New film focused on a Quartet struggling to stay together might provide a metaphor for schools
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The film ‘A Late Quartet’ , directed by Yaron Zilberman, sees a Quartet begin to disintegrate following a life changing diagnosis for one its members (the cellist-played by Christopher Walken). The main work in the film is Beethoven’s Opus 131 in C -sharp minor a notoriously demanding piece for even the most technically gifted musicians, mainly because Beethoven indicated that it should be played “attacca”, so without pause between its seven movements. It was regarded by Beethoven’s contemporaries as a masterpiece and Schubert asked for it to be played for him on his deathbed.
The Director Zilberman says “When playing a piece for almost 40 minutes without a break the instruments are bound to go out of tune, each in a different way. What should the musician do? Stop and tune, or struggle to adapt, individually and as a group until the end. I feel it is a perfect metaphor for long term relationships” ( Zilberman draws from Walkens speech at the beginning of the film-Zilberman also co-wrote the screenplay)
It could also be a metaphor for a school . Teachers have to adjust individually and collectively (through collaboration etc) to ensure that their performance remains in tune, is sustained and doesn’t suffer in quality, over time.( disciplined practice also helps)
Just a thought!
ps Its a beautifully crafted and well observed film without falling into the trap of being too sentimental . It also avoids a corny end .
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