Il était une fois Jean-Sébastien Bach

The movie's script seemed like one of those poor movies one would be subjected to in American schooling. The narrative voice overs lowered the film down to documentary wishing to be a movie. Also the casting was not coherent with the historical figures. This movie misses the essence and passion of classical musics greatest composer. This could have easily been a story as good or greater then Amadeus.

The films sole saving grace is the great decor. The costume is very good also. All the sheet music and set decoration is well done. There is a lot of attention and creativity in the details (after a while it was all I was watching in the movie). I watched "the making of" on the DVD to try and understand the production. I think it is safe to say it was at least the script... One telling moment was when the director is speaking with the chief decorator. They are discussing how great the set design is and taking a lot of credit, when it is obvious neither one are actually aware of the details of what they are talking about. So the assistant set decorator comes over and explains it... they go on to say in fact the assistant had done all the work discussed. I guess I would be sure to hire the assistant next time. :)

I sincerely hope that someone takes up the biographical subject matter of Bach and does it correctly. It has a great potential... keep the decor and set design - get a dramatic and less narrative script and go from there. ... And now we continue in present day...

This film about one of the classical music world's genuine greats is a mostly factually accurate re telling of J S Bach's life starting at age ten . It hits most of the highlights and saddest lows of Bach's painful and yet interesting life with an attempt , usually successful , of being not only truthful but also modest . It is in stark contrast to other films about classical musical geniuses like Amadeus , which may be to some more entertaining , but also have multiple scenes that are , as far as historians know , pure fiction . Il etait une fois Jean Sebastien Bach is in French but the subtitles are both easy to read because of their large size print , and accurate translations into English . The music is wonderful ! Every single piece , as befits an entire film about one of the greatest classical music composers ever , is a J S Bach composition . Several of the locations , in the movie , are even the original spots that J S Bach himself was at . Another honest attempt by this filmmaker to be truthful and accurate to the facts of Bach's life . If you want to learn about J S Bach's life , joys and woes and , of course his wonderful music this film will give you that . Despite the criticisms of some reviewers it is a solid , admittedly not spectacular , but good film . Agreed none of the performances are award worthy but again it tells his story accurately and gives quality renditions of Bach's music . It achieves the reasonable if modest , but still worthwhile aims for a film about a musical great - to tell enough of the person's story truthfully that the viewer learns about the person's life and hears some of his music . Few other music composers have as many pieces of their music performed as often every year for over two centuries on different continents as J S Bach and this is a good introduction to the man , his life and a small , but good , sampling of his music .

To my mind the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is far from a pretty, bucolic romp in the woods; but that's pretty much what we have here. The leads are mostly miscast, gorgeously coiffed, French lookers who display little affinity for the depth or complexity of the composer's work (we never even see Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife and accomplished musician in her own right, play the clavier - though we do see plenty of cleavage). The narrator provides all the necessary biographical information, interpretation and commentary on Bach's life and career. The rest is an insipid but pretty melodrama accompanied by the splendid of music of Herr Bach. If that's all you require, enjoy!

It's so easy to criticize a movie to its bone marrow, especially this one. Everything was wrong with it, the costumes, the historic details, the Francofication, the acting, the costumes, the absence of God in his life, the musical performances. But.. I have to say, I did finish watching the movie, while I usually am very quick hitting the stop button. Behind all the frivolous nonsense I saw a movie made by people who were madly in love with this man and his music. That's why they retraced his steps literally, because they were on a pilgrimage with a camera. It reminded me of The Mill and The Cross, which is about a painting of Pieter Breugel the Elder by that title. Although the historic depiction in this movie seems to be more accurate, that is not the point of the movie. The point is to literally enter the aforementioned painting. You can't 'enter' music like you can enter a painting, but, what these film makers seemed to be doing was to go to places where Bach was breathing hoping to inhale a few of the molecules Bach once exhaled. To me it felt that they were using the actors as a vehicle to get closer to their idol. It worked for me. Again, as a movie it wouldn't get a passing grade at any film school, but, as a means of transferring passion, it worked phenomenal, after wards I listened to Bach's music for many hours and I can't wait until Easter when the St Matthew's Passion will be performed.

(By advance, please excuse my bad and too scholastic English) This movie is a perfect example of all that one should not make. The picture is bad: no movement, no perspective. The photograph is bad: runny colours, grainy film. Actor & actress are without expression, without dynamic. NOTA: the superb hairstyle with streak hairs of Anna Magdalena (Like a bimbo girl in `Macumba Club' night dancing in far end of country side during the annual cattle market). Even the music is bad, not in respect with J.S.Bach. Comments with a voice out off picture is monotonous and encourage you to sleep. Dialogs are almost nonexistent and without interest. I don't know if the life of J.S.Bach is very thrilling (according this movie it seems that J.S.B. was a kind of civil servant attached to princes for write one cantata each week !), but his music is in domain of spirituality and it is perfectly concealed/ignored in this movie. Fortunately I suppose that the US audience shall has never the opportunity to see this very bad movie.