A great first half after which exact point it fell apart. There was just not enough story left to fill the time. Either that or just not enough effort was made.
After a long second half meander full of half meanings and improbable motivations the now disappointing and unlikely lead character gets his chance to vindicate himself and give the weary viewer a chance of closure, of extracting some meaning from the previous hour's trudge through dramatic mediocrity.
HIs final performance which should have been the film's grand climax was just flabby compared with the scintillating playing of the boy at the outset of the film. This, despite the director having laboriously visually demonstrated the older man morphing back into the passionate little boy genius.
The superb idea of blending the Song of Names with the boy's life experience in this final piece of music was just thrown away in a rather dull an attenuated sentimental piece and the lovely blended part with cantor and violin did not last long enough to emotionally involve you. There was shot after shot of captivated faces which jarred with the weakly sentimental nature of this passionless piece which was unbelievably poor apart from the tantalisingly few bars where the two melodies met and blended so gloriously.
There was so much potential here for a magnificent tear jerking masterpiece. I loved the first half then felt abandoned, bored, and finally just disappointed.
After a long second half meander full of half meanings and improbable motivations the now disappointing and unlikely lead character gets his chance to vindicate himself and give the weary viewer a chance of closure, of extracting some meaning from the previous hour's trudge through dramatic mediocrity.
HIs final performance which should have been the film's grand climax was just flabby compared with the scintillating playing of the boy at the outset of the film. This, despite the director having laboriously visually demonstrated the older man morphing back into the passionate little boy genius.
The superb idea of blending the Song of Names with the boy's life experience in this final piece of music was just thrown away in a rather dull an attenuated sentimental piece and the lovely blended part with cantor and violin did not last long enough to emotionally involve you. There was shot after shot of captivated faces which jarred with the weakly sentimental nature of this passionless piece which was unbelievably poor apart from the tantalisingly few bars where the two melodies met and blended so gloriously.
There was so much potential here for a magnificent tear jerking masterpiece. I loved the first half then felt abandoned, bored, and finally just disappointed.