I did. I did. I... I thought I was a cat.
Well, kind of, kind of.
I identified with cats.
Well, I kind of did.
I wonder why that was?
They're never sure when you try to stroke them, is that right?
So maybe I was a sad cat. Was I a sad cat?
Because I wonder...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I wonder about cats.
Truly, I did. I did. I did.
'Cause I was a fuddy-duddy. Fuddy-duddy.
I kissed them all. Kissed them.
I will always kiss cats.
If a cat would let me kiss it, I'd kiss it.
You know, if I see a cat on the fence,
I'll kiss it. Always.
Always. I would, didn't I?
Life's a perpetual risk, isn't it?
That's right. I think it is.
Because, the point is, I was different in those days.
I was. I was.
And I've... I've got to be different again.
So, can the leopard change its spots?
I mean, who knows?
It's a blood sport. I think it's a blood sport.
It's true. It seems to be true.
Or is it a blank?
Bit of a Scrabble.
You've got to put all the pieces together,
see if you can make a word.
That's funny. That's funny. That's funny.
It's a mystery. It's a mystery.
Bye!
Take care.
Bye-bye.
We're closed!
What's the problem, mate?
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, mate.
I'm the problem.
I think I'm the problem. Such a problem!
And wet! But it's not an ideal world.
Is it an ideal world?
We just have to make the most of it.
This is the way we find it, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.
It's more ideal than it was, because, I mean,
you know, I mean, we're privileged.
We're privileged, aren't we? Because not long ago,
people would be burnt to a steak, wouldn't they, Moby?
Moby, yeah!
No, no. It's Tony. Who are you?
Tony, Tony, Tony. Not Moby. Tony, Tony.
Who am I, Tony? Who knows, Tony? I don't know.
So, ah!
I'm David. I'm David, Tony. How does it sound?
Hi, David. How can Sylvia help?
Sylvia. Is it Sylvia? Sylvia! Hi, Sylvia!
Pleased to meet you, Sylvia! Oh!
Schubert. Schubert, wasn't it?
He said, "Who is Sylvia? What is she?"
What... what can we do for you, David?
Do for me? Do for me? What? Oh, I... oh, I...
I got to stop talking. It's a problem, isn't it?
No, no, no. It's all right.
Just tell Sylvia why you're here.
Oh, well, uh, it's a mystery...
Are you lost?
Am I lost?
Perhaps that's it. Perhaps I'm lost.
How does that sound? How does that sound?
Is that your piano, Sylvia?
Beautiful Sylvia. Isn't Sylvia beautiful, Toby?
Not Toby. Tony. Tony. Tony.
You're beautiful, too, Tony.
Perhaps I could play it.
Could I play it? Could I play it?
You say. You say.
Like hell, baby. Go on.
Shut up, Sam.
Hell, baby. Whoa, whoa! The devil.
Diablerie. Whoa, Sam...
David...
Get out of here! Go on!
Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia...
You just tell us who you are and where you live.
Could I... could I play?
Live... live... live, Sylvia.
Live and let live. That's very important, isn't it?
Molto, molto.
But then again, it's a lifelong struggle,
isn't it, Sylvia?
Tony, Tony, Tony. Sylvia. To... to survive.
To live. To survive. To survive undamaged...
and not to destroy any living, breathing creature.
I mean, the point is, if you do something wrong,
you're going to be punished for the rest of your life.
So I think it's a lifelong struggle.
Is it a lifelong struggle?
Yeah.
Whatever you do, I think it's a struggle, a struggle,
a struggle to keep your head above water...
and not get it chopped off.
I'm not disappointing you, am I, Sylvia? Tony?
Tony, Sylvia, Sam, yes, Sam! Hello, Sam!
Get off!
Helfgott. What a name!
Sorry, Sylvia. I sound like a donkey.
Helfgott. "With the help of God."
That's what it means.
You see, Daddy's daddy was religious.
Very religious.
Ve-very strict. And a bit of a meanie.
But he got exterminated, didn't he?
So God didn't help him.
That's not very funny. It's very sad really.
I'm callous, Daddy said. Callous.
And a bit of a meanie.
Sorry, Sylvia, I'm not damaging you.
I mustn't damage Sylvia.
The point is, the point is, perhaps I haven't got a soul.
What makes you say that?
Daddy said there's no such thing as a soul.
Oh, that's ridiculous.
Ridiculous. You're right. I am ridiculous.
And callous, Daddy said. Callous. Callous.
Ridiculous and callous.
Because it was a tragedy.
A tragedy. A ri-ridiculous tragedy.
I'm going to win. I'm going to win.
I'm going to win!
David's going to play the piano for us.
Aren't you, David?
Yes.
What are you going to play?
Excuse me.
Chopin. The Polonaise.
This is crazy.
It's the piano...
the piano.
It's a disgrace.
This kid's good.
He's great.
He is my son.
My son.
Here they come.
Did he win or lose?
Margaret!
He lost.
Now we'll cop it.
It's your turn.
It's your turn, Daddy.
Let me see.
Let, uh, let me see.
You're losing.
David, always win.
Always...
win.
You know, when I...
when I was a boy your age,
I bought a violin, a beautiful violin.
And I saved for this violin.
And you know what happened to it?
Yes... he smashed it.
Yeah...
he smashed it.
David, you're a very lucky boy.
My father never let me have music.
I know.
A very lucky boy.
Say it.
I'm a very lucky boy.
Very...lucky.
Now shall I play for you?
No. Pick up those pieces.
Bet I could have won.
You'd have been too scared.
Listen. Have a listen.
Margaret!
I told you, tell your friends not to come.
Hello.
Daddy, there's somebody to see you!
Hello.
I hope I'm not interrupting.
Uh, Ben Rosen. I was one of the judges.
Yes?
You left before all the prizes were announced.
You were very good this afternoon, David.
Thank you.
He can play better.
Well, maybe he was a little too good.
Some people don't like that.
We, uh, we gave him a special prize for his courage.
Difficult piece you chose, David.
Daddy chose it.
Well, even great pianists think twice...
before tackling the Polonaise.
A prize for losing.
I wouldn't call him a loser.
They all...
they all play.
Well, I'm quite sure...
David could win lots of competitions...
with the right tuition.
My card.
I teach him.
Yeah. You've obviously done very well.
Yeah. No one taught me.
No music teachers, Mr. Rosen.
No, of course. It's just, uh...
it's just a few bad habits...
can sometimes mean the difference between winning...
or losing.
Well, perhaps you'd, uh, you'd like to think about it, hmm?
It's Rachmaninoff.
It's beautiful.
Yeah.
You taught yourself?
From the record.
Ah, yeah.
It's...it's very difficult.
It's very difficult.
It's...
it's the hardest piece in the world, you know?
Will you teach me?
You know...
one day you will play it.
You will make me very proud...
very proud, won't you, David?
Yes.
And, uh...
next time...
What are we going to do?
We're going to win?
We're going to win, yes.
So...
good night.
Good night, Daddy.
Come. Come, come, come.
Don't touch. Don't touch.
Yes?
Mr. Rosen, I have decided I would like...
you teach David...
this.
Rachmaninoff? Don't be ridiculous.
But he can play it already.
He's just a boy.
How can he express that sort of passion?
You are a passionate man, Mr. Rosen.
You will teach him, no?
No.
I will teach him what I think is best.
Rachmaninoff is best.
But...
You're his teacher. I'll let you decide.
Thank you.
We'll start with Mozart.
Mr. Rosen.
I can't afford to pay.
Come on, David. Sylvia's getting wet.
Oh, sorry, Sylvia. Sorry. Bye-bye, Tony. Bye.
See you later.
It's raining cats and dogs!
Dogs and pussycats!
Look out!
You'll be all right, then, David?
I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, thank you.
This is it. Home sweet home.
Oh, you can play.
Oh, kind of, kind of, kind of play.
Kind, sweet Sylvia.
Chopin, Sylvia. Chopinzee! The pole. Polski.
Like Daddy a-and his family...
before they were concentrated.
How long have you been here, David?
Oh, golly, I don't know. A few years, I think.
Eons, I suppose. How does that sound?
And Schubert. Schubert.
Nothing wrong with Schubert, of course... except syphilis.
Was it syphilis? I think it was.
And then he got typhoid on top of that,
so that was the end of him.
We lost him. That was a bit careless of us, wasn't it?
We lost him...
So, you're back?
Oh, Jim, Jim, Jim, I've been a naughty boy.
Was I a naughty boy?
I was about to send out a search party.
Oh, a party, a party. I won't be invited again...
He came into my restaurant and seemed a bit lost.
Oh, he's very good at that.
Thanks for bringing him home.
We'll have a party...
Bye, David.
It's time for a wine. A very fine time.
A Mardi Gras. A nice long cigar.
The winner and our youngest ever state champion...
David Helfgott!
Mr. Rosen...
We won! We won!
Thanks to Mozart, hmm?
And now he can play Rachmaninoff.
And now to present David with the prize money,
our very special guest from America, ladies and gentlemen,
currently on tour in Australia...
Mr. Isaac Stern.
You have a very special talent, David.
Oh, th-thank you, thank you, Mr. Stern.
Uh, so do you.
How much are you prepared to give to your music, David?
H-how much?
David! Everything! Everything!
Everything.
But, uh, I do like tennis
and, uh, chemistry, too.
And do you play tennis as well as you play Mozart?
Uh, I... I just play up against the wall at home.
I, uh, I bounce the ball against the wall mainly.
How would you like to go to a special school in the States...
where music bounces off the walls?
A-America?
You know, uh, land of the free, home of the brave...
Mickey Mouse?
Ladies and gentlemen,
what an honor for our young state champion:
an invitation to study in America.
And now,
all the way from America...
David Helfgott!
Thank you. Thank you.
Not from America.
But he's going to America,
and when he comes back,
he'll be coming from there, won't you, David?
Oh, I suppose so.
Margaret.
No. I have no money to send David to America.
Well, uh...
We'll raise it.
What?
Bar mitzvah.
David hasn't yet had his bar mitzvah.
Religion is nonsense.
It's also a gold mine if you know where to dig.
And then one day, I-I'll play with an orchestra.
Wow! Can I come when you do?
You can ride in my Cadillac.
Where are you going to live in America?
With a nice Jewish family, they said.
This is not a nice family?
Yes, Daddy. It's...very nice.
You're very lucky to have a family, David.
I've got to go.
It's one of the finest music schools in the world.
It is for his father to decide.
He would be well looked after, I assure you.
Rachel, please.
David could be one of the truly great pianists.
He is just a boy, Mr. Rosen.
He still wets his bed.
You see how fit I am? How strong?
Show me where the lion scratched you...
when you worked in the circus, Daddy.
Up, up, up, up, up.
Yeah. That's what happens...
when you get too close to the bars, eh?
David? David, come.
Come. Hit me.
OK.
Hit me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. As hard as you can.
Me! I want to hit you, Daddy!
You, too. As hard as you can.
You see? A man of steel!
No one can hurt me.
Because in this world, only the fit survive.
The weak get crushed like insects.
Like grasshoppers, Daddy.
Believe me, if you want to survive in America,
you have to be fit...
and strong.
Like you, Daddy.
Yeah.
Like me. Yes.
That's good.
See you next week, David.
Don't forget to study.
Thank you, Rabbi.
Mr. Helfgott, it is exciting, isn't it?
David, the lord mayor is dying to meet you.
Peter.
Mr. Rosen.
Ladies and gentlemen,
can I have your attention please?
I would like to thank our wonderful lord mayor...
for establishing this fund to send David to America.
And now to play for us, our very own David Helfgott.
These people are a disgrace.
They think they are so important.
What do they know with their furs and their diamonds?
It makes me sick... to the stomach.
And Rosen. What kind of man is he?
He is not married.
He has no children.
Don't talk to me about Rosen.
He only wants for David...
the same as you have always wanted.
Don't ever compare me to him.
What has he suffered? Not a day in his life.
What does he know?
Does he know about families?
About...how your sisters died?
And my mother and father?
Thank you! Thank you, David!
Thank you, Comrade Helfgott.
Your son is a credit to you.
On behalf of the Soviet Friendship Society,
we applaud you.
How do you do?
Meet Katharine Prichard.
You play beautifully.
Thank you.
My name's Sonia.
I-I'm David.
I know who you are.
You've got the most wonderful hands.
So do you.
So, um, are you...
You're going to America?
That's right. Yeah.
Maybe one day you'll... you'll go to Russia, too.
Why not?
I'm here.
There's someone important who wants to meet you.
I'd better go.
I've never met anyone...
who plays the piano as beautifully as you, David.
I've never met a writer before, Mrs. Prichard.
You must be very proud of him.
As proud as a father can be.
I have a long-suffering old piano at home.
Suffering piano.
From neglect.
Perhaps you'll come and play it for me one day.
Yes. Anything to help.
I'd like that very much.
Me, too.
Your attention, comrades.
I wish to propose a toast.
That's my cue. Excuse me.
To our founder and very special guest this evening,
Katharine Susannah Prichard.
You will learn much from this old woman.
She has been to Soviet Union.
From America!
"We have been informed of your exceptional talent
"and can only say how privileged we feel
"to have you come and stay with us.
"We're sure you'll feel very much at home here,
"and you'll be pleased to know
"we're having the Bosendorfer tuned especially.
"We eagerly await your iniment arrival..."
Imminent.
I wonder if they've got a Cadillac.
"...imminent arrival
"and look forward to hearing you play for us.
"Kindest wishes, Simon and Basha Mickleburg."
Read it again! Read it again!
Shush! You'll wake the baby.
"You'll enjoy the company of our parakeet
"and our poodle called Margaret."
Pig! It is not!
Pig!
It is too.
Enough! Enough!
Turn it off!
Give me the letter.
David is not going anywhere.
Daddy.
What are you looking at, you fools?
He is not going to America.
I won't let anyone destroy this family!
Please, Daddy, don't.
I know, David, what is best,
because I'm your father.
I'm your father,
and this is your family!
David!
David, come back!
Come back!
I know what's best.
Believe me.
Close the door!
Mr. Rosen!
Mr. Rosen, please, it's David!
Mr. Rosen!
Time to get out, David.
It's my turn for the bath.
Are you feeling better now?
Have you stopped shivering?
You know, a bath is always the best, David.
Always the...
Disgusting animal.
To shit in the bath.
To do this to me.
You disgusting animal!
I know you can hear me.
Don't do this to David.
You mustn't stop him going.
Whatever you do,
don't you dare inflict bloody Rachmaninoff on him.
He's not ready!
David...my boy.
It's a terrible thing...
to hate your father.
You know, life is cruel, but...
but music...
music, it will always...
always be your friend.
Everything else...
will let you down.
In the end, everything, believe me, everything.
Don't hate me.
Life is cruel.
But you have...
you have to...
you have to survive.
You have to survive.
Say it.
You have to survive, Daddy.
You have to survive.
No one...
will love you like me.
You can't trust anyone.
But I will always...
be there.
I will always be with you.
Forever and ever.
Forever and ever, Daddy.
Each time you play for me,
it expresses so completely the...
inexpressible.
Is that good?
It's divine.
Inexpressibly divine.
Quite.
Tell me a story, Katharine.
What's the story today?
A new story.
Drops of water?
Ah...raindrops.
Yes, raindrops.
Perfect.
I shall treasure this till the day I die.
"To you, all these wild weeds...
"and wind flowers of my life...
"I bring, my Lord,
"and lay them at your feet.
"They're not frankincense or myrrh,
"but you are Krishna, Christ, and Dionysus...
"in your beauty, tenderness, and strength."
That was our final contestant David Helfgott...
with a very stirring Rachmaninoff.
Well, what a close contest we have,
with the national championship...
almost certain to go to one of the two pianists.
Bravo, David.
I dare say it's going to be difficult for the judges...
to separate them,
either one a worthy winner.
The judges are now conferring.
It's a tough game, isn't it, Roger?
It's a blood sport.
Ladies and gentlemen...
I'm pleased to announce the winner...
of this year's instrumental and vocal competition.
Our new national champion is...
Roger Woodward.
What was he like, Katharine?
Your father.
He was forever busy in his study.
"Go away, Kattie, I'm writing," he'd always say.
One day... oh, I was very young...
I got so annoyed...
that I upset the ink pots all over his desk...
and scrawled on his work.
Pages of it.
When he saw it,
he just stood there seething with anger.
I could feel it.
"What are you doing?" he shouted.
Well, there was this terrible silence...
and I just stared at him and said,
"Go away, Daddy. I'm writing."
He ran at me and he picked me up...
and he cuddled me breathless.
My first literary effort, he always called it.
David, what is it?
Royal College of Music.
A scholarship.
Oh, David, that's marvelous.
Daddy won't cuddle me, Katharine. Oh, no.
He can't stop you, David.
He's such an angry lion, Katharine.
Oh, nonsense. He's a pussycat.
I'll miss you.
These were for my son, but you better have them.
It gets very, very cold in London.
Where have you been?
I missed the train.
That Prichard woman.
What is this?
The gloves.
Look at me.
Look at me!
And you think you can just do as you please?
I... I want to go, and you can't stop me.
But...
I'm your father...
who has done everything for you.
Everything!
You cruel, callous boy!
Mum! Margaret!
Stupid! Stupid...
Leave him. Leave him! Leave him alone.
Go, go! Go!
You want to go, go!
I'll call the police!
Go! Go!
Stop it!
Yeah, all right.
Leave him.
He's all right.
Are you all right, David?
Are you all right? Yeah?
Come on, David.
He's all right.
I'm old enough to make up my own mind.
He thinks he's going to London.
I've been accepted into the Royal College of Music.
What do you think is going to happen to you in London?
David...
if you go...
you will never come back into this house again.
You will never be anybody's son.
The girls will lose a brother.
Is that what you want?
You want...
you want to destroy your family?
I'm... I'm sorry.
David, if you love me, you will stop this nonsense.
You will not step out that door.
David.
If you go,
you will be punished...
for the rest of your life.
My David.
Don't go.
David!
Don't make me do it!
He has the most fantastic hands.
Not connected to anything above his shoulders.
Oh, he's a bit fragile, certainly.
Chopinzee.
I've seen enough to suggest...
that he can make the finals in the concerto trials.
What have you seen, Cecil?
Moments of genius.
Genius?
Really.
Come on, David.
Boldness of attack.
Diablerie.
The devil, David.
Mustn't break the piano.
Liszt broke plenty of strings.
Right. Right.
Come on.
Fill in for this useless arm of mine.
The notes first.
The interpretation comes on top of them.
On top, yes. Yes.
You agree, do you?
Oh, yes. I always agree, Professor.
Is that wise?
I... I don't know. Is it?
Don't forget. It's on the page.
Yes. Well, the...the notes are on the page,
but, uh, not the feeling, the emotion.
That's what I feel.
You mustn't sacrifice everything to emotion.
It's all a question of balance.
Ah, yes. Is that the question, Professor?
Precisely.
Ah. I thought so. That's what I thought.
Mr. Helfgott!
Your allowance check!
Thank you, Mr. Right.
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
I'll just stand still if you like.
Be careful, David.
Oh, by all means, Sarah.
You look lovely today, Sarah.
Thank you, David.
You, too, Muriel.
Ease up, Helfgott. Sarah!
David! You missed the bank.
Pity. You'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Can't bank on the bank.
We know someone who can cash it.
Do we, Robert?
What are friends for?
Got to concentrate.
Got to concentrate, Katharine.
Got to practice, practice, practice,
because there's 3 important things Professor Parkes says,
and that's work, work, work.
And... and, uh, so that's what I have to do...
if I'm, uh, going to make the finals to the Concerto Medal,
because the winner,
which gets to play at the Royal Albert Hall,
which is right outside the window.
I... I bought a piano, Katharine.
A beautiful piano.
It's a suffering piano, like yours.
I... I wrote to Daddy,
so, uh, that's a positive.
It's a positive, isn't it?
Because, well, it seems to be, because he didn't write back,
but, um, uh...
Now, how on Earth...
did we manage to get into the finals, David?
You're a conductor's nightmare.
It's true, it's true.
And what are we going to do?
We're going to win, actually, Robert. We're going to win.
Rachmaninoff? Are you sure?
Uh, kind of.
I'm never really sure about anything, Mr. Parkes.
The Rach 3.
It's monumental!
It's a mountain.
It's the hardest piece you could Everest play.
Well, no one's ever been mad enough to attempt the Rach 3.
Am I... mad enough, Professor?
Am I?
Think of it as two separate melodies jousting for supremacy.
The hands, giants...
ten fingers each.
Performing's a risk, you know...
no safety net.
Make no mistake, David.
It's dangerous.
People get hurt.
You have to learn to be able to play it blindfolded.
The page, for God's sake!
The notes!
I'm sorry. I was, uh, forgetting them, Professor.
Would it be asking too much to learn them first?
And... and then forget them?
Precisely.
Just give me the fingering.
David. Come on, my boy.
We're going to rest muscles and fingers today...
and try to exercise the imagination.
First movement cadenza.
Let's pick it up from, uh...
Your hands must form the unbreakable habit...
of playing the notes,
so that you can forget all about them...
and let it come from here.
The heart...
that's where it comes from.
Don't you just love those big, fat chords?
You have to tame the piano, David,
or it'll get away from you.
It's a monster.
Tame it, or it'll swallow you whole.
Coming along nicely, David.
Morning, Mrs. Perkins.
I call this my little mausoleum, David.
Ah, Liszt...
warts and all.
They made this after he was dead.
Poor Franz. Dead as a post, eh?
You can still get these on the Left Bank, you know.
Quite cheap.
I've got Rachmaninoff in here somewhere.
Magnificent fingers.
So virile.
You know, I...
played the Rach 3 for him once.
Really?
Yes.
He said he could hear himself in my playing.
He said it seemed...
as if I had touched his soul.
That wasn't so bad, was it?
Not too bad at all, Professor.
Now it's your turn, David.
Remember...
once you've done it, nobody can ever take it away from you.
And you must play...
as if there was no tomorrow.
Come on, David, don't let me down.
How many moments of genius today, Cecil?
Hello?
Who is this?
Hello?
Daddy?
Daddy, I'm home.
Daddy?
Hello?
Daddy?
Someone here to see you, David.
It's me, David.
Suzie.
Do we know Suzie?
Your sister, David.
Oh, sister Suzie, sister Suzie.
Thank you, Sister. Sister Nurse. Sister Suzie.
David, I won't be able to come and visit so often.
Not... not so often, sweet... sweet, soft Suzie.
Not so often.
I'm going to live in Melbourne.
Oh, that's a trick. Don't tell Daddy.
The milk... the milk... mustn't cry over spilt milk.
Oh, well, what can you do, Margaret? What can you do?
Margaret's in Israel, remember?
I remember Margaret. She called me dopey.
Or was it a pig? It was the poodle.
It was the poodle.
It was all very complicated, wasn't it?
Complicato in Israel.
It was... it was a battleground.
War zone. It was a war zone.
It was such a bore, it was such a bore.
It was always a war. It was all...
it just destroys everything, really, doesn't it?
David.
That's right, Nurse. That's right.
I knew I'd find you here.
Oh, I've been a naughty boy again, haven't I?
I... I misbehaved, haven't I, Nurse?
I think I have. That's true, isn't it?
Come on, David.
I... I might get into trouble. I might...
I might get punished for the rest of my life,
because... because I'm flawed. I'm... I'm fatally flawed.
Oh, you silly sausage.
Because it... it's f-f-forbidden fruit.
The doctor said it's forbidden fruit.
I... I... I'm not disappointing him and all that.
Am... am I disappointing him?
Because, you see, the thing is, he was... he was...
he... he didn't approve, did he? He didn't approve.
He was... he was very disapproving.
Come on, Charlie.
Let's put it over here, shall we?
Oh, so you can read music?
Oh, kind of. Kind of.
Perhaps I'm just turning over a new leaf.
But that's all right, isn't it?
My name's Beryl Alcott. What's yours?
Alcott, Alcott. Oh, that sounds a lot like my name.
Helfgott... that's my name, Beryl.
Helfgott?
That's right. Ridiculous, isn't it?
It means "with the help of God."
It's ridiculous.
What's your first name, Mr. Helfgott?
Ridiculous. Oh, yes, first things first, Beryl.
Uh, David. I'm David. I'm David. How's that sound?
You're David Helfgott?
That's right, Beryl. That's right.
But I used to watch you win all those competitions.
Oh, win some, lose some.
You can't lose them all. It's not your fault.
I was quite a fan.
Do you still play?
Oh, I mustn't. The doctor said I mustn't.
It'll all end in tears if I misbehave.
You mustn't?
I mustn't. That's right.
That's right. Is that right? I think it's right.
Because it might damage me. The doctor said it might damage me,
because it did... long time... long time... once before.
Long, long, long, long time ago.
That's the story, so what can you do?
Let's see you play, Beryl. Come on, you play.
Boldness of attack.
Oh, that's good, Beryl. That's good.
Oh, very good left hand. Very good left hand.
The point is, you've got to share and care and care...
and share and just behave. That's right, isn't it, Beryl?
That's right, that's right. Yes.
Very good. This is going to be a stylish marriage, this is.
It's a stylish marriage, Beryl. It's a stylish marriage.
Oh. Oh, that's very good, Beryl, very good.
That's very good.
Oh, that's very good. Oh, press those pedals.
Oh, we're riding a bicycle, Beryl.
We're on a bicycle, Beryl.
Pedal, Beryl, pedal.
What goes on in his head?
God only knows.
He's pretty confusing in the best of times.
It's a complex disorder.
He kind of lives in his own little world.
Poor lost soul.
Mmm, he's a sweetie.
He could leave tomorrow, but he's got nowhere to go.
Come along, David.
Beryl, Beryl, Beryl.
David, you know I can't abide smoke.
Oh, sorry, Beryl. Sorry.
What are you doing?
I'll walk. I'll walk.
But you don't know the way.
I'll follow you. How does that sound?
It's all right.
Get in, David.
God bless you, David Helfgott.
How's this, Beryl? Is this all right?
Is that you, Nurse?
It's all right, David. I'm here.
Oh, here, here, never fear.
Oh, but where's the nurse? Where's the sister, Beryl?
This is where you live now, David.
Oh, that's right.
I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, aren't I, Daisy?
Daisy, Beryl, Daisy.
This is where David Helfgott really gets back on the rails.
Oh, that's the story. That's the story.
No.
Mmm, oh, that's good, Beryl.
Oh, don't you just love those big, fat chords, Beryl?
The botanical garden's just down the road...
nice walk.
You'll be able to come and go as you please.
Mr. Minogue's a lovely man... a real Christian gentleman.
I know you're going to like him, David.
And guess what?
You'll even have your own piano.
Very... very feathery. Very feathery, very light.
Shut up!
Good morning, David.
Wakey-wakey. Rise and shine.
It's breakfast time.
I think it's about time we gave that piano...
another rest, eh, David?
Here, sign your check.
Look at you. You should get out and exercise.
Oh, exercise. Y-yes, that's right.
Get some fresh air into those lungs of yours, David.
Yeah, because the weak get crushed like insects,
don't they?
Like grasshoppers.
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I hope you enjoyed the music.
Bye.
Take care.
We're closed.
Sylvia...
your stray dog's back.
Do you want me to get rid of him for you?
No, I'll handle it.
Hey, baby, what about a tune?
A tune, baby, sure. No worries. No worries.
Oh, sock it to us, Liberace.
That's enough, Sam. David.
Fantastic.
More!
Two more, please.
Fantastic.
Oh, a hot one. A live one.
Yeah, hey, hey, give us Beethoven's Fifth.
Sure, babies, no worries. Symphony or concerto?
See you soon. See you soon.
Thanks for coming. Bye-bye. See you soon.
I played quite well tonight, didn't I?
I played quite well.
I deserve a bit of a snack.
A bit of a snack. You say...
Hello, David.
Hello, Daddy. Hello.
Are you feeling well?
Well, well, well, the thing is the lid.
I can't... I can't... I can't open this.
There's something wrong with it.
What could be wrong, David?
Oh, it's a mystery. It's a mystery.
Close it.
Give it to me.
I'll show you.
You see... how easy it is?
Couldn't be... it couldn't be easier.
That's right. Couldn't be easier.
David.
Here...here.
Look at me.
You are a lucky boy, David.
That's true. That's true. It seems to be true.
People... people say that... that... that they think I'm...
David.
Get to the point.
Yeah, I'm a very lucky boy.
No one will love you like me.
No one like me.
You see? Do you realize what...
an opportunity you have here?
Opportunity of a lifetime. That's right, Daddy.
David.
When I was a boy...
I... I bought a violin.
Beautiful violin.
I saved...
for this violin.
You know what...what happened to it.
You know what happened...to it.
No, what happened to it, Daddy? I don't... no idea.
What happened? I've got no idea.
The... the thing is you've got to be...
you've got to be fit to survive, haven't you?
To stay alive. That's right, isn't it?
Good night, Daddy.
Where are the kids?
Oh, around somewhere amusing themselves.
Oh, I must warn you. I've got someone staying on weekends.
But not another Scorpio, is he?
Oh, very funny, Gills. He's a child prodigy.
David!
Thanks.
It's a madhouse. David!
Is that the water running?
David!
David...David?
Where in God's heaven is he?
Mum, David's been on for an hour straight.
He's so cool.
David!
Is that you, doctor?
There's no more hot water, Sylvia. Where does it go?
David, I want you to meet someone.
There's no more hot water, Sylvia.
It's all gone. All gone. All gone.
Where does it go?
Who can say? I don't know. Where does hot water go?
Gillian... Gillian's a very dear friend of mine.
Oh, a friendly doctor.
I'm pleased to meet you, David.
She's not a doctor.
Oh, not a doctor, sweet Sylvia. Not a doctor.
She's an astrologer.
A specialist. A heart surgeon.
She's from Sydney.
Oh, an open heart surgeon.
Don't be ridiculous.
I'm ridiculous. I'm ridiculous. Aren't I...
Gillian. Gillian, that's it.
If your lucky, Gillian might do your chart for you.
Oh, would she, Sylvia? Would she?
Won't you, Gillian?
Of course I will, David.
What sort of chart, Sylvia?
An astrological chart.
Oh, the stars. The stars. I love the stars.
Astronomical variations. The planets.
Oh, the planets. Mustn't forget the planets.
Of course, Mercury and Neptune and so forth.
The music of the spheres. If music be the food of love.
Very gastronomical, isn't it, Gillian?
Oh, the food of love, it is, Gillian.
What's he like when he gets to know you better?
Oh!
So, what does he do?
Oh, he's an investment advisor. That's how I met him.
Oh, so far so good. How serious is it?
Oh!
Oh, come on, Gills. On a scale of one to ten.
I'll take that as a ten.
When's the happy day?
God, you know me. I hate to rush into things.
I won't kiss you.
Oh, darling, oh.
Oh, Trish, Trish, Trish, Trish.
Oh, lovely, gorgeous hair.
Blondes have more fun, don't they?
They have more fun. 'Course they do.
There you are, doctor.
Got to go to my room. Got to go to my room.
Oh, goodnight, Lucy. Oh, juicy Lucy...
Mind if I come in?
Oh, hello, doctor. Entree. Entree.
Where will I put these? Oh, sorry.
It's not your fault. Not your fault.
It... it's amazing. It just seems to be getting bigger.
It's amazing what you find, isn't it,
when you're not even looking. But there he is. There he is.
Who?
Roger, Roger, Roger, Roger.
Oh, Roger Woodward.
Oh, Roger, Roger. Yeah, he's... he's a winner.
He's a winner.
You've got one going already.
He's a big hit. He's a big hit.
Oh, one's more than enough.
Yeah, I really loved your playing.
Did you? Did you? It was all right?
Oh, do you write music as well?
Oh, no, 1-2-3, oh, that's the Rach 3.
It started out being a letter.
Oh, that, Gillian. I think... I think it was.
I think so. It seems to be true.
"Dear Professor Cecil, Royal College..."
Of Music. Royal College of Music.
It's a mystery. It's a mystery.
What is?
Well, he only had one arm, you see? It was a stroke.
Poor thing.
Yeah, poor, poor pussycat. Poor, poor pussycat.
He was...his paw was damaged beyond repair.
He wasn't able to do a thing with it.
He was a sad, sad pussycat. He was... he was damaged.
And it was just bad luck really, wasn't it?
I'm not damaging you, am I?
Oh, not at all.
What's the matter, David?
Oh, the matter. The matter, the matter.
Oh, it started out being... but it's a blank. It's a blank.
It was all... it was all such a long, time ago, Gillian.
And that's the story, what can you do?
Inexpressible. Inexplicably inexpressible.
To... to express the inexplicable.
Well, why don't you tell me what you want to say?
Oh, why not? Why not? What don't I want to say?
Oh, that's a hard one.
No, it's not hard at all. Look, d-e-a-r, dear...
That's it. That's it. That's it. Dear... dear... dear.
Dear Cecil?
- Deary me. Deary me. - Cecil?
Cecil was Parkes. Cecil was Parkes.
Dear Mr. Parkes.
He touched the soul of Sergei Vasilievitch himself
with the Rach 3 in D minor.
So that wasn't too bad, was it?
It's a hard piece for elephants... elephantine.
Dear Mr. Parkes...
It was such a long time ago. Such a long time, you know?
It has been such a long time.
Such a long time.
And I...
And I... and I hope... hope, Gillian.
How does that sound? Is that all right?
It sounds pretty good to me.
Ah, and I hope you remember me and the Rach 3.
I'm... I'm feeling much better again now.
I'm feeling much better again, aren't I?
Yeah, and... and I've started playing again.
Well done, Roger. Oh, yeah! Oh!
That was good.
Smile, David.
I am, Sylvia.
At the camera, here.
- Hurray! - Hurray!
Time to go.
Oh, well, what can you do?
David, look on the bright side.
The bright side. The silver lining.
You'll see Gillian again one day.
Yes, life goes on.
It does. It does... is that what it does?
Yes, of course it does.
David, she has to go.
Oh, yeah, little wrigglies to look after.
Oh, hardly. No, my kids are all grown up.
It's just little old me.
It's just me, too. I never grew up, I grew down.
I'm a bit of a handful...
bit of a handful, Gillian, aren't I?
Softly, softly, softly.
Softly.
Will you marry me?
Well, it wouldn't be very practical, David.
Practical. No, of course not. Of course not.
But then neither am I, Gillian. Neither am I.
I'm not very practical at all.
You'll miss the plane.
It's sweet of you, David.
I don't know what to say.
The stars, Gillian, darling. Ask the stars.
You'd better let her breathe, David.
Oh, I won't kiss you. I won't kiss you.
Oh!
Sorry, darling.
Oh, that's all right.
You made a noise.
David!
Oh, no. Poor Ravel.
Oh, poor Maurice. He's all unraveled. All unraveled...
It's nearly time to get ready.
Can I swim some more, darling?
Oh, all right. Ten minutes.
Do some Liszt. Not a concerto.
Swim La Campanella.
That should do it.
Oh, I've gone wrong, darling. I've gone wrong.
Well, keep trying, darling.
I'm trying. I'm very trying.
Page 37's missing.
Oh, it's the coda. It's the end.
It's the beginning of the end.
Oh, I'll soak my hands. I'll soak my hands.
David!
Gotcha!
Your first concert in years and you wear odd shoes.
Oh, I'm a sausage.
You certainly are.
Sit. No, up straight.
We'll be in the car.
Relax.
Oh, relax. I must learn to relax.
Must learn to relax.
Shh.
Perfect.
Bravo!
My darling.
They want an encore, David.
Do they, darling? They want some more?
What are you going to do?
I'm going to win.
Not now, darling.
I'll do some more. I'll do some more.
Do some more.
What do you feel?
Well, the thing is I feel nothing.
Nothing at all?
Well, I'm shocked, stunned,
and completely amazed. How does that sound?
Perhaps it's all my fault.
Perhaps it's me. Perhaps I don't know.
You can't go on blaming yourself...
for everything that's happened.
Well, you can't go on blaming yourself.
That's true, Gillian.
And you can't go on blaming Daddy...
because he's not here anymore.
- But you are. - And I am here.
That's true. And life goes on, doesn't it, Gillian?
Is that right? Is that right?
But it does. It does. Forever and ever. Oh!
Not forever.
No, no, never forever. Not quite. Not quite.
But I mean, the point is life's not all lamb loin chops, is it?
But I mean, it goes on and... and you just...
have to keep on going, too, don't you?
I mean, you can't give up, can you?
Certainly not. Every time that blooming Saturn comes along,
it gives us a bit of a jolt.
Oh, it's the stars, Gillian.
Everything has its season.
Oh, it's a mystery. It's a mystery.
There's always a reason.
Oh, we just need to seize the reason for the season.