Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
Clara
April 20th 2009 00:19
It's easy to put on a classical record, drop the needle and sit back, allowing the music to run over your ears and body, enjoying the composition for its purest purpose - to be heard.
On the other hand, I find myself continually intrigued by the lives of these legendary composers, who were subject to all the pressures and temptations of society, despite our image of them as heavenly creatures.
Robert Schumann was one of the great Romantic composers, but hardly anyone knew about his wife, Clara, who was a celebrated pianist and composer, but, obviously, lived in the shadows of her tormented husband.
And tormented Robert Schumann was - plagued by voices and screams in his head, he sought the dulling relief of alcohol and opiates, which left him unable to do more than feverishly write his compositions in a half-state of madness.
It's a wonderful subject for a film, to focus on Clara Schumann, who must pick up the reins of the family, supporting her husband and living through the unbearable anguish of living with a man that is half a monster. The sickness and drugs have left Robert weak and fragile, as "Clara" shows, unable to conduct an orchestra or handle their five children.
Why does she endure? "Clara" has a moment of beauty - Clara comes down to the kitchen and finds the cook crying as she hears Robert's latest composition, a tribute to the river Rheine and one of his most loved pieces. Clara, played extravagantly by Martina Gedeck, admits her love for Robert, whose talent for writing music is a "gift from God".
It's hard to disagree with that, even as a young Johannes Brahms comes and stays with the Schumanns - he adores Clara, and composes beautiful pieces for her. Robert sees this happening, but is powerless to stop the loves that grows between the two.
Clara is much too loyal to let her feelings tempt her into adultery, though, and "Clara" takes a long, dramatic look at the fall of Robert Schumann and the devastation it has on Clara. At this point, the film falters, seemingly without direction.
What to do? The film reflects the real story of Clara and Robert Schumann, even down to Robert's suicide attempt, and real life often has no exciting climax or denouement. "Clara" suffers from this attempt to reflect reality, but the end result is a mixed feeling about the film, especially as the musical pieces can never capture the emotion of a live performance.
In the end, "Clara" left me longing for knowledge of music, the ability to hear music and transcribe it for others to play. More than anything, though, Clara Schumann has her story told, and without her, the life of Robert Schumann may have collapsed much before he had the chance to pen his final works.
"Clara" was screened at the Festival of German Films here in Sydney!
I say: Classical music fans will adore this film, as it captures a wonderful sense of European music in the 19th century. As a film, it stutters in the last half, leaving me ambivalent.
See it for: The three actors are fabulous: Gedeck, who plays Clara, Pascal Greggory and Malik Zidi, who play Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, respectively.
*this image is from www.welt.de
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