Maestro - The Movie

[Serial_Apologist]

Much enjoyed (despite no heating in the cinema, and toilets being out of action because of the water level in the river!).
Certainly made me want to read Humphrey Burton's book about him again, as (understandably) many periods in his life were skipped, with the focus on Felicia.
The nose is a bit off-putting though.

I thought The Nose was by Shostakovitch, not Bernstein!

[Pulcinella]

I thought The Nose was by Shostakovitch, not Bernstein!

Another 'mistake' we spotted (I can't think of the term for this sort of thing in a film but I know that there are groups that spot and report them) was that all the orchestral music being used (possibly genuinely, as the players really did seem to be playing) looked pristine and with no markings on at all: surely that wouldn't be the case?

[johncorrigan]

I thought Carey Mulligan was excellent.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Another 'mistake' we spotted (I can't think of the term for this sort of thing in a film but I know that there are groups that spot and report them) was that all the orchestral music being used (possibly genuinely, as the players really did seem to be playing) looked pristine and with no markings on at all: surely that wouldn't be the case?

The orchestra was the LSO if it’s the Ely performance you are referring to. They recreated their predecessors’ role and were apparently told to grow their hair to seventies lengths beforehand. I wonder how much they actually mark their scores? I guess it depends on the conductor. I often sit near the front and I’ve seen plenty of unmarked first fiddle parts over the years. Often yellowing and held together with sellotape though…

[Ein Heldenleben]

Finally caught up with this on Netflix. Enjoyable because of the music and two very strong central performances . For me it came alive every time it looked at the music and there was nowhere near enough of that. The Ely Resurrection must be one of the best ever Hollywood stabs at doing classical music - stunning and amazing sound.
The Lenny / Felicia story was very familiar to me from reading the Secrest / Burton bios but well done. Sadly the film barely explored the other great conflict in Bernsteins life - that between composer and conductor. Maybe he ran out of ideas but I wish he’d written more.
Some of the directing struck me as a bit strange - big emotional sequences shot on very long takes shot in extreme long shot. Odd when you have two world class actors . Almost as if they didn’t have enough time to shoot closeups . Other important scenes with mis matching close ups - very unusual in a Hollywood film which usually have the very highest craft standards. Also the first 40 mins are in black and white and with 4:3 aspect ratio . The main sequences are barely wide screen.
The sound work is absolutely superb and if Carey Mulligan doesn’t win an Oscar I’ll be very surprised,

[Dave2002]

Thinking about it, Maestro is a rather flawed film. It isn’t just about Lenny, but concentrates - at least to an extent - on the relationship with Felicia. Since she died well before the fall of the Berlin Wall significant events such as the Beethoven 9 concert are left out - which presents a puzzle for anyone who doesn’t already know the back story. Also the Ely concert doesn’t really make sense at all for anyone who doesn’t know that it was a significant event in the UK music calendar. If this was to attract a wider audience than those who already know - or think they do - a lot about Bernstein and his music making, then surely it fails, as the events are not spelt out clearly enough. Some who might have admired LB as a musician might have been put off by his sexual exploits, and wondered why his wife seems to have tolerated him. Also perhaps not too many people will have spotted that Felicia was also successful, at a time when few women were considered “successful” - and she likely had a substantial income of her own, as evidenced by the house she bought and which features in the film.

Regarding sexual exploits which many may not be familiar with, or aware of, even slightly, perhaps another enlightening book to read would be Flute, by Richard Adeney. However unlike LB I don’t think RA had children with his wife. People who have “unusual” behaviour and relationships are not so uncommon, and it may also be the case that similar activities have been going on for centuries, though generally perhaps this has been hidden under the carpet as men have often controlled the narrative. The behaviour is clearly not so unusual as to be disregarded, but society in general has tended to be wary of such.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thinking about it, Maestro is a rather flawed film. It isn’t just about Lenny, but concentrates - at least to an extent - on the relationship with Felicia. Since she died well before the fall of the Berlin Wall significant events such as the Beethoven 9 concert are left out - which presents a puzzle for anyone who doesn’t already know the back story. Also the Ely concert doesn’t really make sense at all for anyone who doesn’t know that it was a significant event in the UK music calendar. If this was to attract a wider audience than those who already know - or think they do - a lot about Bernstein and his music making, then surely it fails, as the events are not spelt out clearly enough. Some who might have admired LB as a musician might have been put off by his sexual exploits, and wondered why his wife seems to have tolerated him. Also perhaps not too many people will have spotted that Felicia was also successful, at a time when few women were considered “successful” - and she likely had a substantial income of her own, as evidenced by the house she bought and which features in the film.

Regarding sexual exploits which many may not be familiar with, or aware of, even slightly, perhaps another enlightening book to read would be Flute, by Richard Adeney. However unlike LB I don’t think RA had children with his wife. People who have “unusual” behaviour and relationships are not so uncommon, and it may also be the case that similar activities have been going on for centuries, though generally perhaps this has been hidden under the carpet as men have often controlled the narrative. The behaviour is clearly not so unusual as to be disregarded, but society in general has tended to be wary of such.

Inevitably in a film a lot is left out but as you say Felicia was a remarkable woman . A passionate campaigner for social justice. It’s unfortunate that all that is overshadowed by Wolfe’s (albeit brilliantly funny ) stitch-up “radical chic” article. How many people could be bothered to produce a report into the US parole system as she did ? She packed a huge amount into a short life. There’s a good wiki entry for those wanting to know more …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicia_Montealegre_Bernstein

[Dave2002]

It is worth looking further - though getting to the "truth" is almost impossible.

This article claime Lenny was bisexual - which clearly in one way he was - though perhaps he did actually prefer men - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histo...per-180983310/

Others have simply stated that he was homosexual, and had a very brave and perhaps forgiving wife. They probably both had similar views on liberty, freedom etc., so maybe the details which would have affected others weren't actually so important to them, though they probably caused some stress and strain.

Here is an article about the small "cottage" Felicia bought - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/r...bernstein.html - here I use the word cottage in the same way that houses in Newport, RI are called cottages, though by those standards perhaps I should have called it a "shack"!

In the film there is mention of "Mendy" - which is quite hard to figure out, but the clue is in one of the articles mentioned here.

[richardfinegold]

We watched the movie yesterday. I probably would have been dissapointed if I had not been forewarned that the emphasis was going to be on his marriage, but armed with that caveat and having my expectations therefore lowered accordingly, I enjoyed it. To make a comprehensive movie encompassing all the facets of his life would have required a much longer film. I thought the movie nailed his look if not his voice. I found that Cooper’s podium manner, particularly in the Mahler2, to be a faithful representation of L.B. By way of contrast, Kate Blanchet was very unconvincing on the podium in Tar.
What this movie did have in common with Tar was the obscurity to average person as to whom the peripheral characters were- Copland, Koussevitsky, MTT (?).
Having never read a Bernstein biography, I won’t comment on the accuracy of the details of the marriage

[mikealdren]

The orchestra was the LSO if it’s the Ely performance you are referring to. They recreated their predecessors’ role and were apparently told to grow their hair to seventies lengths beforehand. I wonder how much they actually mark their scores? I guess it depends on the conductor. I often sit near the front and I’ve seen plenty of unmarked first fiddle parts over the years. Often yellowing and held together with sellotape though…

The LSO on the day was superb and I still rate the recording highly for excitement. IIRC they had the likes of Hugh Bean as extras and, of course Janet Baker was singing. Funny how the film didn't show any of the mics used for the recording!!!

[Ein Heldenleben]

The LSO on the day was superb and I still rate the recording highly for excitement. IIRC they had the likes of Hugh Bean as extras and, of course Janet Baker was singing. Funny how the film didn't show any of the mics used for the recording!!!

The original film recording, directed by Humphrey Burton , was very discreetly miked with the mics themselves barely visible. It is superbly shot and lit and a real testament to his skill and that of his team. I’m guessing he had five maybe six film cams. It takes quite a bit of skill to stop all the cams running out of film at the same time for starters . Then there’s the problem of making sure they all shoot material you can cut together. It’s a very different set of demands from that of live multi camera video direction where you can see exactly what each camera is shooting.

[Historian]

The original film recording, directed by Humphrey Burton , was very discreetly miked with the mics themselves barely visible. It is superbly shot and lit and a real testament to his skill and that of his team. I’m guessing he had five maybe six film cams. It takes quite a bit of skill to stop all the cams running out of film at the same time for starters . Then there’s the problem of making sure they all shoot material you can cut together. It’s a very different set of demands from that of live multi camera video direction where you can see exactly what each camera is shooting.

I was hoping someone familiar with the 'original' Ely Mahler Two with Bernstein would be able to comment on the size of the Chorus used then (i.e. at the real Bernstein performance). In the Netflix film there seem to be about 70 singers which would be far too few to overcome the sound of the LSO playing at full blast.

[mikealdren]

I was hoping someone familiar with the 'original' Ely Mahler Two with Bernstein would be able to comment on the size of the Chorus used then (i.e. at the real Bernstein performance). In the Netflix film there seem to be about 70 singers which would be far too few to overcome the sound of the LSO playing at full blast.

It was the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and I remember it being very good rather than huge, orchestras playing in Cathedrals are always very loud anyway but the recording has managed a decent balance. I was lucky enough to get a ticket and I'll never forget the concert it was delayed for quite a while because the event disturbed the bats which flew back and forth along the nave and caused problems for the mics!

I'm pretty sure that Bernstein came on from the 1st violin side, not the cello side as in the film, we'd waited some time and he made quite an impression as he walked on.

[Historian]

It was the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and I remember it being very good rather than huge, orchestras playing in Cathedrals are always very loud anyway but the recording has managed a decent balance. I was lucky enough to get a ticket and I'll never forget the concert it was delayed for quite a while because the event disturbed the bats which flew back and forth along the nave and caused problems for the mics!

I'm pretty sure that Bernstein came on from the 1st violin side, not the cello side as in the film, we'd waited some time and he made quite an impression as he walked on.

Thank you Mike, very helpful (and evocative).

Still think the chorus as shown in the feature film would be far too small: fine for the hushed opening, but there is a lot going on towards the end and it's a big sing despite it's short length.

[richardfinegold]

It’s a movie, and I wouldn’t expect that it would have all the details faithfully reproduced