8 Pianos - No Hands?

Presented during the 2002 Scotia Festival of Music, this eclectic selection of films featuring pianos and pianists begins with a classic silent horror movie, and proceeds chronologically through film noir, drama, comedy, fantasy, history and documentary to the compelling 1995 film adaptation of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson.

Monday, 27 May - The Hands of Orlac

Robert Wiene, Austria, 1924, 82 minutes, b & w

An early silent horror movie by the director of the German Expressionist masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Starring Conrad Veidt as a concert pianist who receives the hands of a murderer after his own are severed in a train wreck.

Tuesday, 28 May - Detour

Edgar G. Ulmer, USA, 1945, 69 minutes, B & W

A piano player (Tom Neale) runs into trouble on a cross-country journey, first with a good-time travelling salesman and second with a toxic femme fatale. A low-budget film noir classic that can still shock. 

Wednesday, 29 May - Shoot the Piano Player

Francois Truffault, France, 1960, 92 minutes

Truffault's second feature is a French New Wave landmark. Charles Aznavour stars as a former concert pianist reduced to playing jazz in a small Paris club. His brother, fleeing gangsters, involves the musician in a bigger score than he imagined.

Thursday, 30 May - The World of Henry Orient

George Roy Hill, USA, 1964, 106 minutes. The story of two young girls obsessed with a concert pianist in New York City. Starring Peter Sellers and Angela Lansbury, the film is a sweet and funny comedic masterpiece from the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. 

Monday, 3 June - Lisztomania

Ken Russel, Britain, 1975, 105 minutes. 

Roger Daltrey stars as an extravagant parody of the 19th century Hungarian composer, lover, showman and concert pianist Franz Liszt in Russell's utterly over-the-top follow-up to his film version of The Who's rock opera Tommy. Mature Content.

Tuesday, 4 June - Impromptu

James Lapine, USA/UK/France, 1991, 109 minutes.

Described as Smiles of a Summer Night played out by the historical figures Chopin, Liszt, Delacroix and George Sand, Impromptu shows culture vultures on the make at a country retreat in the mid-19th Century. A witty essay on the nature of art and inspiration, starring Judy Davis, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson.

Wednesday, 5 June - 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould

Francois Girard, Canada, 1993, 93 minutes

Colm Feore plays the famed reclusive Canadian pianist, the late Glenn Gould. A multi-faceted, dramatic documentary about one of the world's greatest musicians.

Thursday, 6 June - The Piano Lesson

Lloyd Richards, USA, 1995, 100 minutes

Starring Alfre Woodard and Charles S. Dutton, The Piano Lesson (an adaptation of prominent African-American author August Wilson's play) follows the story of a black family whose upright piano symbolizes their sense of pride and progress.