Seymour: An Introduction

.....about a man who made it his life mission to feed others' souls through the study of music of great emotional richness, intellectual depth and beauty. A must see and a wonderful reprieve from the shallow, titillating stuff we are continually inundated by. Subtle camera angles, expert scene selections and gorgeous musical choices create a tempo to this movie that engages the watcher without doing all the work for him. Kudos to Ethan Hawke for recognizing the substance, wisdom and humanity of Seymour, for resisting the temptation to insert his ego into the story, and for allowing conversations that require the audience members (whether they play the piano or not) to exercise their minds, to think, consider, wonder, reflect about their own lives and passions. You may find yourself, like me, wanting to hear those kernels of wisdom and truth again and again, to deepen your understanding and glean more fully their meaning, and to be moved once more by Seymour's magical, beautiful artistry.

This is an exceptional documentary centering on Seymour Bernstein, the classical pianist, composer, and teacher. Now 88-years-old, he retired from concert appearances at age 50 to devote more time to teaching and mentoring others. Bernstein had me rather mesmerized with his distinctive tones, as he spins fascinating stories and anecdotes from his life, adding some quite profound words of wisdom that he's gathered over his lifetime.

The superb actor Ethan Hawke directs the documentary, and I read that he regards Bernstein as a mentor of his. Both men during the interviews, reveal some very personal aspects of their life, including stage fright and how to get fulfillment for the remainder of their time on this earth.

Overall, I was totally engaged, from start to finish, in this remarkable movie, and there's some wonderful classical music to enjoy as well.

Seymour: an Introduction is one of the most touching films I've watched. The title character, Seymour, is charming beyond words. He is beautifully portrayed by Ethan Hawke. The film provides candid interviews with former students and notables of the world of classical music. Each glimpse of this master teacher brings the audience closer to seeing a natural-born teacher in his element. Seymour has mastered the art of inspiring his students to reach the beyond their limits to create the best music they can. Seymour himself seems to magically sprinkle fairy dust on every piano he touches! He is an inspiration to both pianists and non-pianists everywhere. This film will, hopefully, in time, become a classic.

I wept, equally of joy and sadness, for most of an hour and forty minutes. Sit up front and go alone. See it at a theater only. This film is so quiet and delicate...and it just sneaks up on you and goes right through into your heart, gut, soul. It may be the most extraordinary film I've ever seen on the subject of artistry, creativity and its inner workings.....and I've see a few greats:(Frida, Turner, Vivian Maier, etc.)

'Seymour' is about devotion, love, inspiration. And it's big secret is that it GIVES THIS RIGHT TO YOU as you bear witness, if you let it get inside. You cannot go back into the world now. Well, not for a while. Not until you get over to the musical instrument, the pen or type, the camera, the canvas, the clay.

Ethan Hawke....what are you doing to us? The understated, magnificent director you have become! Thank you for this.

Some very thoughtful and well-written reviews have been posted about this film. Justifiably so!

For me the beauty of it is in it's pure portrayal of a regular guy who understood early what captivated him.....and his joy for it and exploration of it has never wavered. He remained a performing musician for as long as it made sense to him and then transitioned to being a valued teacher of other musicians.

Seymour is also a thinker and has come to some meaningful and wonderful conclusions about life and purpose. He articulates those in his ever gentle manner. I very much identified with the part where he speaks of looking within for answers and meaning more than looking to external entities or individuals to provide you with those. So, so true.

I was quite choked up towards the end but not from sadness; no, quite the opposite. From bearing witness to a life that has been, all of, fulfilling, purposeful, simple, deep, accomplished, stressful, pained from difficult relationships, enlightened and content.

Ethan Hawke, who has never really resonated with me (sorry, bro), as writer and director, has produced a fantastic film. I would say this is his calling and I walked out of the movie thinking, 'oh my gosh, I hope he does more films like this.' Go see it.