Chopin. Pragnienie milosci

The info provided by IMDb and the review of the other person is confusing. I've watched this movie and it is not in Polish. It's in English, and it isn't dubbed. Yes, it is the same movie. The title is the same, the casts are the same, the plot is the same.

This is the second movie I've watched this year about a Polish Pianist. The first one was Roman Polanski's The Pianist (stars Adrien Brody).

The world-renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Emanuel Ax, Yokio Yokoyama, and Janusz Olejniczak, and violinists Pamela Frank and Vadim Brodsky use their talents brilliantly to bring Chopin's music to life.

I guess I do enjoy this type of movies. Most would find watching these type of movies boring but I tend to enjoy them. :)

A few films have been made about Chopin, they are all excellent, since the subject demands serious honesty; but they are all American or English. This is entirely Polish, there are only Polish names in the cast, and the crew also seems to be entirely Polish, and it is all filmed on location. As a Polish film about their greatest son it is naturally of great interest, and it is a pleasure to observe that all the actors live up to the challenge: Piotr Adamczyk and Danuta Stenka are quite convincing as Chopin and George Sand, and for once here is a film that includes her children, especially Adam Woronowicz makes a great performance as her son Maurice but also Bozena Stachura as her daughter Solange manages well. You could object to all the sleazy details about their private lives, there might be some exaggerations here, although the film shows a great ambition to stick as closely as possible to the truth. Only Michal Konarski as Franz Liszt is not convincing but is made something of a caricature of, while several important parts are missing, most of all Chopin's teacher (made so prominent by Paul Muni in the 1945 film) and Alfred de Musset (made so real by Andy Patinkin in the 1991 film), and you might object against the lack of coherence in the film, which is rather like a collage of impressions, but the flashbacks are wonderful, and the music, which is all Chopin's, saves the film.

I am a self-professed Chopin junkie since age 10. As one who has read many biographies of Chopin and seen the 3 movies about his life: A Song to Remember, Impromptu and Desire for Love (Pragnienie milosci), there is only one scene in all of them that made me sit up and say, "Yessssss!" This is where Chopin's valet, Jan Matuszewski, is playing an oberek on the violin and Chopin asks him to repeat it. It turns into his D major Mazurka from Op. 33. Other than that scene, the movie is pretty schlocky. I do love that one scene, though!

Desire for Love is an excellent film showing the life of Chopin. It strongly shows his fragility in life and passion for his music. Adanczyk plays the great composer giving us the compassion and sympathy for Chopin. The film covers his long-term relationship with Madame George Sands and the struggle between Chopin and Sands children. It is a sad love story, but makes one love Chopin even more for his sensitivity and love for Sands, his country, and his music. Throughout the whole film the best of Chopin is played. There is much more to the composer than the film portrays yet this film is an excellent introduction to his life. I did not want the film to end. His Waltz in A minor 17 plays throughout the film, which brings out a happiness yet a sadness in oneself.

I don't understand a word of Polish, and there are no subtitles present, but I have had many wonderful times watching the DVD. (I own a multi-system DVD player.) The Polish countryside scenes are beautiful, and the actor who played Chopin certainly knew how to play the piano! There are a lot of fights in this movie, usually between Chopin and George Sand, or else George Sand and her husband, or George Sand and her son, or Chopin and George Sand's son (Maurice, her son, HATED Chopin.) George Sand was a French lady writer really named Aurore Dudevant. She wore trousers (practically unheard of for a lady in her day), smoked, and climbed mountains. George Sand was married to another fellow while she was having a lengthy affair with Chopin. There are also a lot of parties in this movie. At one of the parties, George Sand makes a long speech. Also, somebody always seems to be riding a carriage somewhere. In the beginning of the film, there are a lot of soldiers running around.

All in all, it's a great picture and a must see for any Chopin fans. Chopin: Pragnienie Milosci is a famous movie in Poland and from what I understand, it was a very big deal when it came out. In English, the title means: Chopin, Desire for Love.