Synopses & Reviews
The Academy Award winning film Shine tells the story of David Helfgott, child prodigy and musical genius, who descends into crippling mental illness but re-emerges in later life to resume a concert career. Shine purports to tell the true story of David s tragedy and triumph, including his family -- his obsessive father, his docile mother, and his talented siblings.But is Shine really a true story? Or is it built on a deliberate distortion of the truth, aimed at shaping a dramatic story, at the expense of David Helfgott's relationship with his father, Peter?
In "Out of Tune" David Helfgott's elder sister, Margaret tackles these questions in a provocative and heart-rending way. With the cooperation of David's first wife, along with numerous letters from David to Margaret and other family members, that prove their loving relations, David's sister reveals the real true story behind the movie -- that David and his father actually had a wonderful, loving rapport; that the atmosphere in their house was happy; that there is a history of chronic mental illness in the family; that David's current wife may be providing him with inappropriate amounts of medication in the interest of making his performances more "eccentric; " that David never broke clown performing the "Rach 3" as is claimed in the movie's pivotal scene -- and much more.
Synopsis
Margaret Helfgott, sister of the piano virtuoso David Helfgott, shines new light on the story behind the film that brought him into the public arena. Her story contests the ideas developed in the film Shine in a thought-provoking manner.