Best Movies About Classical Music
It’s time to get cultured with the best movies about classical music. From documentaries to biopics, these films will have you inspired to hit play on your Spotify and listen to some of the greatest hits in classical music history.
Fantasia
A concert film released in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions. The third film in the Disney animated features canon, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. User rating: 8.0/10
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Mr. Holland’s Opus is a 1995 American drama film directed by Stephen Herek, produced by Ted Field, Robert W. Cort, and Roth-Cort Productions, and written by Patrick Sheane Duncan. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss in the title role of Glenn Holland, a high school music teacher who takes a position teaching band at John F. Kennedy High School in Portland, Oregon. When Dutchstudent Iris Mordecai (Douglas) tells him she needs medical attention but is afraid to go to the doctor because she is illegal immigrant from Mexico, he helps her.
Immortal Beloved
##Release Date: December 16, 1994
##Running Time: 2h 15min
## Director: Bernard Rose
This movie is based on the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, focusing on the last ten years of his life. Gary Oldman gives an outstanding performance as the genius composer, who struggles with his personal demons while trying to complete his Ninth Symphony. Isabella Rosellini co-stars as Antonie Brentano, one of Beethoven’s possible “immortal beloveds”.
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel of the same name. It employs disturbing, violent images to comment on psychiatry, juvenile delinquency, youth gangs, and other social, political, and economic subjects in a futuristic Britain.
The main character, Alex (Malcolm McDowell), is a charismatic, psychopathic delinquent whose interests include classical music (especially Beethoven) and ultra-violence. He leads a small gang of thugs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian word for “friend”). The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture and apparent rehabilitation via controversial psychological conditioning (a combination of drug therapy and lobotomy), and finally his return to society.
Kubrick received positive reviews for A Clockwork Orange upon its release; however, it was later withdrawn from circulation in several countries due to its ostensibly violent content. The film remains one of the most controversial ever made.
The Red Violin
The Red Violin is a 1998 Canadian drama film directed by François Girard and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Carlo Cecchi, Sylvia Chang, Jason Flemyng, and Greta Scacchi. The film spans four centuries and five countries as it tells the story of a perfect instrument that inspires passion, jealousy, and ultimately murder.
The film was an international co-production among production companies in Canada, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in Ontario, Quebec, Italy, and Austria. The soundtrack was composed by John Corigliano and features violinist Joshua Bell playing the film’s namesake violin.
The Red Violin was a critical success. It received positive reviews from most critics and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score (for Corigliano’s work) and eight Genie Awards (including Best Motion Picture).
