Thanks for this follow up. I left a comment on your first video before I saw this and you did a great job covering most of my points from that first one.
In my opinion, the movie focused on Bernstein's musicality, that is, what actually drove him to make music. "...if nothing sings in you, then you can't make music." The movie focused on what sang inside him. Also, I liked how they used his double career as a metaphor for his life: Lenny the conductor, the public man, the husband and Lenny the composer, the private man, the men lover. Their use of his conducting of Mahler as a token for him and Felicia reconnecting, and a proof of the honesty and beauty in his soul was very powerful! I left the movie feeling even more intrigued by the complexity of Bernstein’s persona!
I just watched “Reaching for the note” and it is the PERFECT companion for the movie. It’s seems clear that Maestro used the documentary as a roadmap for an important portion of the movie.
The glue between his "prodigious musical life" and his "personal marital and sexual life" has been explained by Bernstein himself in interviews. He viewed composing as the most important thing he could do above conducting and was disappointed in his output as a composer. He wanted to reach the heights on Mahler but he didn't and he credited his love of people as the thing that stopped him from living the contemplative life of solitude that a composer needs to create great work in sufficient quantity. Maestro's examination of his relationship with Felicia and Lenny's unwillingness/inability/unsuitability to the traditional family life was an indirect take on the battle within him as conductor/composer. Maestro has more to say about Bernstein the musician than appears at a surface level, but what it's saying won't appeal to those wanting a celebration of Bernstein because Bernstein didn't celebrate his own achievements and it's that aspect it was reflecting.
I think the question about “if you remove the musical scenes and only left the love story, would it make a compelling movie and would it need to be attached to Bernstein?” Catches itself in a double bind with another similar question about the relevance of it being about Bernstein. If you believe the movie without the music is not compelling, that means it’s justified that it be about Bernsteins marriage. If you think the movie without the love story is not compelling then that justifies it be with bernsteins music. Thus, this logic implies the necessary tie between the two that already exists in the film. I think there are a couple interviews where Bradley cooper also explains the relationship between the narrative and the music which are pretty interesting to hear
Yes indeed, most geniuses are troubled. How can a movie cover all aspects of his life. Answer to your question, as an older perform of his works, I can’t answer the question, but there was much in the movie I didn’t know details of and I loved it. If there was nothing else out there, then this is not the one. What is then? Is there an answer to that that suits us all. Probably not. Thank you for you your posts.
and regarding the support by his children..i don't get it. ??? cannot imagine what drove them to support a ow piece of work like this one.. catharsis? maybe.. but is that enough?
what about his humanism? his political engagement...? his teacing? he never looked as maniac as bradley cooper plays him.. smirking..beeing pretentious
Thanks for this follow up. I left a comment on your first video before I saw this and you did a great job covering most of my points from that first one.
In my opinion, the movie focused on Bernstein's musicality, that is, what actually drove him to make music.
"...if nothing sings in you, then you can't make music." The movie focused on what sang inside him.
Also, I liked how they used his double career as a metaphor for his life: Lenny the conductor, the public man, the husband and Lenny the composer, the private man, the men lover.
Their use of his conducting of Mahler as a token for him and Felicia reconnecting, and a proof of the honesty and beauty in his soul was very powerful!
I left the movie feeling even more intrigued by the complexity of Bernstein’s persona!
I just watched “Reaching for the note” and it is the PERFECT companion for the movie. It’s seems clear that Maestro used the documentary as a roadmap for an important portion of the movie.
The glue between his "prodigious musical life" and his "personal marital and sexual life" has been explained by Bernstein himself in interviews.
He viewed composing as the most important thing he could do above conducting and was disappointed in his output as a composer. He wanted to reach the heights on Mahler but he didn't and he credited his love of people as the thing that stopped him from living the contemplative life of solitude that a composer needs to create great work in sufficient quantity.
Maestro's examination of his relationship with Felicia and Lenny's unwillingness/inability/unsuitability to the traditional family life was an indirect take on the battle within him as conductor/composer.
Maestro has more to say about Bernstein the musician than appears at a surface level, but what it's saying won't appeal to those wanting a celebration of Bernstein because Bernstein didn't celebrate his own achievements and it's that aspect it was reflecting.
I think the question about “if you remove the musical scenes and only left the love story, would it make a compelling movie and would it need to be attached to Bernstein?” Catches itself in a double bind with another similar question about the relevance of it being about Bernstein. If you believe the movie without the music is not compelling, that means it’s justified that it be about Bernsteins marriage. If you think the movie without the love story is not compelling then that justifies it be with bernsteins music. Thus, this logic implies the necessary tie between the two that already exists in the film. I think there are a couple interviews where Bradley cooper also explains the relationship between the narrative and the music which are pretty interesting to hear
Yes indeed, most geniuses are troubled. How can a movie cover all aspects of his life.
Answer to your question, as an older perform of his works, I can’t answer the question, but there was much in the movie I didn’t know details of and I loved it.
If there was nothing else out there, then this is not the one. What is then? Is there an answer to that that suits us all. Probably not. Thank you for you your posts.
Well, he changed the words in Beethoven's 9'th to the original wording, that Beethoven didn't feel lucky enough to keep.
horrible movie
sorry.. but anyone who met maestro bernstein in real life would agree that they never knew the person portrayed in that awful piece
Hello
and regarding the support by his children..i don't get it. ??? cannot imagine what drove them to support a ow piece of work like this one.. catharsis? maybe.. but is that enough?
"promo sm" ✔️
what about his humanism? his political engagement...? his teacing? he never looked as maniac as bradley cooper plays him.. smirking..beeing pretentious