Films you've seen lately

[Dave2002]

As for 'The Fabelmans' I cannot criticise it as I haven't seen it, but the trailer was enough to make me want to keep out of sight and earshot of it for the rest of my life. I don't think trailers are meant to do that.

The Fabelmans is a very good film - but then you might not like it. Chacun ...

[LHC]

RichardB's question about positive classical music films has me thinking: I haven't seen it but isn't 'Mr. Holland's Opus' mean to be that? Maybe it's too saccharine to be much use. I thought 'A Late Quartet' presented a good useful portrait of musicians' lives, but jagain, it did centre on their personal problems and inadequacies rather than the value of music.

I suppose it's the age-old difficulty of making goodness entertaining. Richard III is more fun that Henry V.

As for 'The Fabelmans' I cannot criticise it as I haven't seen it, but the trailer was enough to make me want to keep out of sight and earshot of it for the rest of my life. I don't think trailers are meant to do that.

Some other films about classical musicians that don’t portray them as mentally ill include Quartet, set in a home for retired opera singers preparing for their annual concert, and Taking Sides, which imagines the post war interrogation of Furtwangler by an American army officer.

Interestingly, like the Pianist already mentioned above, both were written by Ronald Harwood, apparently a lone voice in film circles with a positive view of music and musicians.

[richardfinegold]

Some other films about classical musicians that don’t portray them as mentally ill include Quartet, set in a home for retired opera singers preparing for their annual concert, and Taking Sides, which imagines the post war interrogation of Furtwangler by an American army officer.

Interestingly, like the Pianist already mentioned above, both were written by Ronald Harwood, apparently a lone voice in film circles with a positive view of music and musicians.

I preferred the play version of Taking Sides

[jayne lee wilson]

I like Eroica. But I am not a film buff.

Away from Classical music, keep an eye out for BAFTA nominated ( and BIFA winner ) Blue Jean, opening Feb 10. Jayne, this should be right up your street.

Thanks - but I'll have to wait for the stream....

[teamsaint]

Thanks - but I'll have to wait for the stream....

Hope you get to see it soon. It has had rave reviews.

[JasonPalmer]

I usually check channel 14 on freeview for the nine pm film, they don't half repeat things, and channel flick to find other films around nine pm. Watched a bit of hustlers on four last night but it seemed to drag on so went to bed. Had Netflix for a while and it was great for binging on box sets of interesting series, turned it off a few months ago. Lot to be said for just going to bed early especially as I have some early starts some days and my meds make me sleepy. Last film I went to the cinema for was top gun maverick, lovely film.

[johncorrigan]

I really enjoyed the very gentle film 'Masterr Cheng' which showed on BBC4 last night. Chinese chef, Mr Cheng, and his son come to a small village in Finland to look for a man who saved his life. In the process he has a major effect on this remote community. Not lots happened, but it was funny and moving, the landscape was beautiful, and it spoke about the importance of good food and company to wellbeing.

[LHC]

I preferred the play version of Taking Sides

So did I, not least because Daniel Massey and Michael Pennington were so much better in the main parts than Stellan Skarsgaard and Harvey Keitel.

[smittims]

Ronald Harwood wrote a very interesting novel about Cesar Franck, 'Cesar and Augusta' . Not the first composer one thinks of as being novel material.

I was puzzled by the film I saw of 'Taking Sides'; I can't remember which one. It was on TV about 20 years ago. I felt someone who knew nothing about Furtwangler would go away with the impression that his career was in ruins as a result of the interrogation, whereas in fact the last seven years of his life were the most successful, as many surviving recordings demonstrate.

[richardfinegold]

Ronald Harwood wrote a very interesting novel about Cesar Franck, 'Cesar and Augusta' . Not the first composer one thinks of as being novel material.

I was puzzled by the film I saw of 'Taking Sides'; I can't remember which one. It was on TV about 20 years ago. I felt someone who knew nothing about Furtwangler would go away with the impression that his career was in ruins as a result of the interrogation, whereas in fact the last seven years of his life were the most successful, as many surviving recordings demonstrate.

I own the Blu Ray having found it in a resale shop for a pittance and therefore viewed it much more recently. Watch it again and you might get a different impression. At the conclusion the American Investigator tells his superior s that he can’t make a case against Furtwangler. Since Furt is portrayed as being held in awe by everyone else in the movie, the natural assumption is that he would be in demand.
The climax of the script-made much more poignantly in the play than the movie- is when the investigator tells him “You didn’t write the tune, but you lead the band”; meaning that while F. didn’t author or overtly support any of the policies or actions of the Third Reich, by performing under the aegis he lent a legitimacy to Hitler that he otherwise lacked. Furtwangler’s Assertion that he tried to be above Politics simply wasn’t viable when living in a Totalitarian Society that demanded that Art be placed in service to the State. His choices were to leave that State or else to “Take Sides”.

[Beresford]

..... meaning that while F. didn’t author or overtly support any of the policies or actions of the Third Reich, by performing under the aegis he lent a legitimacy to Hitler that he otherwise lacked. Furtwangler’s Assertion that he tried to be above Politics simply wasn’t viable when living in a Totalitarian Society that demanded that Art be placed in service to the State. His choices were to leave that State or else to “Take Sides”.

Do you consider that priests etc ministering inside Germany during the war faced the same dilemma, and perhaps were obliged to make a similar choice?
Similarly in Japan, whose army was responsible for more civilian deaths in China than was Germany in the holocaust?
I'm glad I don't have to make such a decision.

[smittims]

I'm inclined to follow Furtwangler's own summary (or words to that effect ) ' You can't say unless you were there.'

Living in a country that's never really been invaded since 1066 , that's never seen a revolution since 1688 and never seen a battle since 1685 (unless you count the Blitz) it's easy to say 'you should have stood up to them'.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I'm inclined to follow Furtwangler's own summary (or words to that effect ) ' You can't say unless you were there.'

Living in a country that's never really been invaded since 1066 , that's never seen a revolution since 1688 and never seen a battle since 1685 (unless you count the Blitz) it's easy to say 'you should have stood up to them'.

I don’t think that’s right . Furtwangler had the option of leaving and building a substantial career abroad and being a beacon of liberty like Thomas Mann. He chose not to and gave more than tacit support to the Nazis by performing for them. It’s a massive stain on his reputation. On a historical note the whole of the Uk was effectively in the front line for most of the early forties and tens of thousands ( approx 70,000) died in bombing raids in cities like Belfast ,Plymouth , Coventry - not just London. We are well placed to judge Furtwangler’s moral worth and it’s pretty low.

[RichardB]

The climax of the script-made much more poignantly in the play than the movie- is when the investigator tells him “You didn’t write the tune, but you lead the band”; meaning that while F. didn’t author or overtly support any of the policies or actions of the Third Reich, by performing under the aegis he lent a legitimacy to Hitler that he otherwise lacked. Furtwangler’s Assertion that he tried to be above Politics simply wasn’t viable when living in a Totalitarian Society that demanded that Art be placed in service to the State. His choices were to leave that State or else to “Take Sides”.

Exactly. It would have been easy for him to leave and he would probably have had a successful working life wherever he went. A counterexample would be Bartók, who could have stayed in Europe and quietly continued with his musicological work even if his music wouldn't have been performed, and who didn't meet with great success in the USA; but Bartók was a principled artist who made the sacrifices Furtwängler wasn't prepared to make.

[richardfinegold]

Exactly. It would have been easy for him to leave and he would probably have had a successful working life wherever he went. A counterexample would be Bartók, who could have stayed in Europe and quietly continued with his musicological work even if his music wouldn't have been performed, and who didn't meet with great success in the USA; but Bartók was a principled artist who made the sacrifices Furtwängler wasn't prepared to make.

Agree with 1318&1319, but also find myself in some sympathy with 1316. How lucky most of us have been to not have our existence co-opted by a Totalitarian State . I do think that Furtwangler’s case is different from that of the average Country Priest, because his prominence allowed him opportunities that average individuals didn’t have. He thought he could preserve German Culture from within, but didn’t realize how much he was aiding the Barbarians by doing so