The Music Teacher (1988)

Aging opera singer Joachim Dallayrac retires from the stage and retreats to the countryside to school two young singers, Sophie and Jean. Although the rigorous training takes its toll on ... See full summary »

Director:

Gérard Corbiau

Writers:

Andrée Corbiau, Gérard Corbiau (screenplay)

Stars:

José van Dam, Anne Roussel, Philippe Volter

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José van Dam	...	Joachim Dallayrac
Anne Roussel	...	Sophie Maurier
Philippe Volter	...	Jean Nilson
Sylvie Fennec	...	Estelle Fischer
Patrick Bauchau	...	Prince Scotti
Johan Leysen	...	François Manssaux
Marc Schreiber	...	Arcas
Alain Carre	...	Attendant
David Ashman	...	English Critic
Bob Bender	...	English Critic
Jonathan Fox	...	English Critic
Jeannette Bakker	...	Diva
Philippe Drecq	...	Dandy
Jean Gerardy	...	Old Man
Yvette Merlin	...	Louise

Storyline

Aging opera singer Joachim Dallayrac retires from the stage and retreats to the countryside to school two young singers, Sophie and Jean. Although the rigorous training takes its toll on both teacher and students, there is plenty of time for relationships to develop between the three. Based on their teacher's reputation, Sophie and Jean are invited to participate in a singing contest staged by Prince Scotti. Scotti's protege is set up to get revenge for Scotti's defeat at the hands of Dallayrac in a similar competition many years ago. The young students overcome Scotti's trickery to win the competition.

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Plot Keywords:

visit | competition | saying thank you | tragedy | winning | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Belgium

Language:

French English German Italian

Release Date:

1 February 1989 (France)

Also Known As:

The Music Teacher

Filming Locations:

Théâtre du Château de Chimay, 14 rue du Château, Chimay, Hainaut, Belgium

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,086,894

Company Credits

Production Co:

Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), K2 SA

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Belgium's official submission to the 1989's Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joachim Dallayrac: Ladies and gentlemen, that was my last performance.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Sex, Lies, and Videotape/Young Einstein/Parenthood/The Music Teacher (1989)

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Soundtracks

Sorgio, o padre
(from opera "Bianca e Fernando")
Composed by Vincenzo Bellini
Lyrics by Felice Romani
Performed by Janet Bakker (soprano), Keiko Kusaka (herp)

User Reviews

an interesting fact

First off, I love this movie. It is a very true testament to the level of competition inherent in the opera world, or in any performance art. Most people don't understand how hard some teachers can push their students, and it can lead to the ruining of the student's voice. I've seen it many times.

If you didn't notice, both Arcas and Jean sounded very similar - this is because they were played by the same man, M. Jérôme Pruett. He was at the height of his European career at the time. I am currently one of his voice students at the Hartt School in CT, where he is resident faculty.