Nannerl, la hermana de Mozart

I found this to be an enjoyable period drama about the Mozart family. Remember it is a French made film, made in French language. Top notch English subtitles are necessary on DVD. I doubt the movie, released in the autumn of 2011, would have got worldwide cinema attraction.

Most of us watching would not know the story of Wolfgang Mozarts sister and I have no special interest in classical music, though as a tourist, yes, I did once visit Salzburg.

The film centres around the maturity of the young Nanna and her exploitable musical potential while in friendship at least with the French Dauphin.

The movie contains too much talking overall and I usually like French movies for that but not this time. I liked the acting and the costume drama and I liked the story itself, though two hours is definitely too long and for a non French speaking audience, not many are going to stay until the end. I nodded off the first time after 30 minutes and gave the film a late afternoon re-viewing earlier this afternoon.

Nothing offensive or conspiratorial about the movie. It simply dramatise a story from a book published a few years ago. Enjoy the movie for what it is and do not expect too much.

The music does come across as a little false and overdone but 6 from 10 is about right pitch for its rating.

I didn't know what to expect with the movie Mozart's Sister, but I was surprised - it was very good - even watching it with subtitles.

The movie gives a very believable and intimate picture of father Leopold Mozart's young family - with prodigies Wolfgang at age 11 and older sister Anna Maria (Nannerl) at 14 - and mainly involves their travels seeking musical glory. It has all the stuff you'd expect in a 1760's family including musical practice, family fun and playful laughter, adventures, and also Wolfgang and Nannerl's wish to compose. Good script, well paced and interesting plot, and a focus on Nannerl make this a winner. I might watch it again!

My Rank: 8 / 10.

It's difficult for me to see a film like this as a professional musician without seeing red at the same time. No, I'm not expecting a slavish rehash of history - far from it -but it wandered so far from reality as to remind me of films such as "Song to Remember" with Cornel Wilde swinging through the grapevines and playing the frail, tubercular Chopin at the same time.

Leopold Mozart, despite the general feeling that he pushed his children unmercifully, was actually trying to help his children become established in the world and to prevent his son from squandering his money as he was always tempted to do. In fact poor Wolfgang was buried in a pauper's grave after his father died.

The music in the film is another bone of contention. Instead of using something from the immense amount of music Wolfgang composed as background, it substituted a fake Classical imitation with romantic harmonies and orchestration that really wasn't good to begin with.

As for the ultra-low lighting we associate with "le film noir' or crime shows currently on television, we had to depend too often on dialog alone to guide us through what was happening. I realize that filming interiors with candles was period but even people sitting next to them were mainly in the dark. I know this is handy for not having to provide full period sets in detail but still I felt cheated.

This is a French work, nonetheless, and as so many French films are prone to do, it talks itself to death.

Curtis Stotlar

Léopold Mozart promotes his musical children; Wolfgang and his elder 14 year old daughter Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart (Marie Féret) to the royalties throughout Europe. He tries to restrict Nannerl's musical ambitions in the patriarchal society. She believes she may have contributed to Wolfgang's writing but Léopold dismisses her and forbids her from continuing to write. She befriends the daughters of the King especially Louise. She delivers a letter to Louise's brother Le Dauphin in mourning but she has to be disguised as a man to avoid a scandal. He encourages her to write. She meets him several times but only in disguised. He is conflicted about making her his mistress unwilling to repeat his father's debauchery.

This is an intriguing fictional biography. Marie Féret is the director's daughter and mostly fails to energize this costume period piece. The movie is two hours long and requires her to carry it on her shoulders. This has loads of potential for scandal and passion but none of it comes to pass. This does have a quiet beauty but is mostly a squandered opportunity.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Mozart, that legendary impresario, had an sibling who actually helped write a lot of his early work, and got precisely no credit for it... due to the sexist society at the time. She was also a brilliant violinist, but was forced to play the harpsichord by her father as the violin 'was no instrument for a lady.' Meanwhile, everyone mooned over her brother, the 'child prodigy', leaving her completely in the shade. In fact, a lot of what she could have achieved she didn't thanks to the patriarchal beliefs back in the 18th century, and by the sound of the epilogue she had a pretty miserable life after she gave up on all her hopes and dreams. Nice.

How much of this has a basis in reality I don't know, but I suspect there's a fair bit of airbrushing of history here. What can't be denied though, is this is a well acted drama of family ties and unfulfilled potential, full of wonderful classical music and handsome costumes. This is strictly a placid affair... You're not going to see any fireworks going off, and some people may find it all a bit too stagy. But Nannerl is a captivating lead, and while her story might not be 100% accurate as depicted here, it's well worth investing the nearly two hours to discover it. And isn't that really what matters, at the end of the day? 6/10