9 films featuring conductors in cinema
Over the past few years, stagings of orchestras and conductors have begun to catch on in the cinema, in France and around the world. Historical biopic, fiction, comedy or romance: the character of the conductor is taking its rightful place in the 7ᵉ art. Discover a selection of 9 films that brilliantly portray the work of a Maestro at the heart of his orchestra.
Tár, Todd Field (2022)
Films focusing on conductors don't hit the big screen every four mornings, so when it's a film about a conductor, it's all the more original.
Tár tells the story of Lydia Tár, an avant-garde conductor at the height of her career. As conductor of a German symphony orchestra, Lydia is preparing a much-anticipated concerto: Gustav Mahler's famous Symphony No. 5. Problem: in the few weeks leading up to the concert, the conductor's life is about to undergo a profound change. In this feature-length film, director Todd Field focuses in particular on the strength of the conductor's hands as she leads the orchestra. More broadly, Tár underlines the position of this woman as she rises to power in the predominantly male-dominated sphere of classical music.
Divertimento, Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar (2023)
Divertimento, directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, challenges the stereotypes of the classical music world, highlighting the diversity of musicians through the true story of Algerian conductor Zahia Ziouani.
The film Divertimento tells the story of two sisters: Zahia, a 17-year-old viola player whose dream is to become an orchestra conductor, and her sister, Fettouma, a professional cellist. Lulled by classical symphonic music since childhood, Zahia and Fettouma want to make musical learning accessible to all. Originally from Seine-Saint-Denis, the two girls braved the obstacles in their path in the 1990s to create their own orchestra, Divertimento.
Maestro(s), Bruno Chiche (2022)
Based on an Israeli book, the French film Maestro(s ) evokes the competing relationship between a father and son, both successful conductors.
The synopsis? Milan's La Scala opera house informs François Dumar that he has been chosen to conduct its orchestra. This represents a real consecration for him. But it's his son, Denis Dumar, who has been selected to conduct the famous opera house. A dilemma ensues for Denis, who has always dreamed of conducting La Scala, but is afraid of offending his father.
In this feature-length film, we perceive numerous orchestral scenes that were conducted by conductor Nicolas Guiraud and violinist Anne Gravoin. Music lovers will also recognize Franz Schubert's Sonata in the film's opening and closing, as well as Beethoven's 9ᵉ Symphony, Mozart's Laudate Dominum, Serge Rachmaninov's Vocal exercise by Serge Rachmaninov or Caccini'sAve Maria, which Denis Dumar (Yvan Attal) reads on his computer.
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle (2014)
Released in 2014, Whiplash was awarded the Grand Prix du Jury at Cannes. The title is directly inspired by Hank Levy's Whiplash, recorded by Don Ellis on the Soaring album. It deals with the very drastic demands of the conservatory by describing the daily life of a young drum prodigy.
This award-winning feature film tells the story of Andrew, a young jazz drummer who aspires to become one of the greatest drummers of his generation. He experiences tough competition at the Manhattan Conservatory, where he trains hard on the drums. His goal is to join the finest orchestras led by Terence Fletcher, a totally intractable teacher. Although lead actor Miles Teller has been a drummer since he was fifteen, he had to take drum lessons three times a week and only performed 70% of the film's parts, the rest having been dubbed.
The Concert, Radu Mihaileanu (2009)
Le Concert was well received by critics when it was released in France in 2009. The film recounts the life of Andrei Filipov, one of the Soviet Union's greatest conductors, who led the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. He was fired at the height of his fame for refusing to part with his Jewish musicians.
Decades later, the conductor becomes a cleaner at the Bolshoi Theatre. He intercepts an invitation to perform at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. His idea? Retrieve his conductor's batons and reunite his old musician friends by passing them off as the famous Bolshoi in Paris.
A fine ode to the passion of the conductor's craft, the film won several Césars, including Best Original Score.
Maestro, Bradley Cooper (2023)
An American biopic about composer and musician Leonard Bernstein, Maestro pays tribute to a legendary moment in Bernstein's career. This biopic looks back at the romance between the musician and Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre when they met in 1946.
Actor/director Bradley Cooper (who plays Leonard Bernstein) confided that he had spent six years training as a conductor for a key scene in the film. In the film, Leonard Bernstein's character is seen precisely conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, in a retelling of a concert the musician gave in 1973 in Ely Cathedral.
Crescendo, Dror Zahavi (2021)
Outside France, the film is called Crescendo - #Makemusicnotwar. Crescendo tells the story of Eduart Sporck, a world-renowned conductor. This great musician agrees to found a musical ensemble with young Israeli-Palestinians*.
Eduard Sporck is soon confronted with musicians who have grown up in a context of conflict and repression. A Palestinian violinist, Layla, must learn to play alongside the Israeli Ron as they grow suspicious of each other. A poignant drama that underlines how stage and instruments can bring souls together.
Orchestra rehearsal, Federico Fellini (1979)
Also called Prova d'Orchestra in Italian, this German-Italian film directed by Federico Fellini features musicians in rehearsal, filmed as part of a television report.
The film takes place in a disused XIIᵉ century oratory, where a copyist places scores on musicians' music stands in preparation for a rehearsal. A TV crew is making a report, and we'll hear only the interviewer's voice through a subjective camera. The demanding conductor begins the rehearsal, but a dispute breaks out with the union delegate. The rehearsal takes a "union break", and the TV crew interviews the Maestro.
Critics describe the film as tragicomic, a little stifling, but punctuated by moments of poetry and hope that link it to the Fellinian style.
Antonia, the conductor, Maria Peters (2018)
A mushy romance, Antonia la chef d'orchestre nonetheless has the merit of spotlighting Antonia Brico, the first female conductor at the beginning of the XXᵉ century.
Critics feared the lack of realism in the direction, and the interactions with the orchestra were singled out for criticism. However, the film aims to shed light on Antonia's exciting and ambitious life in New York in 1926, where she defies gender norms to pursue her dream, while risking her romantic relationship. Antonia has aesthetic qualities, even if it suffers from its musical performances, which are hardly credible for connoisseurs.
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