The Top 10 Movies About Classical Music

From “Amadeus” to “Mr. Holland’s Opus” to “The Red Violin,” these are the top 10 movies about classical music.

Introduction

Classical music has had a profound impact on film and filmmakers for over a century. The grandeur of the music often amplifies the emotion of a scene, making it more powerful and memorable. Here are ten of the best movies about classical music, in no particular order.

1) A Clockwork Orange (1971)
2) Amadeus (1984)
3) Barry Lyndon (1975)
4) The Devils (1971)
5) Fantasia (1940)
6) The Music Room (1958)
7) Pauline at the Beach (1983)
8) Rushmore (1998)
9) The Turin Horse (2011)
10){The Truman Show}(1998)*

The Pianist

The Pianist is a 2002 film directed by Roman Polanski, adapted from the book The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman. The film tells the story of a Jewish-Polish pianist who struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. It stars Adrien Brody as Szpilman.

The Pianist was nominated for numerous awards, and won three, including Best Actor for Brody and Best Director for Polanski. In 2007, it was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry as a “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” work.

Shine

Shine is a 1996 Australian biographical drama film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized for most of his adult life. The film follows Helfgott’s progress as a student at the Royal Victorian College of Music, his sudden rise to fame after winning a major piano competition, and his subsequent breakdown and hospitalization.

The movie stars Geoffrey Rush as Helfgott, Lynn Redgrave as his mother, Armin Mueller-Stahl as his father, Miranda Otto as his wife, Noah Taylor as young Helfgott, and Sonia Todd as Helfgott’s older sister. The film was directed by Scott Hicks and produced by Jane Scott.

Shine was released in Australia on 12 January 1996 and in the United States on 24 May 1996. It was a commercial success, grossing $32 million worldwide. The film also received critical acclaim, winning numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Actor (Rush), the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Rush), the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Rush), and the AACTA Award for Best Film.

Amadeus

Amadeus is a 1984 American period drama film directed by Miloš Forman, adapted by Peter Shaffer from his stage play of the same name. The story, set in Vienna, Austria during the latter half of the 18th century, is a highly fictionalized biographical drama of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

The film chronicles Mozart’s rise to fame and infatuation with the younger Constanze Weber, as well as Salieri’s feelings of resentment towards Mozart for his success. Amadeus was nominated for 53 different awards and won 27, including eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture), four BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and three Cannes Film Festival Jury Prizes. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Mr. Holland’s Opus

Mr. Holland’s Opus is a 1995 American drama film directed by Stephen Herek, produced by Tim Curran, and written by Patrick Sheane Duncan. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss in the lead role of Glenn Holland, a high school music teacher who takes a job teaching band to students in an inland California school district and discovers his true passion for music.

The supporting cast includes Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, and Terrence Howard. Mr. Holland’s Opus was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and several other awards.

The Soloist

The Soloist is a 2009 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Wright and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The film is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a former classical music prodigy who developed schizophrenia and became homeless.

Jamie Foxx portrays Ayers, and Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist who discovers Ayers and becomes his friend, mentor, and advocate. The film was released in the United States on April 24, 2009.

The Soloist received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 50% based on reviews from 151 critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site’s consensus reads: “While it’s held together by strong performances from Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist is ultimately undermined by its clichés and manipulation.” Metacritic gives the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.

The film grossed over $31 million worldwide. In Los Angeles, the film grossed $11,742,845 in 2,064 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #4 at the box office.

A Late Quartet

This movie is about the members of a world-renowned string quartet who struggle to stay together in the wake of tragedy.

The Music Never Stopped

The Music Never Stopped is a 2011 American drama film directed by Jim Kohlberg, starring J. K. Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Julia Ormond and Cara Buono. The film is based on the life of Oliver Sacks and his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3]

The story follows Gabriel (Simmons), a man who is left in a coma after a car accident and diagnosed with an aneurysm. His wife, Henry (Pucci), and son, Tony (PJ Byrne), are left to care for him. When Gabriel awakes from his coma, he has lost the ability to speak and communicate except through music. He listens to classical music obsessively and is able to have conversations with people by quoting lyrics from songs.

Despite his condition, Gabriel is able to connect with people through music and finally bond with his son, who had been estranged from him for many years. The film ends with a performance by Tony of Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3”, which he dedicated to his father.

The Music Never Stopped was met with positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 73% approval rating based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.[5]

The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to overcome his stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates, the new king relies on Logue to help him make a radio broadcast on Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939. Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) is played by Helena Bonham Carter.

The film came about when Seidler, a lifelong stutterer, was researching his family history and discovered that his great-uncle Lionel Logue had helped King George VI to overcome his stammer. Seidler began working on the screenplay in 2006 but put it aside when he was diagnosed with cancer. After he recovered, he resumed work and completed it in 2010.

The film was produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin of See-Saw FilmsProduction began in England in November 2009 because locations were needed that resembled London in the 1930s. Hooper explored using IMAX cameras for the film to capture closeups of the actors’ faces for what he felt was an intimate story; cinematographer Greig Fraser used both 35 mm and IMAX cameras.

Lily Tomlin was originally cast as Anne Neville but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with another project. Bonham Carter took her place after reading the script and understanding that she would need to lose weight for the role She based her performance on The Queen Mother’s letters and diaries from that period which she read while she prepared for her role The other actors also did extensive research for their roles; Christopher Eccleston consulted historians so that he could understand how Neville Chamberlain saw himself

The King’s Speech premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2010 where it received a 10-minute standing ovation At the 83rd Academy Awards, it won Best Picture along with Best Actor Director Original Screenplay and Best Producer .

Conclusion

So there you have it – the top 10 movies about classical music. We hope you enjoyed our list, and if you have any suggestions of your own, please let us know in the comments below.