| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | SHINE (1996) |
| Director | Scott Hicks |
| Writer | Jan Sardi, Scott Hicks |
| Lead Actor | Geoffrey Rush |
| Cast | Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Lynn Redgrave, Sonia Todd, John Gielgud, Alex Rafalowicz |
| Genre | Biography, Drama, Music |
| Release Date | October 10, 1996 (Australia) / February 14, 1997 (United States) |
| Duration | 1h 45m (105 min) |
| Budget | $5.5 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDb Rating | 7.7/10 |
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SHINE
Compassion for disabled or afflicted people has become a major characteristic of important movies. Shine, an Australian film that swept almost every conceivable award in its homeland, is the latest to emulate such films as My Left Foot and Rain Man. It offers a lovable, disabled hero plus some beautiful music, most significantly, Rachmaninoff’s explosive Piano.
Based on the true story of pianist David Helfgott, this Scott Hicks-directed movie is about the havoc caused by an ambitious parent, a father who loves too much. (This classic character is especially familiar in today’s competitive mass-media world of big-time sports and performing arts.)
The father (played with low-key intensity and insight by Armin Mueller-Stahl) is the ultimate stage parent. But it’s not greed that motivates him. He’s possessive. As an immigrant who is scarred by his own childhood and Holocaust trauma, he’s afflicted by his wariness and distrust of the world.
When teenager David breaks away to accept a scholarship in London, his father disowns him. David suffers a breakdown (a terrific sequence) almost at the exact moment when all his hard work and training are about to pay off in musical competition.
David is movingly played by three different actors. The more memorable are Noah Taylor, who covers the early adult “crash” years, and Geoffrey Rush as the rapid-talking, childlike man.
It’s a triumph of the human spirit because in a way David’s breakdown frees him to enjoy and share his gift. Shine is another film that brings audiences closer to understanding humans who are in some way “different.” But it’s unique in substance and dazzling style. Powerful, highly cinematic drama that explores the joy and pain of art and also the ambiguous nature of love within families.
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