Description: - Video Magic Award, Parenting Magazine, Best Children's Video of the Year -Winner, Alliance For Children & Television's Award of Excellence- Best Drama -Best New Kid's Video of 1995, TV Guide
A 12-year-old Parisian girl grudgingly takes piano lessons from composer Georges Bizet. Although he is anguishing over his life and his work, Michelle soon becomes captivated by his story of the gypsy Carmen as told through his new opera. Set in 1875, Bizet's Deam tells the compelling and bittersweet story of a special friendship.
Slow and strange As a public school music teacher, I have a number of these films in my collection. This film is bizarre.
The story moves a long slowly, the plot contrivances are a little thin, and just like in Beethoven Lives Upstairs (where Christopher, the boy character, and Beethoven spend an afternoon walking and talking with each other), there's a section where the little girl languishes alongside Bizet and his mopey son on a warm afternoon. Completely innocent, but as you may well guess, I don't buy a 10 year old girl and a grown man behaving like soul mates and sharing their personal anguish with each other.
There is also an extended "main child character running an incredibly long distance through the city streets" montage, again, like in BLU.
Finally, the strained relationship between Bizet and his wife is hinted at, but never explained, so the peculiar ending makes little sense. Although my 4th graders, having studied "Carmen" in class, found the story intriguing, they were confused by the ending as well.
Meh. Three stars.
Piano Students love it. My piano students love this movie. I use it as a component of music appreciation classes.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
