Madame Sousatzka [1988] [DVD]

this is a truely fabulous film. Its about this very talented 15 year old piano playing boy and his eccentric teacher. With the help of other characters in the film (including twiggy) =this film covers many topics such as homosexuality, age, property, changing world, love, growing up, ambition and most of all reationships between different types of people and what the different types of people are. a must-see with a great soundtrack of piano music.

This film is a brilliant exercise in the complex world of piano teaching at the highest level. A highly talented pupil is found by Madame Sousatzka who is soon to be poached by another teacher. The film explores the twists and turns of the relationship which is a lesson on how not to get too attached to a pupil if you are a teacher. The piano playing is exceptional bearing in mind it is all mimed by the lead actor Navin Chowdry but there is Barry Douglas doing the real thing later on in the film. The mistake which occurs in the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor from the performer highlights the risks of a concert pianist life and mirrors the feelings Madame Sousatzks had as a student. A wonderfully entertaining film which will be loved by many music students and teachers alike.

This is a truly marvelous film which takes place in London. Shirley MacLaine is superb as a piano teacher to an Indian boy who has inherent talent. Madame Sousatzka lives for her music not having made it as a concert pianist herself. This film has an international cast and they blend together in John Schlesinger's film. Twiggy plays an aspiring singer (and she is a fine singer in real life) whom the boy is attracted to. Twiggy's real-life husband, Leigh Lawson, plays her lover and agent. Dame Peggy Ashcroft is superb as always as one of the tenants of the building that is slated to be torn down. Schlesinger focuses on Madame Sousatzka with all of her idioscrincies and flaws. She looks down at Twiggy as a sexy pop star yet the tenants of the building, which represents a slice of London's life, meet for a party in Madame Sousatzka's apartment.
The script is great and I have not done a good job in describing the film above. There is a man in the building who is "homosexual" who does get bashed on the street. He fits in with the entourage of stars in the film and is not presented as any sort of outcast. Although the primary focus is piano teacher and student, this film brilliantly shows us the piano student's mother who struggles to pay for her son's lessons. We see, much from Madame Sousatzka's perspective the other tenants of the building yet we form our own views of them aside from her opinion.
This is a wonderful film that tragically was overlooked in the U.S.A. I loved it then and it is Shirley MacLaine's finest role of the 1980s. Twiggy is a true stand-out in this film providing her with the best role she had since "The Boy Friend". She really is a fine actress with star quality. Dame Peggy Ashcroft is as brilliant as always. I do wish this film were available on NTSC but I did buy it on PAL since my machine plays both formats. I highly recommend this superb film. A group of us went to see it when it first came out and we all loved it. I know that the tearing down of the building Madame Sousatzka lives in is a metaphor of life moving on and it is done very well with subtlety and not as some director's hitting one over the head with a metaphor! John Schlesinger is far too fine a director for that technique. The building is a character in the film in a sense.
Madame Sousatzka is superbly written, directed, and the cast is absolutely marvelous. May this film be released in the States. It is a beautiful film!!!