Music of the Heart | | Cast : | Meryl Streep | | Director : | Wes Craven | | Studio : | Miramax/ Walt Disney Home Video | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | October 29, 1999 | | DVD Released Date : | July 01, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 29, 2005 | | Summary | Parts Of This Movie Will Make Your Sing | Content
 | MUSIC OF THE HEART, the story of violin teacher Roberta Guaspari and her fight to save a music program in East Harlem's school system, is based loosely on the 1996 documentary SMALL WONDERS. Ms. Guaspari believed, as did her principal Janet Williams, that studying music and art, in this instance the violin, teaches children discipline and provides them with a sense of self-worth and that the arts should not be treated as frills but rather an integral part of a child's edcuation.
Meryl Streep, nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Ms. Guaspari, is as always magnificent. She favors the instructor a little; but more importantly, she takes on her walk and speech patterns so as to actually become her. While Cloris Leachman, Angela Bassett and Aidan Quinn give respectable performances, the movie belongs to Ms. Streep.
The film adds new material not seen in the documentary; some of it works better than others. The relationship between Quinn and Streep-- she and her two young sons have been deserted by her husband-- could have been left out entirely without much having been lost. On the other hand, the death of a student from a drive-by shooting and the child who has to leave Streep's class and move away because her father is abusing her mother, while fictional-- at least they are not in the documentary-- add touches of necessary realism and keep the movie from becoming one-sided.
The highlight of both this movie and the documentary [included in the DVD version and is not to be missed] is the concert at Carnegie Hall by the students, along with some of the great violinists of the world, to raise money to keep the violin classes continuing. Apparently the concert was the brainchild of Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri String quartet and his wife who came to Guaspari's aid in her fight to save the violin program.
Ms Guaspari's vision, refreshing and heart-warming, is simple through profound: teachers make a difference, discipline is essential to learning, music is an integral part of education, all children can learn to play the violin, one should play from the heart. We could use more movies like this one, particularly in times like these when movie houses show documentaries entitled ENRON and THE FOG OF WAR while the casualties from the War in Iraq daily continue to rise and no weapons of mass destruction are found.
Parts of this movie will make you sing. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 16, 2005 | | Summary | MARVELOUS MUSIC | Content
| Director Wes Craven told the studio he would direct SCREAM 3 only if he could direct MUSIC OF THE HEART. There's no Freddy Kruegers or screaming teens this time; and if Craven's direction is standard and to the point, it fits the mood of this uplifting salute to a caring and determined teacher. As Roberta, Meryl Streep garnered one of her fourteen Oscar nominations, and as always, Streep is brilliant. Instead of placing a halo around her head, Streep shows us a woman who is not always likeable. She's hard on her pupils, but ironically, that's what they come to love and admire in her. She's not had a great personal life and yes, sometimes she's a little rough on her two boys. Roberta's quick-tempered, impulsive, but dedicated and compassionate. It's to Streep's credit that her performance transcends the obvious; and to show her dedication to her craft, she learned to play the violin to boot. And it was refreshing to see children so enraptured and gain considerable self-esteem as they learned their craft; the final concert in Carnegie Hall is appropriately schmaltzy but wonderful in its heartfelt conviction. Perhaps focusing on Roberta's desire for commitment from lover Aidan Quinn was distracting, but it showed us the fragile side of her character as well. The supporting cast is very good, too..Angela Bassett's regal stance as the school's principal; Jay O. Sanders strength and admiration, and the children are very good too. Gloria Estefan is given very little to do, but she does a nice job with NSYNC on the Oscar-nominated title song.
What makes MUSIC OF THE HEART such a good film is its heart. Seeing Streep take these underprivileged kids and make them proud of their achievements is uplifting, and showing how the parents likewise supported their children (even those who initially found it hard to do) gives this reviewer hope and faith that there is hope for children in this increasingly demanding world. It proves that sports heroes aren't the only ones out there. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 18, 2005 | | Summary | "Extras" listed on DVD cover NOT on DVD!! | Content
| I don't have anything to add to the other comments about the film itself, but I was flummoxed by the fact that my DVD didn't include several of the "extra" features listed on the box. I don't miss Ms. Estevan's video, nor the bits of "wisdom" but I'd have liked to see the deleted scenes and more of the "behind the scenes at Carnegie." The Fiddlefest was, I know, quite a wild time with the audience thrilled by the combination of students and pros, and the pros were deeply impressed by the students, by all accounts, so to have seen how it all came together would have been nice. I also don't like paying for things I don't actually get. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 11, 2005 | | Summary | Reviewers Are Missing The Message | Content
| The movie moved me. I felt the pride of the parents whose children excelled in this TRUE story of accomplishment.
It didn't matter to me if the school classroom was not portrayed as it really may be in Harlem. It didn't matter to me if Roberta was strict or made her children practice (if it's a true story, then so be it).
This movie is NOT about a classroom or about proper English or about teaching methods. It's about taking the passion of something you love and being successful with it enough to make others love it just as much. It's about creating culture in an area of society that had none.
My mother taught piano, organ, and violin. In the 1920's she had her own girl's orchestra in the Chicago area. She always kept the attitude of "I'm here if you want to learn, but I'm not going to push you." Boy, do I wish she had! I cannot play any instrument and regret her NOT making me take lessons when I had the opportunity. But she's been deceased for over 30 years and when I watch someone play with proficiency I kick myself.
The children of Harlem were given an Opportunity (with a capital 'O') and I applaud the writers, producers, and directors who brought this to our attention with an excellent film.
I laughed and I cried. I hope you will, too. To all who read this, if you like music and inspiration, I recommend seeing this movie. And, I hope you see the depth of the true message and not the trivial details others have complained about.
Gail Gupton, Author, 'The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment' |
| Rating | | | Date | February 10, 2005 | | Summary | Proficient if somewhat anodyne movie | Content
| While based on reality this is not a notably realistic movie and makes everything look glossier and easier than I am sure it was in the real world .
Meryl Streep plays Roberta Guispari whose husband leaves her for a younger woman .Needing a job she tries to persuade Janet Williams ( Angela Bassett) the principal of an East Harlem school,to take her on a violin teacher in a special programme and eventually succeeds thanks to an impromptu recital by her two young sons .( It would not have altered my decision -but then we would not have had a movie )
She faces resistance ,both from the pupils and one parent in particular ,who loudly avers that she is a meddling white liberal ,that dead white man's music is not relevant and that no black classical composers have ever existed .( The ranting ignoramus has clearly never heard of Samuel Coleridge Taylor whose oratorio The Song of Hiawatha is still a staple of choral societies in the UK .)
The movie unfolds ,in somewaht episodic fashion ,treating of Roberta's personal and professional life; the success of the programme and its threat of being terminated by funders concluding in a Carnegie Hall fundraising concert)
Its sentimental without being overly schmalty but does tend to make all the students too glossy --well groomed ,speaking excellent English and with supportive parents .Such do exist but are by no means in the kind of majority we see in the movie .It is unrealistic and this undercuts the very real achievement of the actual Ms Guispari in driving the programme over so many years .
Still the music is good -especially the final concert -and the peformances from Streep ,Bassett and Cloris Leachaman as Streep's mother are admirable .Anonymous but capable direction is in the hands of horror maestro Wes Craven -his first movie outside that genre
|
|
Picture 01 (20)
