Music of the Heart

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Music of the Heart
Directed by Wes Craven
Produced by Susan Kaplan
Written by Pamela Gray
Starring Meryl Streep
Angela Bassett
Aidan Quinn
Gloria Estefan
Cloris Leachman
Jane Leeves
Kieran Culkin
Music by Mason Daring
Cinematography Peter Deming
Editing by Gregg Featherman
Patrick Lussier
Release date(s) October 29, 1999
Running time 124 min
Country United States
Language English
Budget $7 million
Gross revenue $79,000,000
IMDb profile

Music of the Heart is a 1999 dramatic film. This film was produced by Craven-Maddalena Films and Miramax Films, and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution.

This film stars Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, Gloria Estefan, and Angela Bassett. It was director Wes Craven's only foray outside of the horror/thriller genre aside from his contribution to the multifacted and directorially diverse Paris, je t'aime. Wes Craven is known for directing the horror films A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes and the Scream trilogy.

Contents

[edit] Storyline

This is the true story of Roberta Guaspari Demetras (Streep). By bringing the violin into the lives of children in the New York City public school system, she hopes to brighten their difficult lives. It's a story of both struggle and hope.

Described in the opening credits as being 'inspired by a documentary', the film opens with Roberta having been deserted by her husband and feeling devastated and almost suicidal. Encouraged by her mother, she attempts to rebuild her life and a friend recommends her to the head teacher of a school in the tough New York area of East Harlem. Despite a degree in music education, she has little experience in actual music teaching, but she's taken on as a substitute violin teacher. With a combination of toughness and determination, she manages to inspire a group of kids, and their initially very skeptical parents. The program slowly develops and attracts publicity.

Ten years later, the string program is still running successfully, but suddenly the school budget is cut and Roberta is out of a job. Determined to fight the cuts, she enlists the support of former pupils, parents and teachers and plans a grand fund-raising concert 'Fiddlefest', to raise money so that the program can continue. But with a few weeks to go and all participants furiously rehearsing, they lose the venue. Fortunately,the husband of a publicist friend is a violinist in a string quartet, and he enlists the support of other well-known musicians, including Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman. They arrange for the concert to be mounted at Carnegie Hall. Other famous musicians join in the performance, which is a resounding success.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Streep received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her lead performance.[1]

The film's theme song, "Music Of My Heart", scored songwriter Diane Warren a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[1]

[edit] Trivia

  • Streep learned to play a Bach violin concerto for this film.[2]
  • Madonna was originally signed to play the role of Roberta Guaspari Demetras, but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences" with Wes Craven. She had already studied for many months to play the violin.[3] The children of Opus 118 - Harlem School of Music, led by Roberta Guaspari, performed with Madonna twice in 1998: "Frozen" at the Annual Rain Forest Benefit at Carnegie Hall, New York and at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards performing "The Power of Good-Bye". [4]
  • This film marked the screen debut of singer Gloria Estefan. [3]
  • Wes Craven said that he would only direct Scream 3, if he could direct this movie

[edit] Soundtrack album track listing

  1. Music Of My Heart - Gloria Estefan and *NSYNC (4:32)
  2. Baila - Jennifer Lopez (3:54)
  3. Turn the Page - Aaliyah (4:16)
  4. Groove With Me Tonight (Pablo Flores English Radio Version) - Menudo (4:37)
  5. Seventeen - Tre O (3:48)
  6. One Night With You - C Note (5:04)
  7. Do Something (Organized Noize Mix) - Macy Gray (3:53)
  8. Revancha de Amor - Gizelle d'Cole (4:06)
  9. Nothing Else - Julio Iglesias, Jr. (4:23)
  10. Love Will Find You - Jaci Velasquez (4:34)
  11. Music Of My Heart (Pablo Flores Remix) - Gloria Estefan and #NSync (4:23)
  12. Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins - Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell (3:56)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Awards for "Music of the Heart" (1999) IMDb. Accessed January 28, 2007.
  2. ^ Levy, Rochelle "The Achievement of Meryl Streep" American Film Institute, 2004 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award biographical article. Accessed January 28, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Review: 'Music of the Heart' hits all the right notes" CNN, October 29, 1999. Accessed January 28, 2007.]
  4. ^ [www.opus118.org] The Offiical Opus 118 Harlem School of Music Website

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Wes Craven

The Last House on the Left • The Hills Have Eyes • Summer of Fear • The Evolution of Snuff • Deadly Blessing • Swamp Thing • Invitation to Hell • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) • Wes Craven's Chiller • The Hills Have Eyes Part II • Casebusters • Deadly Friend • The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) • Shocker (1989) • Night Visions • The People Under the Stairs (1991) • Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) • Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) • Scream (1996) • Scream 2 (1997) • Music of the Heart (1999) • Scream 3 (2000) • Cursed • Red Eye • Paris, je t'aime • 25/8
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