Shine (1996)

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Shine (1996)

Taglines:

• A father whose life was his family. A son whose music was his life.
• A true story of the mystery of music and the miracle of love.

Plot synopsis:
In "Shine," director Scott Hicks and writer Jan Sardi unfold an unconventional biopic about how a brilliant young pianist is driven to the edge of madness by his monstrously protective father and, as an adult, finds unexpected redemption thanks to an astonishingly understanding woman. Pic opens dramatically with the deranged, manically voluble David, played as an adult by Geoffrey Rush, stumbling into a restaurant during a violent rainstorm and befriending a waitress (Sonia Todd). Flashbacks depict David as a boy (Alex Rafalowicz) in the '50s, already a child prodigy, and the pride and joy of his demanding father, Peter Helfgott (Mueller-Stahl), a Polish Jew whose family was wiped out in the Holocaust.

Like the most ambitious stage parent, Peter drives his son to achieve greatness as a pianist, but is too proud, and too poor, to give him the tuition he clearly needs until persuaded to place him in the hands of the first of four mentors, music teacher Ben Rosen (Nicholas Bell).

Traditionalist Peter distrusts Rosen because he's unmarried and therefore lacks a family life; though he obviously adores his son, the father's stiff-necked, rigid authoritarianism gradually alienates and eventually terrifies the sensitive boy. When David wins a local competition and is awarded his prize by no less than Isaac Stern, he receives an offer to study in America, which his father promptly vetoes.

As an increasingly eccentric teenager, now played by Noah Taylor, David is befriended by an elderly writer, Katharine Prichard (Googie Withers, delightful). With her encouragement, he wins a scholarship to study at the London College of Music; again, his father refuses to allow him to leave Australia. This time, David defies him.

Under the tutelage of Professor Cecil Parkes (a lovely performance from 91 -year-old Gielgud), David blossoms and is able to perform a supremely difficult concerto by Rachmaninoff. But, at the moment of his triumph, he collapses onstage and, rejected by his father, spends 15 years in a psychiatric hospital, undergoing shock treatment and unable to play his beloved piano.

The last act of this extraordinary bio intros Gillian (Redgrave), a middle-aged astrologer and divorcee who meets David by chance and eventually marries him, giving him the support and encouragement he needs to resume his concert career. [source: David Stratton, variety.com]

Directed by
Scott Hicks

Cast:

	Geoffrey Rush	....	David as an Adult
	Justin Braine	....	Tony
	Sonia Todd	....	Sylvia
	Chris Haywood	....	Sam
	Alex Rafalowicz	....	David as a Child
	Gordon Poole	....	Eisteddfod Presenter
	Armin Mueller-Stahl	....	Peter
	Nicholas Bell	....	Ben Rosen
	Danielle Cox	....	Suzie as a child
	Rebecca Gooden	....	Margaret
	Marta Kaczmarek	....	Rachel
	John Cousins	....	Jim Minogue
	Noah Taylor	....	David as an Adolescent
	Paul Linkson	....	State Champion Announcer
	Randall Berger	....	Isaac Stern
	Ian Welbourne	....	Boy Next Door
	Kelly Bottrill	....	Louise as a baby
	Beverley Vaughan	....	Rabbi
	Phyllis Burford	....	Synagogue Secretary
	Daphne Grey	....	Society Hostess
	Edwin Hodgeman	....	Soviet Society Secretary
	Googie Withers	....	Katharine Susannah Prichard
	Maria Dafnero	....	Sonia
	Reis Porter	....	Postman
	Stephen Sheehan	....	Roger Woodward (younger)
	Brenton Whittle	....	Announcer
	Marianna Doherty	....	Suzie as a teenager
	Camilla James	....	Louise as a child
	John Gielgud	....	Cecil Parkes
	David King	....	Viney
	Danny Davies	....	Registrar
	Helen Dowell	....	Sarah
	Louise Dorling	....	Muriel
	Sean Carlsen	....	Student
	Richard Hansell	....	Ashley
	Robert Hands	....	Robert
	Marc Warren	....	Ray
	Neil Thomson	....	RCOM Conductor
	Joey Kennedy	....	Suzie as an adult
	Ellen Cressey	....	Nurse
	Beverley Dunn	....	Beryl Ascott
	Andy Seymour	....	Bar Customer
	Lynn Redgrave	....	Gillian
	Ella Scott Lynch	....	Jessica
	Jethro Heysen-Hicks	....	Rowan
	John Martin	....	Roger Woodward (older)
	Bill Boyley	....	Celebrant
	Teresa La Rocca	....	Opera singer
	Lindsey Day	....	Opera singer
	Grant Doyle	....	Opera singer
	Leah Jennings	....	Musician
	Kathy Monaghan	....	Musician
	Mark Lawrence	....	Musician
	Gordon Coombes	....	Musician
	Luke Dollman	....	Musician
	Margaret Stone	....	Musician
	Tom Carrig	....	Musician
	Helen Ayres	....	Musician
	Suzi Jarratt	....	Vocalist
	Samantha McDonald	....	Vocalist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Sandy Gardiner	....	Restaurant Customer (uncredited)
	Peter Osborn	....	Priest (uncredited)
	Louise Siversen	....	Extra in ballroom scene (uncredited)