The Concert

The Concert is worth the price of the DVD just for the final 14 minutes. The whole film builds to them, The Concert is the goal for all the characters and the viewer as well. The Concert is the story of Andrey Filipov (Alexei Guskov), a previously renowned composer who was fired during the communist era in Russia for hiring Jewish musicians. He now works as a cleaner at the concert hall he used to compose in. However he manages to intercept a letter inviting the current orchestra to play in Paris and sets about assembling his own band of misfit musicians to play the event. The Concert delights in the fact that its not trying to be arthouse cinema, it just wants to tell a story and entertain and in that regard it succeeds because not only is it entertaining but it packs an emotional punch. The mix of comedy and drama can be uneven at places and downright ludicrous but its all part of its charm with the eclectic orchestra all bringing something else to the table. The comedy is genuine with some real laugh out loud moments and the drama is emotional and to the point. It is all kept together by some smart direction and a tight script while also giving the actors ability to move. For instance Melanie Laurent's character on paper seems entitled and at times extremely unlike able but Laurent brings the characters charms to light with her sheer love of music being something that gleams through her performance. The Scene between Guskov and Laurent in the restaurant is enthralling and well directed with the story being both heart wrenching and cleverly put together and the pain shown by Guskov is just something else. The Concert brings the joys of music, drama and comedy into one film while not sacrificing any of the good stuff. Its pure entertainment with a finale that will knock your socks off

Like most truly great films, The Concert gets just the right balance between light and shade, optimism and bleakness, humour and drama. The story is engaging and well-told, with some great acting performances (particularly Guskov) but also musical ones (Laurent). The film, understandably, is about people, and about music, and vigorously promotes the idea that the latter can be an even more meaningful method of communication with others than speech (and by the film's highly emotional finale, you can truly believe this). The Concert is a gem of a film, and is guaranteed to bring joy to your very soul.