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Disclaimer: I tried to search for threads and lists that I'm sure have already touched on this, but I couldn't find existing threads.

I would like to read and watch movies based on or with a heavy dose of the piano, or playing piano. I read the book about the atelier shop in Paris (left bank...?), and it was great. But I can't seem to find other material...and I'm usually pretty good at searching the Internet for stuff.

Thanks

Well, it's only an average movie, and the concert parts are somewhat laughable, but the movie Grand Piano is worth a look. Stars Elijah Wood as the weirdest concert pianist you'll see. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the silliness.

Loving Miss Hatto was a TV docu-drama about the incredible story of Joyce Hatto, whose husband released some popular recordings of her that turned out to actually be by other pianists.

If you haven't seen Note By Note: The Making Of Steinway L1037, a documentary about Steinway pianos, it's worth watching.

As for books, there are lots of great biographies of pianists. Some of my favorite are: Horiwitz by Shonberg, Wonderous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould by Kevin Bazzana, and A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano by Hafner.

I must also include a plug for a non-piano book, but still a favorite of mine: The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece by Siblin. It's a wonderful melding of the story of Bach writing the suites, Pablo Cassal's life, and his discovery and popularizing of the Six Suites for Cello Solo.

Will no one mention The Pianist? Surely the OP know this one? Is it too obvious to mention?


The mostly true story of a noted polish piano player's survival of WWII in the Warsaw Ghetto. As a film it won a boatload of Awards including 3 oscars. It has a 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Fabulous Baker Boys has lot of (non-classical) piano.

I'm used to being the odd-ball but I didn't care for the Piano Shop on the Left Bank.

Kurt

Looky here!

A few other good things:

Movies:

- Pianomania
- The Golden Age of the Piano
- The Art Of Piano: Great Pianists of the 20th Century

Text:

- Shall We Improve The Piano? (Ivor Darreg)

Movies:

Shine - the story of David Helfgott

The Piano - extraordinary film with Holly Hunter, Sam Neill and Harvey Keitel - piano music by Michael Nyman

Documentary :

In Search of Chopin - if you love Chopin's music, this is a must see


ps: Grand Piano is one of the most ridiculous movies I've ever had the misfortune to see, but if you can view at as comedy you may be able to put up with it!

I was gonna say that I'm surprised no one mentioned Grand Obsession, but I see its the first book on the list that BDB linked to.

Films: Madame Souzatska, Impromptu, The Competition

Book: Piano Man

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

And

Some more movies:

The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Four Minutes
The Page Turner
Vitus

After The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, I enjoyed:

Piano Lessons, by Noah Adams. 1 penny used (plus shipping!) on Amazon.

From Amazon:

Piano Lessons is Noah Adams's delightful and moving chronicle of his fifty-second year--a year already filled with long, fast workdays and too little spare time--as he answers at last a lifelong call: to learn to play the piano. The twelve monthly chapters span from January--when after decades of growing affection for keyboard artists and artisans he finally plunges in and buys a piano--through December, when as a surprise Christmas present for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and, in flickering candlelight, snow falling outside the windows, he attempts their favorite piece of music, a difficult third-year composition he's been struggling with in secret to get to this very moment.

Hugh Grant plays Chopin in a movie called Impromptu.

The Seventh Veil with Ann Todd, James Mason and Herbert Lom. Score by Benjamin Frankel. A very strange story of a young concert pianist. Good movie.

Thanks for all of the recommendations.

I got that Noah Adams book for 1 cent (plus shipping) - should have it in a few days.

I also took out a bunch of movies from my library (Making of the Steinway - watched, very interesting; a couple of Glenn Gould movies, a Lang Lang concert, and the Pianist...I forgot about that one, watched it many years ago when I wasn't interested in piano). I'll probably get the Grand Obsession e-book for my Kindle.

Plenty now to keep my busy when I'm not playing or doing other things.

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the fun gangster film staring Harvey keitel called "Fingers".
Fingers
R 1978 ‧ Drama film/Music ‧ 1h 30m

Jimmy (Harvey Keitel) wants nothing more than to play Carnegie Hall. He has talent, and the ambition is definitely there. But Jimmy is the son of a mob boss (Michael V. Gazzo) and when he's not practicing piano, he's roughing up guys unable to pay their debts to his father. To ease the pressure he f… More
Initial release: March 2, 1978
Director: James Toback
Screenplay: James Toback

I just finished a wonderful book about stage fright -- both a study of the subject in general and a memoir of the author's struggles overcoming performance anxiety as a serious amateur pianist -- it's called "Playing Scared" by Sara Solovitch, and it's excellent!:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=playing+scared+a+history+and+memoir+of+stage+fright&sprefix=Playing+Scared%2Caps%2C140