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:

Schizoaffective Disorder | South Australia | Family Relationships | Jump | Musician

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: The mezzuzah, a Jewish religious scroll attached to a home's door posts, on Ben Rosen's home is angled the wrong way; it should be angled toward the entrance of the home.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
David: It's a mystery.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Triplettes de Belleville, Les (2003)

Soundtrack:

Polonaise In A Flat Major, Opus 53

excellent film, good in all departments, seriously moving

This is a good film in every sense but will mean most to fathers with strong views :).

The story of a brilliant young pianist whose relationship with his father drives him to some sort of mental illness. Watchable, absorbing, brilliantly edited, deeply seriously moving, one of the rare films that pays attention to incidental sound. Wonderful direction and acting. This is a seriously good film.