David Helfgott's father could never play music at home and now he wants to hear the third
Rach from his son. Naturally, no one in their right mind could play it, so David gives it a try.
One wonders if it was all the stress involved that turned him into an oddity and social outcast
or whether it was the questionable treatment with live wires from the helpful doctors at the
sanatorium that fried his brain into confusion. Things are, however, not so confused as they
seem in this man's brain; perhaps were they neither so confused in the boy's mind. An
uplifting story, in short, of a boy with great talent who almost gets left by the wayside of life
until fate and high spirits (as well as a loving and tolerant wife) give him a chance to lead a
redeeming life. Noah Taylor, who played Helfgott as a boy, is unquestionably deserving of
more credit for his portrayal than he received. It only remains to be seen which one of the
two actors gets the role in the filmed version of Schroeder.
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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