Cosi (1996)

Lewis is a young Sydney amateur theater director at his first experience: he is offered a job with a Governmental program for the rehabilitation of mentally ill patients in a Sydney ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writers:

Louis Nowra (play), Louis Nowra (screenplay)

Stars:

Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, Toni Collette

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Lewis
Barry Otto	...	Roy
Toni Collette	...	Julie
Rachel Griffiths	...	Lucy
Aden Young	...	Nick
Colin Friels	...	Errol
Jacki Weaver	...	Cherry
Pamela Rabe	...	Ruth
Paul Chubb	...	Henry
Colin Hay	...	Zac
David Wenham	...	Doug
Tony Llewellyn-Jones	...	Kirner
Kerry Walker	...	Sandra
Robin Ramsay	...	Minister for Health
Henry Maas	...	Bernard Goldman

Storyline

Lewis is a young Sydney amateur theater director at his first experience: he is offered a job with a Governmental program for the rehabilitation of mentally ill patients in a Sydney institution for mentally ill. His project is overrun by one of the patients Roy who wants to put on stage Cosi Fan Tutte (Mozart). None of the patients in the cast is able to sing and none of them knows Italian which is the language of the libretto. Through a lot of difficulties Lewis and his cast develop a deep understanding. The play smartly adapted for the unusual cast is finally produced: lots of unforeseen situations solved 'a la crazy way'but indeed brilliantly. Great success and sad farewell of the director from his cast.

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Plot Keywords:

patient | mozart | electroshock therapy | singing | piano | 

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Taglines:

Alone they were lost. Together they were magical

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Escola dos Amantes

Filming Locations:

Kings Cross, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Meridian Films, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast originally included actor Bruno Lawrence, but during shooting he was taken to the hospital suffering from chest pains and was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He died a few months later.

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Quotes

Cherry: This is just another battle of the sexes.
Roy: Oh, I suppose so... If you could describe the Crusades as a sightseeing lark on the way to Jerusalem!
Doug: Oh, please, someone give him some lithium!

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits a cast member with an accordian shows up and performs Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" on it as an obvious slight to the Mozart he was told to play in the movie. A squealing piglet accompanies him.

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Connections

References Star Trek (1966)

User Reviews

COSI (DIDIER BECU)

Mark Joffe is a not so known director but the kind of director who happens to make movies you can't help falling in love with. Forget all the sentimentality that is given by Oscarblockbusters or the usual crap with Hugh Grant as this is where the heart beats. It's a simple human story in where there is place for tears and laughter, it's about some psychiatric patients who have decided to make their own operaversion of Mozart's "Cosi". It are the little things in life that deserve attention and that's what Joffe is showing us, and the real star in "Cosi" is as said before Toni Collette, simply wonderful what the star of "Muriel's wedding" is doing here.