Anne Suttor

Unforgettable with a truly stellar cast.

I'm afraid I wasn't moved by the film, though I could see how much went into it. Leonard Bernstein's passion for music and his ability to impart this, particularly to young people will be an everlasting precious legacy. There's only so much you can fit into a film, so I'm recommending the biography of Bernstein by Humphrey Burton, and The Bernstein Letters compiled by Nigel Simeone. I have dvds of Bernstein conducting and lecturing and Bradley Cooper's depiction of Bernstein's ageing voice, into those deep and mellow tobacco soaked tones was brilliant. BUT BERNSTEIN'S EYES WERE BROWN. Not the baby blues we constantly saw. This was a big distraction for me. Anyone else feel this way? Magnificent music however.

All the actors in this production were superb and the casting was perfect. (I much preferred it to the American version which to me was too violent and one dimensional and ultimately boring. I couldn't finish watching it.) The English version covered the whole gamut of the human condition, particularly the scenes between James Villiers and David Lyon. Bravo.