This film about a piano competition made plain that the real competition was to find out how to see what was really important in one's life.
As good a pianist as Dreyfus was, it was obvious from the film in how he seized direction of the orchestra, that he had the seeds of greatness as a conductor.
And, in the end, he gave Lee Remick the lie when she said that great line to Amy Irving: "No man is that good."
The disparate goals entwined in the side stories of the other contestants underscored Irving's purity of purpose. Only she sought the piano for the love of the piano.
In many ways, Dreyfus' character evoked Jack Nicholson's Oedipean quest for paternal acceptance of worth in the classic _Five Easy Pieces_.
Dreyfus was also able to play "young", since he was 33 when the film was released, whereas Irving was actually 25 when the film was made.
As good a pianist as Dreyfus was, it was obvious from the film in how he seized direction of the orchestra, that he had the seeds of greatness as a conductor.
And, in the end, he gave Lee Remick the lie when she said that great line to Amy Irving: "No man is that good."
The disparate goals entwined in the side stories of the other contestants underscored Irving's purity of purpose. Only she sought the piano for the love of the piano.
In many ways, Dreyfus' character evoked Jack Nicholson's Oedipean quest for paternal acceptance of worth in the classic _Five Easy Pieces_.
Dreyfus was also able to play "young", since he was 33 when the film was released, whereas Irving was actually 25 when the film was made.