Plot: What’s it about?
After her husband left her, Roberta Guaspari (Meryl Streep) chose to leave her old lifestyle behind, and continue her dream of teaching children to play the violin. She already had the violins, so when she applied at an East Harlem school, she was hired on. While she was off to a rocky start, she slowly started to reach the children, as well as their parents. Despite her short fuse and sometimes harsh tongue, it was plain to see how she cared about the children and their development. While the children were in her classes, they didn’t just learn how to play a musical instrument, they learned discipline and self respect, which would help them in their real lives, not just in the classroom. As the years passed, she touched more and more lives, not just the lives of students and parents either, but of her fellow teachers as well. No matter how great the odds were she and her students had overcome before, they now face the greatest challenge yet, when the school’s budgets calls for Roberta’s program to close.
Like another film I like, Mr. Holland’s Opus, this movie seems to take an overdone genre and offer a fresh and entertaining motion picture. While I didn’t like this one as much as Mr. Holland’s Opus, I do think this is one of 1999s better films, and makes for an emotional and touching experience. I know what you’re thinking, that this is just another predictable “teacher helps students rise above their surroundings” movie, but you’d be wrong in assuming that. While this does follow a path similar to other films like it, this movie is made even more powerful because of one thing, this story is true, based on the real life events of Roberta Guaspari. Maybe that’s why the impact was stronger than those other films, because I knew this was real, and thus more than just a movie in a sense. If you’re a follower of movies like this, be sure to check this film out, it’s one of the best the genre has to offer. While a rental might be in order if this is your first time with the film, Buena Vista has created a sparkling two disc package, which should not be missed, so if you can, I recommend a purchase.
The director of Music Of The Heart is Wes Craven, who is best known for his work in a much different genre, horror. After his mainstream horror flicks, Scream 1-3 took off, Craven decided to leave his horror roots behind, and try his hand at a non scary movie. Craven does a wonderful job here, I just wish his commentary track for the film would have been decent. The lead role in this film is played by Meryl Streep, who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work here. While her performance is tremendous, no one was going to beat Hilary Swank, so Streep shouldn’t feel bad. Streep has an extensive resume of excellent turns, but I feel this is her best performance, charged with emotion and passion. I feel this role cemented her as the best actress working in the business today, perhaps of all time. The supporting cast in this movie also includes Cloris Leachman (Gen 13, Hanging Up), Kieran Culkin (The Cider House Rules, She’s All That), Angela Bassett (Strange Days, Vampire In Brooklyn), Aidan Quinn (Practical Magic, In Dreams), and Gloria Estefan (Elmopalooza).
Video: How does it look?
Music Of The Heart is shown here in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, which is framed at the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The image looks just like it did when I saw this at the theater, but of course, this version is sharper and clearer. The colors are bright and bold, flesh tones look normal, and contrast levels are correct and balanced well. I saw no traces of compression errors, and the print shows no unintentional grain or wear signs.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie uses two types of audio, dialogue and music. The music is present often, and the Dolby 5.1 track makes sure it sounds excellent, especially the more intense and fast selections. But even the lower key musical scenes have a rich sound to them. The dialogue is clear and resonant, staying in the front channels where it should be.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This is a two disc release, so you know some serious goodies have found their way into this one. The second disc is devoted to a documentary on Roberta Guaspari, which the film is based upon. This documentary runs almost an hour and twenty minutes, and is a wonderful companion piece to the film. If you have this release and enjoy the film, you have to watch this documentary, it will make you like the movie even more. On the first disc, along with the film itself, is a dazzling array of supplements. A rather disappointing commentary track is included, which features director Wes Craven and producer Marianne Maddalena, who have little to add other than their favorite parts of the film. I wish Craven could be more informative instead of patting him and his cast and crew on the back. A music video by Gloria Estefan and ‘NSync is included, as well as a brief making of segment, which deals with the behind the scenes of the music video. Three other brief featurettes are housed here as well, The Making of Music of the Heart, a behind the scenes piece on the final scene, and one which covers the scoring of the film. A gallery of deleted scenes is included, which has optional commentary by Craven. You’ll want to check these out, they’re not your usual worthless deleted scenes. A few deleted scenes are also shown which are in the film, but without the score, where in the supplements, you can listen to the original score during the scenes. Also included are talent files and the theatrical trailer.
