Le Concert, 2009

Le Concert, 2009
Director: Rado Mihaileanu
Cast: Aleksey Guskov, Melanie Laurent, Dmitri Nazarov



Stage: Home theatre, early morning on a morning I couldn't sleep, cultural holiday. Maybe the best beginning of such a day with some culture in the piece.


Le Concert in short: Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Châtelet Theater in Paris invites the Bolshoi orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and to perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi orchestra. As a solo violin player to accompany his old Jewish or Gypsy musicians he wants Anne-Marie Jacquet, a young virtuoso. If they all overcome the hardships ahead this very special concert will be a triumph.



Preps: Heard many great reviews about this piece, yet never came to its place on my perfect night. Now I have a perfect morning, the dawn of our national cultural holiday to celebrate with this piece.



Reality: An extraordinary piece, touched me to my heart and soul. Besides miraculous music, also great interpretation and great story. Reminds me somehow of a hungarian movie I saw a while ago, however that piece consisted on the dancing (maiden danced to death .. ). This one consists on music and bringing back virtually dead people to live again on stage.

The real story is about revealing real parents to a young talented violinist and telling her the story about her life as it really is. The parallel story is about getting some rusted russian players (concert players, artists) to perform again, with a real attitude, in Paris, the centre of culture (up to a russian standard, obviously also to the rest of the world). Numerous funny scenes happen inbetween, the russians somehow manage to assemble themselves and fly to Paris, however once they are in the city, they get loose of their strings, per se. Which means they act less serious than ever and don't really have in mind they came here to perform to a crowd of critics and eager people.

The movie has a genuine depressive drama mode, accompanied with the mindset of a true russian, as presented here - some would say even balcan way of thinking (we would call it "lako čemo" or we will get by). Which means that the real artists like this violinist would never perform with such a crowd of sheep for the lack of respect and interest in such barbarians. Still, somehow, the dramatic effect of the first subtle story about someone reaching to the parents and this clown artist story on the other hand, somehow collide in a superb concert they manage to deliver at last.
The final scene is breathtaking and makes it worth staying behind the screen until the movie lasts. It touches your innerself and makes your body shiver. The music collides with the feelings and the confession or the real story, which is told inbetween. Brilliant piece, in term of seeking something that touches you deeply.

Now, can IRL some people just go to the airport and print some passports, or on the other hand, can they deliver an excellent concert without practising at all? I really doubt. The movie is also filled with subtle hints how russian (or eastern) people are supposed to be and brings a dark spotlight upon them. I doubt things are really like this, however, if we see too many movies on this topic made in the same way, we might consider this to be the truth. Similar with our prejudice towards some US citizen (because of some movies that show them more stupid as I really think they are). So in some sense, this movie is humiliating the attitude towards russian nation and some eastern nations as a whole. Still, I got to laugh quite a bit. You will, too.

Some hindback for me; it's a russian movie, I saw it with spanish subtitles. I am not as fluent in spanish as in english or german, still, I got it all. But do yourself a favour and download english subtitles. Most of the jokes will be funny instantly, not after one minute (once I got them :)


My personal rating: 8,0 (a splendid piece, worthy seeing on a cultural holiday. I love the story and I love the outcome. the music will rock your bones).


Le concert on IMDB