Music of the Heart (1999)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer (WGA):

Pamela Gray (written by)

Release Date:

29 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

She gave them a gift they could never imagine. They gave the system a fight it would never forget.

Plot:

Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids.

Plot Keywords:

Violin | School | Music Rehearsal | Public School | Dog

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Roberta Guaspari
Cloris Leachman	...	Assunta Guaspari
Henry Dinhofer	...	Lexi at 5
Michael Angarano	...	Nick at 7
Robert Ari	...	Supervisor
Aidan Quinn	...	Brian Turner
Teddy Coluca	...	Taxi Driver
Angela Bassett	...	Principal Janet Williams
Josh Pais	...	Dennis Rausch
Barbara Gonzalez	...	Janet's Secretary
Jade Yorker	...	DeSean at 11
Victoria Gómez	...	Lucy at 10 (as Victoria Gomez)
Justin Pierre Edmund	...	Bongo Kid
Justin 'DJ' Spaulding	...	Naeem Adisa at 9 (as Justin Spaulding)
Zoe Sternbach-Taubman	...	Guadalupe at 9

Also Known As:

50 Violins (USA) (working title)
Fiddlefest (USA) (working title)
Music of My Heart (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief mild language and sensuality.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Taiwan:GP | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Craven-Maddalena Films

Trivia:

Many of the children featured in this film are actual students of Ms. Tvaraz and were actually with her during the events (including the Carnegie Hall Extravaganza) that led to the establishment of the Opus 118 East Harlem Violin Program that helped to support Roberta in the public school system.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of Roberta's first week of teaching, Brian visits her apartment to celebrate. When he enters the room, Roberta has just finished putting three large curlers in her hair on the left side. They disappear after the two of them kiss.

Quotes:

Isabel Vasquez: [approaching Roberta who is sitting on a bench by herself at lunch after being shunned by other teachers] What's the matter? You got cooties or somethin'?
Roberta Guaspari: Oh, apparently.
Isabel Vasquez: Well, I'll take my chances. Isabel Vasquez, second grade.
Roberta Guaspari: Roberta Guaspari, I'm ...
Isabel Vasquez: The violin teacher. I know.
Roberta Guaspari: So is it my imagination, or does *everybody* here hate me?
Isabel Vasquez: Look, it's hard to fit in when you're doing a special program. People figure you're not gonna be here very long, so they don't make the effort. It may take a while for folks to warm up to you, but they don't hate you.
Roberta Guaspari: What about Alice?
Isabel Vasquez: A - She thinks the violin is a waste of time. B - She's a bitch!
Roberta Guaspari: [laughs] So, why are you being so nice to me?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Directors: The Films of Wes Craven (#1.4)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Now in Marianao

A wonderful, wonderful movie for any music-lover, one of the very few I rate "10"!

Even though I had been wanting to see "Music of the Heart" for a while now, and I expected to like it, I didn't expect it to be one of my favorites of all time. Which it now is.

Meryl Streep, in the lead role, is nothing short of fantastic. She studied violin virtually every day, for 2 to 4 hours a day, for 3 months because she insisted on doing all her on-screen playing. She was so good that duing warm-up for the Carnegie Hall scene, famous violinists Issac Stern and Jascha Heifitz stood in amazement at how good she was. Watching the movie, I honestly became unaware that she was an "actress" in a movie, and that seldom happens with me.

The most enjoyable scenes were those showing young children make music. And the Carnegie Hall performance, with all those real-world virtuoso violinists, is one of the most moving scenes imaginable, when you consider what had transpired leading up to it.

This movie is based on the real story of a real music teacher in Harlem. It is a wonderful story of how one person through love and persistence can affect so many in such a positive way. This movie, unlike most, will stay with me for a long, long time.