Music of the Heart
Directed by Wes Craven.
Starring Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Aidan Quinn, Gloria Estefan.
Roberta Guaspari (Streep) is a teacher and amateur violinist prevented from pursuing her interests by her husband’s naval career and their two sons. When her husband leaves her she offers herself as a violin teacher to a school in rough East Harlem where her stern but compassionate style proves successful and after ten years her course is flourishing. This half of the film is almost complete in itself. But then the budget is cut and it looks like curtains until Guaspari’s friends, students’ parents and several famous violinists pull together for a triumphant benefit concert.
Ironically, while Streep had never learned any instrument before, the children playing her students were mostly experienced violinists. A number of them play wrong-handed to appear unskilled.
Craven seems an incongruous choice to direct such a film but he had been a teacher himself and also claims an interest in Classical music. His expressed wish to diversify was used as bait by a production company to sign him up for a three-film contract.
Both the course of events is extremely predictable (even given that it’s Based on a True Story) and the characters are stock. Streep is determined and squeaky-clean; the head-mistress (Bassett) is sympathetic; the friend (Quinn) is strong but kind but commitment-shy; the grandmother is tactless; the Clayton’s villain is a sniveling, time-serving senior music teacher. Considering the material, Streep and Bassett do give good performances. Gloria Estefan makes her film debut (a minor part but still with gets prominent billing).
If all this sounds excessively sentimental, it is. It’s Uplifting, Moving and Inspirational. Was Craven so determined to get away from his usual lurking-ground that he lost judgment for meaningful and effective drama? Or does he only think in terms of simplistic structures and base emotions? As a tear-jerker it excels; otherwise, avoid it.
Guy Olding
