fred hochberg

This is a superbly filmed production with short; but elegant sections (witness the appearance for Bruno Walter, The Chilean arrival by bus, the triumph of Mahler, the cameo of Kouss) which are short and do not last. Mulligan is superb with features of Bacall's aloofness and seduction. "You need me" should become a cinematic phrase on par with "Just whistle". Cooper fulfills all of his goals but they are goals continuously shy of Bernstein's scintillation, his anguish, and his brilliance. Bernstein is less of a man as a result of this movie. His creative force is marginalized and he is diminished. In baseball parlance: 'An infield single; but still a base hit".