Speaking in Strings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Speaking in Strings | |
|---|---|
 Film poster |
|
| Directed by | Paola di Florio |
| Produced by | Paola di Florio, Lilibet Foster |
| Starring | Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg |
| Music by | Karen Childs |
| Distributed by | Seventh Art Releasing |
| Release date(s) | DVD: June 26, 2001 Video: June 26, 2001 Theatrical: October 29, 1999 |
| Running time | 73 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $6,859 |
Speaking in Strings is a 1999 documentary film directed by Paola di Florio. The film is based on the life of Italian-born violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and it received a nomination for Best Feature Documentary Film at the 72nd Academy Awards.
Contents |
[edit] Content
The film is based on the life and career of Italian-born classical violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and provides an insight into the style of the artist - who is noted by critics for putting her own emotions too much into her musical performances. The film started from Salerno-Sonnenberg's birth in Rome, and followed her story as she moved to United States at age 8 and was brought up by her mother in New Jersey. She grew up with her brother who is also a musician. The film concentrates on the violinist's difficult childhood as she had to experience scorn and laughter by her friends when she played a recording of Brahms in front of the class. This is among the incidents that caused the artist to develop her overly emotional performing style and personality as she became a professional violinist and rose to stardom. In the documentary, Salerno-Sonnenberg talks about periods of depression in her life and her suicide attempt; she also discusses her views on how music is connected to human emotions.
[edit] Production and release
The documentary was directed by Paola di Florio, a childhood friend of Salerno-Sonnenberg.[1] Salerno-Sonnenberg appeared as herself in the film.[2] Speaking in Strings was co-produced by two companies, Asphalt Films and CounterPoint Films.[2]
Speaking in strings premiered at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in 1999.[3] This same year, the documentary appeared in several film festivals, including Florida Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Newport International Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival.[4] The film was released theatrically on October 29, 1999.[5] A DVD version was released on June 26, 2001.[5]
[edit] Reception
[edit] Box office
The film earned $1,519 in its opening weekend in one theater,[6] and went on to gross $6,859 domestically within two weeks from release.[6]
[edit] Critical reaction
The documentary received mixed response from critics. It got a score of 56 out of 100 based on 10 reviews at Metacritic, [5] and 3.5 out of 4 stars at TV Guide. [7] In general, critics agreed on the point that the film lacked information on the private life of Salerno-Sonnenberg, particularly her romance relationship which was mentioned during the documentary.[8][9] Edward Guthmann of San Francisco Chronicle gave generally positive reviews, stating that the film "takes us inside Salerno-Sonnenberg's experience, challenging us to respect a woman so naturally intense that she can't help wearing out friends and colleagues, and alienating members of her audience."[1]
Meanwhile, San Francisco Examiner 's critic Allan Ullrich criticised that, due to the musical excerpts used in the documentary, "the movie can't help looking like a prolonged promotional video." [8] Critic Robert Hilferty of Village Voice called the documentary "a clumsy labor of love with unforgivable lapses", and noted that it "fails to show why Salerno-Sonnenberg's controversial interpretations are so original and valid." However, he added that it "sometimes rises to a compelling portrait of a neurotic personality". According to Hilferty, the documentary leaves an impression that music is the factor that "ruined" the life of the violinist.[10]
[edit] Nominations and awards
Despite the mixed reviews by critics, Speaking in strings received a nomination for Best Feature Documentary at the 72nd Academy Awards.[11] The film won a Jury Award for Documentary Competition at the Newport International Film Festival [12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Intense Portrait of High-Strung Violinist from San Francisco Chronicle
- ^ a b Speaking in Strings - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards - The New York Times
- ^ Film profile from New York Times
- ^ speaking in strings review from Variety magazine
- ^ a b c Speaking in Strings (1999): Reviews
- ^ a b Speaking in strings box office from Box Office Mojo
- ^ Speaking In Strings Review | TVGuide.com
- ^ a b "Speaking' doesn't say much from San Francisco Examiner
- ^ Film review from New York Times
- ^ String Me Up! String Me Down! from Village Voice
- ^ SEVENTH ART RELEASING profile From filmindependent.org
- ^ Award Winners Through the Years from NewportFilmFestival.com
