The Stories about Music Films: 61. Interlude in Prague (2017)

 

Basic Info

Title: Interlude in Prague

Genre: Drama, History, Music

Country: Czech Republic, United Kingdom

Language: English

Running time: 103 minutes

Release date: 11 May 2017 (London)

Staff

Director: John Stephenson

Producer: Huw Penallt Jones, Hannah Leader

Screenplay: Brian Ashby, Helen Clare Cromarty, John Stephenson

Music: Hybrid

Cinematography: Mike Brewster

Edited by: David Freeman

Cast

Aneurin Barnard as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

James Purefoy as Baron Saloka

Samantha Barks as Josefa Duchek

Morfydd Clark as Zuzanna Lubtak

Adrian Edmondson as Herr Lubtak

Anna Rust as Hana

Summary

“Interlude in Prague” is a 2017 film about a fictional episode of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that led him to compose his opera “Don Giovanni”. Starring Aneurin Barnard, James Purefoy, Samantha Barks, Morfydd Clark, Adrian Edmondson and Anna Rust, the film was directed by John Stephenson and written by Brian Ashby.

In 1788, Mozart leaves Vienna for Prague, but a series of dramatic events occur as he begins a forbidden love affair with young soprano Zuzanna. His passionate response to danger and heartbreak is finally expressed through the creation of one of his most famous masterpieces.

Mozart's visit to Prague and the premiere of Don Giovanni

Mozart visited Prague for the second time to help supervise the first performance of his opera “Don Giovanni”. He arrived in Prague on October 4, 1787, and stayed there until 12 (or 13) November. The opera's premiere was scheduled for October 15, but did not take place until October 29, 1787. The opera received an enthusiastic response, and the Prager Oberpostamtzeitung reported that "critics and musicians say that Prague has never heard an opera like it before".

Movie Review

“Musical Drama”

“Well-acted, beautifully sung, fanciful drama based on composition of Mozart's Don Giovanni”

“An interesting reconstruction of the origins of Don Giovanni”

“Good tale for Mozart fans”

“Great film”

“Wonderful Mozart movie”

“Sumptuous musical period drama”

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The Stories about Art Films: 56. My Left Foot (1989)

 

Basic Info

Title: My Left Foot

Genre: Biography, Drama

Country: Ireland, United Kingdom

Language: English

Running time: 103 minutes

Release date: 24 February 1989

Staff

Director: Jim Sheridan

Produced by: Noel Pearson

Screenplay: Shane Connaughton, Jim Sheridan

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography: Jack Conroy

Edited by: J. Patrick Duffner

 

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown

Ray McAnally as Patrick Brown, Christy's father

Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan Brown, Christy's mother

Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland

Fiona Shaw as Eileen Cole, Christy's carer

Summary

"My Left Foot" is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan adapted by Jim Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir of the same name by Irish writer and painter Christy Brown. Co-produced by Ireland and the United Kingdom, it stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Brown grew up in a poor working-class family and became a writer and artist. The film was released in theaters on February 24, 1989, and had a commercial success with good reviews. Critics praised the film's screenplay, direction, its message, and especially the performances of Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker. At the 62nd Academy Awards, the film received five nominations, including the Best Picture, with Day-Lewis and Fricker winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. In 2018, the British Film Institute ranked the film as the 53rd greatest British film of the 20th century.

Movie Review

“Remarkable performances by Day-Lewis and Fricker”

“A film you really should see”

“Daniel Day-Lewis Is the greatest actor ever”

“A profoundly rich and moving experience”

“In one word: inspirational”

“Truly inspirational and phenomenal”

“Amazing story”

Interesting stories about the film

1. According to the "Making of My Left Foot", Daniel Day-Lewis broke two ribs while taking the hunched-over position in his wheelchair for weeks of filming.

Daniel Day-Lewis

2. Many scenes in the film were shot through a mirror, because Daniel Day-Lewis could only manipulate his right foot when performing his role in the film.

3. Daniel Day-Lewis's acting style was famous for retaining in his character even when the camera was not rolling.

4. Ray McAnally, who plays Christy Brown's father, was buried in the same graveyard as Christy Brown.

5. The film is included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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The Stories about Music Films: 60. Mahler on the Couch (2010)

 

Basic Info

Title: Mahler on the Couch

Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance

Country: Germany

Language: German

Running time: 98 minutes

Release date: June 24, 2010 (Los Angeles Film Festival)

Staff

Director: Felix O. Adlon, Percy Adlon

Producer: Eleonore Adlon, Burkhard W.R. Ernst, Konstantin Seitz

Screenplay: Felix O. Adlon, Percy Adlon

Music: Gustav Mahler

Cinematography: Benedict Neuenfels

Edited by: Jochen Kunstler

Cast

Johannes Silberschneider as Gustav Mahler

Barbara Romaner as Alma Mahler

Karl Markovics as Sigmund Freud

Eva Mattes as Anna Sofie Schindler-Moll

Friedrich Mücke as Walter Gropius

Summary

"Mahler on the Couch" is a 2010 German film directed by Percy Adlon and Felix Adlon. The film is a historical drama about love between Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius, and the subsequent psychoanalysis for Alma's husband, Gustav Mahler by Sigmund Freud.

Alma Mahler

Alma Mahler (Alma Schindler) was an Austrian composer, writer, editor and socialite, born on 31 August 1879 and died on 11 December 1964. Musically active since her early years, she composed about 50 songs for voice and piano, of which only 17 songs are known to survive. In her early years, she had an affair with composer and conductor Alexander von Zemlinsky, but their relationship did not last long. She became the wife of composer Gustav Mahler, who was not interested in her compositions, and eventually fell into depression as she was artistically suppressed. While her marriage was struggling, she fell in love with Walter Gropius. Gustav began to encourage Alma's works and helped prepare some of her works for publication, but died shortly after attempting reconciliation in 1911. Then, Alma married Gropius in 1915, and they had a daughter, Manon Gropius.

Movie Review

“Captivating story”

“Alma Mahler: Femme Fatale”

“An eccentric and expressionistic reverie on love, loss, and the birth of modern marriage”

The Behind Stories about the Film

1. This is the second film about the love of Alma Schindler and Gustav Mahler in which Johannes Silberschneider acted. The first film was "Bride of the Wind" (2001), in which he played Alma's music teacher and lover, Alexander von Zemlinsky.

Bride of the Wind (2001)

2. In the film, the scene where Alma sheds tears while reading a part of Mahler's music was shot in one take.

Gustav and Alma Mahler

3. In the film, Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius, who are lovers, were played by a real couple, Barbara Romaner and Friedrich Mücke.

Manon Gropius with her parents Alma
Mahler and Walter Gropius (1918)

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