|
THE CONCERT Send This Review to a Friend
Combining broad comedy, a blow against past anti-Semitism in communist Russia and a heavy injection of schmaltz, “The Concert” is an enjoyable film with something to say. It is very contrived in its sentimentality, yet its colorful if preposterous story is well acted and geared to bring a tear or two by its finale.
During the Brezhnev era of the Soviet Union, conductor Andreï Filipov (Alexeï Guskov) was kicked out of the Bolshoi Orchestra because he refused to fire Jewish musicians. He has been reduced to being a cleaner. The plot is set up when he intercepts a communication calling for the Bolshoi to substitute in Paris for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Now is the moment to retrieve his dream. The former conductor rounds up his musician pals and they manage to get to Paris and pose as the Bolshoi.
Comedy is mined from the efforts to find whomever they can to complete the unlikely aggregation that can bring off a concert in time. The violin soloist is to be the beautiful and talented Anne-Marie Jacquet, played by the exquisite actress Mélanie Laurent, a protégé of Guylène de La Rivière, portrayed by the veteran actress Miou Miou.
Apart from the humor and the amusing angry frustration of the real Bolshoi honchos when they learn about what the conductor and the Jews have wrought in this act of revenge and fulfilling a dream of rightful reinstatement, the heavy dose of sentiment kicks in. There’s a raging back-story of long-hidden truths and relationships. They come to the fore with the passion of an opera. Because the involvements are tied to the tragic events of history, even though they are blatantly contrived, the acting and the direction by writer-director Radu Mihaileanu give the unraveling intertwined with a rich Tchaikovsky score an emotional impact in a film that’s definitely different. A Weinstein Company release.
|