a bit too assured and rude. The "gotta-make-a-stop" scene told the whole story; we are there to make music, not sex. Noticeably, it was "Paul's" last shot; "Heidi" had nothing to lose and was confident of her talent. The chemistry between the two was there with brilliant acting - especially, "I-never-thought-you-could-play-better-than-me" scene. The entire cast was stellar, as was the directing.
Oh - for "stetsons" - there ARE DVDs available on eBay. Be careful what you buy ! And, many DVDs of all of the concerti by many great artists are available. If you want to revel in this awesome music, imagine how the entireties of these concerti will wow you - you heard only passages of each. For the Prokofiev piece, just remember "Heidi's" hands.....
"The Competition" has something for all kinds of movie-watchers. Good acting, believable characters, a little political intrigue, a little "backstage" intrigue, lovely cinematography and all that great music. What a winner - 10, no doubt !