Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn

Name: Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2009-10-10
Duration: 57 min
Cast: John Lithgow

20092009
57m

YOUR RATING

MIRACLE IN A BOX / a piano reborn is an inspiring film about the coming together of three eventsÂ—the bequest of a grand piano, the student competition to win it, and the months and months of work required to make it sing again. The First Berkeley Piano Competition provides most of the music in the film with six talented finalists playing several classical selections. But jazz and blues blossom as well while Callahan Piano artisans take apart and rebuild the instrument before our eyes, hewing to standards as precise as a tenth of a gram. The close relationships and easy humor of the workshop accompany the highly professional techniques and tools. The winner of the competition, Jared Redmond, finally makes his debut on what is now his Steinway grand at the party given in the workshop as a finale. The celebration is not only about talent, but also about the dedication of crafts-people who give good performers a means to play better than they had imagined to be possible. Appearing on screen are Garrick Ohlsson, touring concert pianist; Jake Heggie, opera composer; Tammy Hall, jazz artist; Frederick Hodges, music stylist; Jerry Kuderna, Bay Area modernist; and Steve Willis, blues and boogie songwriter and performer. The narration is spoken by the distinguished actor, John Lithgow, and the film-maker is Oscar-winning documentarian, John Korty. Beyond the world of music, the documentary also provides a good look at some alternative ways to improve the American workplace, the quality of its products and the rewards for its employees.

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The restoration of a Steinway becomes a lyrical meditation on following the heart's true passion in this beautifully crafted documentary. A wonderful Bay Area tale, the film traces the path ... Read allThe restoration of a Steinway becomes a lyrical meditation on following the heart's true passion in this beautifully crafted documentary. A wonderful Bay Area tale, the film traces the path of a 1927 grand piano owned by a music teacher who bequeathed her treasure to her alma mat... Read allThe restoration of a Steinway becomes a lyrical meditation on following the heart's true passion in this beautifully crafted documentary. A wonderful Bay Area tale, the film traces the path of a 1927 grand piano owned by a music teacher who bequeathed her treasure to her alma mater, UC Berkeley, with the stipulation that the university ultimately reward it to "a worth... Read all

YOUR RATING

Director
- John Korty
Star
- John Lithgow

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The restoration of a Steinway becomes a lyrical meditation on following the heart's true passion in this beautifully crafted documentary. A wonderful Bay Area tale, the film traces the path of a 1927 grand piano owned by a music teacher who bequeathed her treasure to her alma mater, UC Berkeley, with the stipulation that the university ultimately reward it to "a worthy student of piano." Before it can be given away, however, it must be restored, and here the essence of the story unfolds, as Korty follows the piano's rebirth under the masterful care of Oakland's venerable Callahan Piano Service. —Deanna Quinones