Anyone recommend some Movies or Drama with Classical music as main theme. We did watched few of Japanese / Korean and movies like The Pianist & The Soloist, but would love few more.

There was one australian documentary (or movie) mentioned in forum, but couldn't find it anymore.

Thanks

Amadeus
Immortal Beloved
The Red Violin

The Pianist!

My daughter's viola teacher wrote some of the music and had a part in it playing an accordian in Ghetto. I practically screamed out in the cinema when I recognised him

Shine
The wonderful Geoffrey Rush (seen in The Kings Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean)

Tous les Matins du Monde, set in the late 17th century about the viol players Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais. Beautifully filmed and stunning music. Apparently the sound track went to the top of the pops in France

I'm useless at remembering movies but I fully endorse Amadeus and Shine (the Australian piano player film).

Les Choristes (or The Chorus I think it's called in English) is also a lovely film, slightly twee, but loved by all teenagers I know, and all about a boarding school for boys with problems where the headmaster (i think) sets up a choir. Some beautiful music.

La Tourneuse des pages (The Page Turner)

Thanks, I'll try out the recommendations. Any more?

Hilary and Jackie.

There's also a superb French film about a violin maker - can't remember what it is called - but it features quite a lot of Ravel.

The Australian documentary is Mrs Carey's Concert.

Farinelli, a beautifully staged and photographed film about the last true castrato. It is by no means an easy film to watch, but the music, the costumes and the settings are glorious, and Handel (Jeroen Krabbe) makes an appearance.

Brilliant film, how could I forget to mention it! - however - sunil, if i remember rightly your daughter is not yet a teenager? This is a bit more "adult" than the other ones I suggested.

Claudia's Mum - That's the one I lost track off! Thanks

Yes Corenfa, she just turned 11. I'll watch first, will pass to her a ripped version after cutting out the inappropriate content .

There's that one with Meryl Streep, about a NY violin teacher, working in a primary school - based on a true story. Someone will remember the title, I'm sure.

Sunil - please don't let your daughter watch La Tourneuse des Pages ! Also, (imo) Hilary and Jackie is a truly terrible movie, and certainly not suitable for an 11 year old.

Hmm. I don't know if it would be possible to take out all of the non-child-friendly bits without the story entirely falling apart but at least you will enjoy it, it's a brilliant film.

Edit: on a whim, I typed "films about classical music" into Google, and it has helpfully returned this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Film...c_and_musicians

Have fun!

The Music Lovers

Andrew Parrott, the conductor, who was a friend of mine at university, told me he had been hired as an extra to play (or mime) the viola in the orchestra whuile Richard CHamberlain as Tchikowsky is playing his piano concerto. So when I saw the film I looked out for him especially (I thought I saw a couple of other friends of mine in the orchestra too). It was obvious that some of the takes were done on a different day, as Andrew the viola appears and disappears frequently.

There's always Fantasia and Fantasia 2000!

Le Concert (also known as The Concert ) Not that I've seen it, it's on my waiting to be watched shelf - and if I remember rightly it is a 15 rating (in the UK - if you look at the international ratings it varies very widely!)

It's essentially a 'getting the band back together' story - but an orchestra, rather than the Blues Brothers (but framing it as a 'getting the band back together' story made my husband inclined to see it!!)

From IMDb:

Amadeus is a fine film.

But many people havemistakenly taken it to be a factual documentary about Mozart's life, so they have all kinds of false beliefs, especially about Salieri.

Salieri was more successful and more influential than Mozart financially and socially. Salieri was a fine musician (several of his orchestral works have some similarity to those of Beethoven - but without Beethoven's power and coherence - but who influenced who?) so he must have recognized that Mozart was the superior composer, and may well have been jealous.

The rumour that Salieri killed Mozart started in Salieri's own lifetime, after Salieri made a failed suicide attempt, but there is no good evidence for the belief. However it does make for a good story, and was used as a plot, first by Pushkin, then in our times Peter Schaeffer's play, before being made into a film.

There has been a lot of speculation, but bottom line is that we do not know what killed Mozart.

Un Coeur en Hiver - I'd forgotten that one, but yes, it is brilliant.

Another film which I haven't managed to see yet but which was well received is Brassed Off, about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band following the closure of their pit.

That's the one, thanks MCM.

Brassed Off is superb! How could I have forgotten that one? That trumpet solo!

Actually, when you posted Sunil, I thought they were for you to watch. I agree that many of these we have recommended are not suitable for children.

If we are now recommending films with musical themes, then the French film "The Chorister" is marvellous and worth watching.

Oh yes some of these films are really NOT suitable for an 11 year old, and if you are planning to edit then the story will be lost so perhaps look carefully

Yes we do, before passing on to daughter. Not sure how long I could screen these, before passing on to daughter but she seem to be matured enough at least in front of us / school and online.

But a good number of suggestions are rated 12 and seems okay for daughter.