Itzhak

The life of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman is the subject of this documentary following Perlman and his family and friends as he and others reflect on his past as well as his current endeavors. The film follows his childhood in Israel dealing with a physical handicap due to polio and his family's eventual move to the USA. "Itzhak" is an Israeli/US co-production.

Perlman's magnificent talent and achievements easily make him a cultural icon. One of the wonderful surprises of this film is how unpretentious he is. He speaks in a very pleasant manner and could easily pass off as a friendly neighbour. He also shows a delightful sense of humour especially in a scene with long-time friend Alan Alda when he makes an observation about getting older.

This film includes wonderful footage including Perlman's appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" six decades ago when he was thirteen years old. In addition to paying tribute to the man, the film is also dedicated to the arts. There is a touching scene when Itzhak and his wife Toby explain how music moves the soul in ways that separate humans from other species.

There are many beautiful scenes of Perlman on the violin. My only wish is that at least one of them was played from beginning to end in this film. Otherwise, the movie is quite enjoyable. - dbamateurcritic

Itzhak is a lovely documentary made by a veteran filmmaker. It's full of laughs, and Itzhak Perlman jumps off the screen. A wonderful choice to watch on movie night.

This is a wonderful documentary, directed by Alison Chernick, bringing to the screen the larger-than-life personality and brilliant violin playing of Itzhak Perlman.

I'll admit I know little about classical music but when Perlman performs on screen I was just spellbound. The film also highlights his long time marriage and partnership with his wife Dory and how they share many of the same interests, including wanting to help talented young musicians.

Overall, I just found this doc to be extremely well presented and engaging and, as mentioned, the music of Perlman is just magnificent.

Itzhak (2017) is a brilliant documentary written and directed by Alison Chernick. It stars Itzhak Perlman and his wife, Toby Perlman.

Itzhak Perlman is the leading violinist of our day. However, even more important than that, he's a mensch. Perlman is clearly a thoughtful and joyous man. What makes this documentary so good is that director Chernick brings out this quality of Perlman. It's there on the screen, where we can all see it. Great artists can be brooding and antisocial. Not Perlman. He plays, he laughs, and he enjoys life.

If you love music, this is a must-see film. If you don't love music, you will still enjoy it because it gives a good insight into the man himself.

We saw Itzhak at the excellent Dryden Theatre in the George Eastman Museum. It was screened at the wonderful Rochester Jewish Film Festival. It will work very well on the small screen. This movie has an excellent IMDb rating of 7.7. I think it's even better than that.

A wonderful movie.The 2 hour movie seemed to be 1/2 hour long.