Shine (1996)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Scott Hicks

Writers:

Jan Sardi (screenplay)
Scott Hicks (story)

Release Date:

20 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

A true story of the mystery of music and the miracle of love

Plot:

Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.

Plot Keywords:

Pianist | Piano | Concert Hall | Abuse | Australia

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 38 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Geoffrey Rush	...	David Helfgott - Adult
Justin Braine	...	Tony
Sonia Todd	...	Sylvia
Chris Haywood	...	Sam
Alex Rafalowicz	...	David Helfgott - Child
Gordon Poole	...	Eisteddfod Presenter
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Peter
Nicholas Bell	...	Ben Rosen
Danielle Cox	...	Suzie - Child
Rebecca Gooden	...	Margaret
Marta Kaczmarek	...	Rachel
John Cousins	...	Jim Minogue
Noah Taylor	...	David Helfgott - Adolescent
Paul Linkson	...	State Champion Announcer
Randall Berger	...	Isaac Stern

Also Known As:

Flight of the Bumblebee (Australia) (working title)
Helfgott (Australia) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for nudity/sensuality and intense thematic elements.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 (DVD rating) | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34422) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Adelaide Botanic Gardens & Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Geoffrey Rush had once learned the piano up until aged fourteen. He took up piano lessons again thirty years later for the film and also acted as his own hand double body double.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the film, the character shows all signs of schizophrenia; not bipolar disorder (formerly known as "manic-depressive disorder"), as is claimed in the film. Furthermore, David Helfgott, in person, displays many symptoms of schizophrenia and none of bipolar disorder.

Quotes:

Peter: No-one will love you like me, no-one like me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror X (#11.4)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Funiculì, Funiculà

A Beautiful Mind

SHINE (1996) **** Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Alex Rafalowicz, Armin Mueller Stahl, Lynn Redgrave, Sir John Gielgud, Googie Withers. Excellent Oscar nominated bio pic about acclaimed Australian pianist virtuoso David Helfgott (played equally brilliant by Rush {deservingly winning the Oscar as Best Actor} as an adult, Taylor as a young man and Rafalowicz as the child prodigy) who suffered mental anguish thru his art largely due to his overbearing father (Mueller Stahl, Best Supporting Actor nominee, in a demanding yet effective role) that led to his nervous breakdown that nearly destroyed him. Poignant and beautifully directed by newcomer Scott Hicks (Best Director nominee), the film never panders, preaches or offers any simple answers yet does depict mental illness earnestly with devestating clarity. Rush gives a bravura performance that deserves a standing ovation. Best sequence: the lead-in to Helfgott's crash as he attempts the monumental musical challenge, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3, or notoriously known as "The Rach 3".