Shine

There is a hurdle that most biopics must overcome in order to be successful as a film. That hurdle comes in two forms depending on the subject of the biopic: either the subject is so well known that straying too far from the known truths will have people cry foul, or the subject is so obscure to the world in general that you may feel you have to embellish everything in order to draw in a mostly unknowing audience. David Helfgott is a big deal in certain circles; elsewhere, he is mostly unknown. This puts a film based on his life at a disadvantage of having to appeal to both kinds of audiences. 

The success, or failure, of this endeavor boils down to how well both sides responded to the film. After all, those studying to be concert pianists would certainly know the name David Helfgott, especially if they were from Australia, where David hails from. That is a small audience, though, and while that audience needs to be kept in mind, the film also has to appeal to a broader audience who have probably never heard of him.

Scott Hicks saw David perform in Adelaide in 1985 and decided he simply must make a film about him. At the time, though, convincing others that this was a good idea was not easy. David and his wife, Gillian, took a year to be convinced to allow the project to move forward.  With the help of a friend and colleague, John MacGregor, Hicks penned a first draft script. Years went by, and it proved difficult to find anyone willing to back the project. Hicks wanted to lift his project out of the dregs of being simply a biopic and, taking inspiration from the music itself, he wrote it to be impressionistic rather than merely a retelling of the events. Not everyone agreed with this choice. Members of David’s family, his sister Margaret and brother Les specifically, were critical about the portrayal of their father in the film. Hicks maintains that while things were exaggerated, the portrayals are based heavily on how David saw it. 

Geoffrey Rush was primarily a stage actor at the time. Investors didn’t want him for the role, feeling that he was already washed up as an actor and best left to the stage. Hicks had to go to bat for him, insisting that it had to be Rush. This proved to be inspired for a number of reasons, including Rush’s classic piano training, something he had to return to in order to serve as his own double for the musical performance scenes. By playing his own music, it allowed Hicks a great deal of latitude to film these moments freely, unencumbered from having to hide a body double.  It makes all the difference when you can see the actor’s face and hands at the same time during some of the more difficult songs. On the other hand, when it is the younger David, played by Noah Taylor, a double had to be used, and it’s not quite the same, though Noah is doing an amazing job selling it.

Shine was never going to be a blockbuster film, nor was it intended to be. But it had a box-office return of six times its production budget, which meant it was a financial success. It was also a critical darling, winning numerous awards and being nominated for even more, most coveted of course being the Academy Award for Best Picture. It scored most of its award wins in its native Australia, of course, but it was a success worldwide and brought a lot of attention and acclaim to Geoffrey Rush, despite his limited screen time. In fact, aside from a couple of very brief moments early on, we don’t really see Rush until about the last half-hour of the film, yet he makes such an impact that it feels like he’s in it much more.

The film starts out with David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush) wandering through a heavy rainstorm and finding himself at a nearby restaurant, closed for the night but still populated. David is manic and difficult to understand, but Sylvia (Sonia Todd) manages to get his name and that he is staying at a local hotel. She takes him back and, despite his attempts to impress her with his musical knowledge, she leaves him there. 

From there, the story flashes back to his childhood, where a young David (played initially by Alex Rafalowicz, then later by Noah Taylor) is competing in a musical competition at a local Eisteddfod. David has been taught to play the piano by his father, Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl), who is obsessed with winning and has no tolerance for anything but perfection. He also reacts badly, often physically, towards any signs of dishonor or disobedience. While playing at the Eisteddfod, David is noticed by Mr. Rosen (Nicholas Bell), a local piano teacher who offers to train David to be a great player. After some initial resistance, Peter relents and allows Rosen to formally train him. 

As a teenager, David wins the state musical championship and is invited to study in the United States. But though the family is initially supportive, Peter forbids David to leave, believing his absence will destroy the family. When David is rightfully upset by this decision, Peter begins to physically and mentally abuse the boy, upsetting the family. Later, David is offered a scholarship to study in London at the Royal College of Music. Peter once again refuses to allow it. This time, though, David defies him and goes anyway, under the threat that if he leaves, he will never be allowed back in the home. 

While at the college, David enters a music competition, choosing to play Sergei Rachmaninoff’s demanding 3rd Piano Concerto, a piece he had attempted to learn as a child to make his father proud of him. The music is demanding and stressful to master, and he begins to show signs of mental stress. He wins the competition but suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he receives electroshock therapy. He recovers enough to travel back home, but his father, true to his word, will not let him come back into their home.  

This rebuff sends him back to a mental institution, where he is recognized years later by a volunteer who takes him out of the institution when she recognizes who he is. But she cannot deal with his difficulties and he needs more care than she can offer. Later, David meets a woman named Gillian, and the two fall in love, marrying. Eventually, he is able to come to terms with his father, who has just passed, and stage a comeback concert. The film ends with him performing, a return to professional music where he has stayed ever since. 

Whether or not David’s father was abusive as he is depicted in this film, it matters little as this film is being told from David’s point of view, not an omniscient narrator’s. This is how David saw and felt about his father. This is not meant to be a dispassionate look at the facts but an emotional view of the events from the perspective of a man whose mental well-being is directly impacted by the events. We can look at it as the ultimate unreliable narrator or we can look at it as a less literal interpretation of events; either way works for the story being told. Late in the film, there is a scene where David reconciles with his father, but we cannot trust what we are seeing so much as assume that this is just wishful thinking on David’s part. 

There is simply no way to accurately portray the life of this amazing person; not in the timeframe allotted for a feature film. Instead, we are to see the important moments colored through a window of emotions and skewed recollections. Often, we glean information through the manic jumble of dialogue that is the way David speaks in his adulthood. Looking at it, we can see why he was diagnosed as schizophrenic, yet more modern eyes will recognize that there is a great deal of autism on display. 

David is still alive as of this writing, still performing music for the world to enjoy. He’s a savant of sorts, and his talent is one to behold. Geoffrey Rush, while not focusing too heavily on David’s mannerisms in this portrayal, is succeeding at portraying the emotional care and turmoil of this character. And he does it with very limited screen time.  Noah Taylor has more screen time, but his part is equally as difficult to get across. Noah has to portray the young man as things begin to crumble for him. We see ticks and mannerisms that will get more severe later when Rush takes over. We also see the pressure being put upon him and how that ultimately breaks him. The cut from his breakdown to Geoffrey Rush talking over is abrupt, but that is by design. We are meant to be caught off guard by it, even though we got a taste of it in the opening. This is an actor’s showcase and no one drops the ball. This is the kind of film that you come to see the performances and you leave, moved by those same performances. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Jane Scott

Best Director: Scott Hicks

Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush (won)

Best Supporting Actor: Armin Mueller-Stahl 

Best Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen: Jan Sardi and Scott Hicks

Best Film Editing: Pip Karmel

Best Original Dramatic Score: David Hirschfelder

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Release Date: November 22, 1996

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rated PG-13

Starring: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Googie Withers, Sonia Todd, and John Gielgud

Directed by: Scott Hicks