O Mestre da Música

This film, one of my favorites of all-time, follows a retired opera star, (played by the real-life opera singer, Jose van Dam) and two pupils he agrees to teach after his retirement. When his two pupils must compete against their teacher's arch nemesis Prince Scotti (delectably played by Patrick Bauchau) and his dippy protege Arcas, it immediately becomes a feel-good movie. With gorgeous cinematography, well-written dialogue and the acting capabilities of Anne Roussel and Philippe Volter to carry the show, you don't need to rely on the beautiful music in both the background and the forefront of the story. You don't need to be a die-hard opera nut like myself to enjoy this film, you just need to be able to tolerate a lovely romance set against a stunning backdrop, where the bad guys can only be fought with musical notes. Go see it and tell me what you think.

The kind of film that earns "European films" the bad rap and bad rep the get from a lot of people these days. I had the feeling the film was written to showcase the music, not vice versa. And since you can't write a terribly compelling film about training vocalists, we're trapped into watching seemingly endless camera pans of trees, birds in them chirping ad nauseum, pseudo-profound, meaningful stares between people who have nothing to say to each other, and a Mahler symphony on the sound track that just simply won't go away. A terribly tedious film.

Belgium's nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar of 1988 is an elegant highbrow crowd pleaser, in which music scores by Verdi, Mahler, Mozart et al get top billing over the actors, and not without good reason. World-renowned baritone Jose van Dam stars as a (surprise) world-renowned baritone, who for reasons never fully explained abruptly retires to train aspiring soprano Anne Roussel and (again for unclear reasons) a common thief with a raw singing talent. But what begins as a polite, continental variation of 'Pygmalion', with all the usual trappings of a turn-of-the-century period piece, works up considerable steam when, unknown to van Dam, his arch enemy Prince Scotti begins training his own protégé, hoping to match him against his rival's two pupils in a no-holds-barred aria duel (to the death?) It's a thrilling (if slightly ridiculous) climax, and goes a long way toward compensating for some of the film's earlier, nagging deficiencies. If for no one else, this is a must for classical music aficionados.

It is a rare feat to have a movie plot and music so complementary and interwoven. Great actors. Outstanding choice of music pieces. Great performers. It is difficult not to be fascinated by this movie. A must see and see again. Mahler's lieders will become forever unforgettable.

First off, I love this movie. It is a very true testament to the level of competition inherent in the opera world, or in any performance art. Most people don't understand how hard some teachers can push their students, and it can lead to the ruining of the student's voice. I've seen it many times.

If you didn't notice, both Arcas and Jean sounded very similar - this is because they were played by the same man, M. Jérôme Pruett. He was at the height of his European career at the time. I am currently one of his voice students at the Hartt School in CT, where he is resident faculty.