1
[David playing the piano fast]
[humming]
[muttering indistinctly]
No structure, no structure.
[muttering indistinctly]
[ends by playing loudly]
[loud applause]
[melancholic piano music]
[David humming]
I'm David, I'm playing a concert tonight
and the next day. It's my birthday.
65... 65 in a couple of days.
[muttering]
...how things are going out there.
[Gillian] Isn't that a great place
to jump up and down, David?
And all the sunshine coming
through in the afternoon.
[David] That's true. It feels nice
with the sunshine here.
[David continues to mutter]
Trust, trust! Have trust.
I've got an important concert to play now.
[muttering indistinctly]
People come in all shapes and sizes.
Hello, hello, hello, I'm David.
Hello, darling.
There's some tea over there. Can I have
some for my pocket? The chai, the tea.
-Tea, yes?
-For my pocket. Can I? Thank you.
[continues muttering]
D'you want to go and look at
the view a bit more? Come on.
Things are better now.
[muttering]
You want to dance alone?
-No, you can't dance alone.
-Aww, but you can.
Can we dance alone? Can you dance alone?
Well, but don't you need people?
Don't you need each other?
[continues muttering]
[soft piano music playing]
[music changes to orchestra]
[piano becomes louder]
[melodic piece playing]
Gosh, this reminds me...
1997, and...
-remember when we went to Canada?
-The snowstorm, yes.
-Canada? Yeah, of course I do.
-And no, we drove...
we drove from New York up to, uh...
-To Montreal, wasn't it?
-Montreal.
-The roof of the world.
-And remember all the--
Yes, and the taxi driver who didn't
stop talking, who chatted and chatted.
That's right, yes.
So if you'd like to give me your rubbish?
[Gillian exhales loudly]
[Gillian] All the poor people on the bus
have come for a lovely bus tour.
It's an atmospheric sort of a...
Well it's quite atmospheric.
But I wouldn't want to live in it.
Not, me.
I'd rather have-- I'll have sunshine.
Hello, what's your name?
Sophia? Hello. Are you from here?
Oh, good.
-Hello. Who's this?
-Hello.
Aida. Are you from here?
-Yes.
-Oh good.
Tazin? Oh, hello, Tazin!
-What's your name? Victoria?
-Victoria.
Would that be English? Well anyway...
-Oh, it depends I guess.
-That's all right I guess.
David.
Oh, hello, David.
-You from here?
-Yeah, Sweden.
-Oh, good. Sweden?
-Yes.
[applause inside]
[applause continues]
[speaking inaudibly over the applause]
[starts playing a few keys softly]
[speaking inaudibly throughout]
[music softly fading]
[seagulls chirping]
Being an astrologer,
and my astrology colleagues in Sydney,
all knew that someone very important
was going to come into my life.
So each time I came back from a cruise,
they said to me, "Have you met him yet?"
Uhh...
So when I got on the plane to go to--
let's see-- November of '83,
I just knew intuitively that something
momentous was going to happen in my life.
So... because of the
understanding of astrology.
I was able to...
embrace the situation
without fear or trepidation, because...
I knew that the dear planet Jupiter
conjuncting my Sun was bringing
a very important relationship
into my life.
And so when people say how could you
have possibly made this decision.
I just knew it was the right one.
And that is huge blessing in life.
To know with certainty what you're
doing, that is your right path.
[Gillian] It wasn't one that I would
necessarily have chosen,
I mean David had $200, a cane basket
and a worn out radio...
when we decided to live together.
So it wasn't a materialistic
decision at all.
It was at a friend's house.
And he said to me,
"I'm about to introduce you to the most
unforgettable person I've ever met."
And in walked David,
he'd just got out of the swimming pool
so he was dripping...
wet all over the carpet.
He rushed up to me and
gave me a very wet kiss,
and said, "Hello, Gillian,
I'm so pleased to...
[blabbers]
-...you're going to hear me play?"
-[blabbers]
And I said, "Yes, David, I'm going to
come and hear you play."
And so, that night I went to the...
to the wine bar where he was playing...
smoking his cigarettes while he's playing.
Coffee cups around the piano.
But I just heard the
most incredible, passionate
and spontaneous playing.
And then the next morning he came around--
again for swim, and he asked
me to marry him.
So I hadn't even known him 24 hours.
You know, I didn't quite say yes then,
it took...
a little while longer to get around to it.
[Gillian] I knew when I made
the commitment to him,
it had to be for life, it wasn't going
to be a trial run... to see how we got on.
David was very fragile,
when I met him, emotionally.
Not physically-- He's strong as an ox.
Every night, before we
go to sleep, we just say...
how grateful we are...
I think, one of the secrets of life,
is to be grateful.
Because then your heart is open,
and you're expressing gratitude.
And so you're allowing
the beauty of love and life
to flow into you.
I think the world is bit light
on gratitude at the moment and...
uh, the people who don't experience
gratitude are the losers.
[seagulls chirping]
Goodness me, it's 12:20!
And I don't know where David's gone.
You can see him?
Oh I know we ever won't lose him.
He'll always come back.
[soft music playing]
Oh yeah, just the camera recording
this trip. Don't worry about it.
Thank you, darling. Yeah, yeah. Very nice.
Thank you, darling. He's very warm
and friendly and he's very kind.
Time, time, time is money.
All that money. It's your money.
Is that bread?
Oh, it's "Brot, Brot."
Thank you. It's all planned.
What's the plan? Being impatient! Bye bye.
She's very nice.
D'you want me to walk round here?
Keep walking?
[up-tempo music continues playing]
Darling, what have you--
Oh, that's all right, he said yes.
He said yes, he said yes.
He said what?
[muttering]
He said yes. Falki said yes.
I won't even imagine
But it's pulling your jacket.
Well, can I hold it?
It's my panty, isn't it!
Like at the "scareport."
Like the check at the airport.
Giving us a full body search.
-[Gillian] Full body search.
-[Gillian laughing]
They did that to me, didn't they?
Okay.
[Nils] October, 1986.
I came to the concert...
[muttering indistinctly]
And David came outside,
and asked me if I could
give him a cigarette.
-At that time--
-He was still smoking!
He was still smoking. It was very
close to when he stopped actually.
Stopped one month maybe later
when he went back to Australia.
Where he lived then...
He asked me which--
Who I was. I said I was
a pianist. And uh...
He asked me which piano company I played
and I mentioned like four,
five at the starting...
And it turned out-- He said to me,
he played exact same five.
I said to him...
I think that's very strange of me that
a foreign person who'd come from Australia
and we played exactly
the same five concerts.
And later on I learned that it was
because he was so polite
he didn't want to make me feel small!
Because he played like...
at least 40, already at that time.
He thinks about rivers, and trees,
and the sky, and birds
when he's practicing.
The notes-- it's not the notes
going through his head.
It's the music that's going
through his being...
And, this is--
And somehow... a part of his nature's
also that he
so that he doesn't know how difficult
it actually is what he does.
-[Gillian laughing] That's right.
-I mean had he really known
how difficult the pieces he's playing
are, he wouldn't be able to do it.
[Nils] Just living in this world, like
a child, in the good sense of the word.
He doesn't see the difficulties.
Don't be greedy. Don't be selfish.
Did you come all the way from Germany
specially? Specially, specially.
Mainly for me. Because of me? Partially.
It's all planned.
Well, the less you know, the less
you worry. Is that right?
You have to know the plan, stay informed.
You have to know
what's going on, don't you?
Otherwise how will you know
to get ready, to get ready?
You know, it's all planned. Be happy.
[David] Be happy. Keep smiling.
Don't worry. No regrets, no regrets.
Go forward. Forward into a happy future,
hopefully. A happy future.
Definitely. You've got
to be brave, courageous.
It's a big world out there.
It's the triumph of the will.
Only the strong survive.
The weak are crushed like grasshoppers.
Well, keep trying. Be who I am.
What do you have to lose? Nothing. Now.
[girl] So you think it's important
to live in the now?
[David] Well in the past you can't.
Why do I think so?
Because that's all you can influence.
You know, all you can influence is now.
There's no point in-- Don't go back.
That's right, don't go back.
Go forward, go forward.
Forward to a happy future hopefully.
[David playing the piano]
[David humming the tune]
Happier and happier.
Always the same David.
[Matthias] Yeah.
Is that "meno" at the end okay for him?
-Yes, yes.
-That was very good.
-Yeah, more, more.
-[Matthias speaking animatedly]
[Matthias speaks in Swedish]
Hey...
[David] Anyway, anyway...
What can you do? Yes, yes.
[Matthias] No, no, now we take a break,
here's it no problem, this was
a little bit concentrated.
-[Matthias] Two hours, two hours.
-[David] Two hours, yes. Two hours!
[David] Hello, hello!
Hello, how are you? What do you play?
-The bassoon.
-Oh, the bassoon?
-Where are you from? From here?
-From Stuttgart.
From Stuttgart, that's nice.
I have a question,
with the first movement...
[speaks about the music]
Yes, yes.
You make any ritardando there?
-I just sort of follow you really.
-Okay, I follow you.
You follow me. Yes, yes.
-So we make together.
-Very important. Together.
-What's your name?
-Uli.
-Uli, hello!
-Nice to meet you.
Hey, Uli, it's all planned.
We'll follow the other. Thank you, Uli.
[speaking in German] I watched
the feature film Shine
to learn a little about this person,
because I had heard of him,
but I didn't know him. I didn't know
what he's like or what he plays.
In the beginning I thought
it could be a risk.
So I think the first step to take,
if you want, is to listen to him.
Then you can offer an opinion.
Then you can say,
"No, I don't want a soloist
up there speaking and commenting.
It disrupts my enjoyment."
In my case, I can filter that
out after a moment
and really hear the pure, wonderful
sounds that he produces.
If someone in the audience
can't do that, so be it.
They have to decide for themselves.
But to say from the outset,
without having heard him,
"No, there are others who are better,
younger, more perfect."
That is questionable.
And the music world seems to be
acting a bit like that towards him.
"Swim as long
as you want to," Cosima said.
I can swim as long as I want to.
I can swim as long as I want to.
[Gillian] You are right. Cosima
is coming here to swim too.
I was right. Cosima's coming down to swim.
Make the most of the
pool while you're here.
So, it's better to keep
swimming than chatting.
Okay, off you go.
It's all planned.
You need to make it like this way.
You take this hand and I take that one.
[speaking indistinctly]
[David] I'll put my hand on your back.
I can swim with one hand.
[orchestra music playing
in the background]
[piano starts playing]
[speaking indistinctly]
It has to be different.
[speaking indistinctly]
[humming]
Freer, freer, more inviting.
One, two, three, four. One, two, three...
Trust, trust, to have trust.
Like the first time.
[humming]
That's important. I know.
[humming]
[music continues in the background]
[applause]
Hello, what's your name?
Fun, it's meant to be fun.
[woman] Thank you.
-What's your name?
-Sarah.
Sarah, what a nice name.
That's the mother of the human race.
Isn't it, Sarah? Where are you from?
-Iran.
-Iran! All the way from Iran!
They changed the name of it, that's true.
Did you come all the way from Iran?
[laughing]
[indistinct chatter]
Sorry, darling, that's true.
[Gillian] Thank you.
Iran! Iran!
[soft piano music playing]
Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!
Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!
-Hello, how are you?
-Fine thank you. And you?
Hello, Pro...
[Gillian] Go out of the way, please.
Sorry. I'm sorry.
-Oh yes, we're on the terrace.
-You go on the terrace.
It's really hard. Sorry about that.
I got to play the piano last night.
Any tea there yet?
I'll fix it. And I can have a few.
[indistinct conversation]
Can I have two?
No, just leave them on...
-[Gillian] David, put them back.
-Two, one.
[Gillian] We need to serve the people.
-Stop it. All right dear.
-You can have one.
[David] One. You can have one.
-[David] Hello.
-[Gillian] You're confusing me, David.
-I'll walk her to the door.
-All right, all right.
Are you Deutsch, Deutsch,
Deutsch? Viennese?
-[maid] Portuguese.
-Portuguese, yeah, yeah, yeah.
David, it's me.
Hello. How are you? Come in.
[Scott] Did you?
[David] I better say hello to my team.
Can I go and say hello to my...
[Scott speaking indistinctly]
Oh, don't you? I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Look! "Leben, Leben."
[Gillian] ...put your shorts
and t-shirt back on.
Oh, okay.
So I think you better go
and put a top on, buddy.
[David mumbling]
Never heard. Was a long time ago. 1888.
It was a tragedy. That's what it says.
A tragedy. And you know what he said?
He said, "I'm going to have a stroke
and die." And he did. Imagine that.
Well, I think that's a shame.
That's what happened.
I think he's talking about the famous
people who stayed in the hotel.
So it's reminiscences.
Just a very heavy book.
Just put this here. If I had a pencil
and paper in my hands...
No, truly, if I've got a pencil and paper,
I'm much happier.
I'm just feeling the pencil and paper.
What? I'm going to write on this.
[Gillian] Don't mess up every pad.
No, not every pad.
There's hundreds of them.
[Scott] Do I give them to
you or you just--
Well, they just more or less said,
"Yes, go ahead."
They said... They more or less...
But you go, you took
them off the trunk, didn't you?
Well, there's a special room there
with lots of nice things in it.
-Oh...
-Oh, there's a room?
It's all right. They didn't say anything.
They just...
They might not know.
-They could see...
-[Scott] All right.
[Scott] David can be an exhausting
person to live with at times,
and he can also be exhilarating
and joyous and the easiest person
in the world to live with.
One day Gillian rang me and
said she wasn't feeling well,
she was leaving for Vienna the next day
with David for a week,
he had some concerts.
Could I go the next day
on the plane with David?
Which I did...
And... because they'd booked a...
a double room in the...
hotel in Vienna, and there
were no other rooms available,
I slept on the couch and...
so we were a very close proximity for...
for a week, he was the most
gorgeous, considerate, sensitive
person, you could ever...
bunk up with, his only flaw
was that he'd eat an apple,
two or three hours
after I'd gone to sleep.
Standing next to my head,
while patting my head, and,
a munching apple is a very good
alarm clock, and I would wake up,
and... long discussions with him each day,
and promises that he
would not do it again, of course,
had no effect.
Amongst all the family and friends,
I was however the only one who
had difficulties with
David in the early days.
Um... I've-- less so now,
but I was a chronically shy person.
I'm very protective of personal space,
um, my own, and everybody else's.
And in the early days of going
out in public with David,
I found his hugging of people,
and talking to people, grabbing people,
very confronting, and I had...
conversations with Gillian about it.
Gillian said don't worry about it,
you just have to be true
to your own feelings and
I'm sure it'll work out and just relax.
There was a concert in...
Canberra where he played
"Pictures at an exhibition,"
um... Mussorgsky. And...
half way through, I just
started sobbing and I...
sobbed till the end and I just felt
that was the moment I understood
David for the first time.
And David reminds me, "I made you cry,
I made you cry," all the time...
of that day...
and then I really...
I just got David--
I just realized what
an unbelievably, sweet,
kind, generous, incredibly brilliant mind,
forgetting that he's a great pianist.
[Scott] He's just a gorgeous human being.
He's just impossibly wise, when he
wants to tell you something.
One day I was in a board meeting, and I
heard David's voice in my head saying...
"Things are not going the way I want.
Can you come and see me?"
I called my sister and we flew up
and just knocked on the hotel door without
telling Gillian or David
we were coming to see them.
And David opened the door
and just casually said, "Ah, you're here."
And...
I said, "How did you know?", and he
said "I don't need to use a phone."
Uh, he, it's that--
I know-- David talks to me all the time,
I can be just walking along the streets
and he starts nattering something to me.
I think it's an incredible
ability to communicate
emotion and feeling
and sensitivity and reassuring,
there's something very
calming in his touch.
[David] You've got to be happy, of course.
We want you to be happy, don't we?
"Glucklich, glucklich," my happy life,
you know, like "Sweetie Pie."
That's what it says in my...
It's my bible.
The bible, isn't it?
Not the Bible, because...
[voice trailing off]
[soft music playing]
[piano starts playing]
[David] David, David Helfgott. You know,
my name. Yes. Your name?
[Moussa] My name is Moussa.
-Moussa.
-Moussa, oh, that's a nice name.
-I'm a Turkish Kurd.
-Oh, wonderful. Best of all worlds.
The Kurds are in three
different countries.
Iran, Iraq...
-[Moussa] Syria.
-That's right. Three, that's right.
[car honking loudly]
How are you? Sorry.
Hello, I'm David. I play the piano.
How are you? Risky, risky.
Hello! Anyway, feel free to go on.
[Man in Turkish] Don't touch the driver!
- Danke.
-Don't touch the driver!
Yeah danke.
He's passing by, danke. Danke.
Yes, yes, yes.
-[in Turkish] Don't touch him.
-Thank you.
I live in Vienna, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Keep on smiling. Got to keep smiling.
Look happy. Did I behave well?
[Gillian] No, it was a bit silly.
[car honking]
But he's very nice. Yeah, yeah.
Life is a journey, not a destination.
-Enjoy.
-Oh come on David, that's... corny.
It's corny. Is that corny?
Where are the others, darling?
Hungary. Magyar.
[voice over PA system]
Oh there's the Turkish Airline.
Is there? Oh, you're right. Hello.
[muttering]
Can I say hello?
Hello, I'm David.
-Can I just look at the... Can I?
-Sure, sure.
Oh, you really know me? Well, well, well.
Just going to put this in...
Hello, darling.
This is really good, darling.
I just have to see if
I can find a way to...
She's very nice.
She gave me the tea. Wasn't that nice?
It was very nice of her.
Thank you, darling.
So kind. You've got to be nice.
They're very kind. It's a lot of money.
Green tea's good for you.
Bye bye. What's your name?
Bye bye, Dominic.
-[David] Hello.
-Say goodbye to them.
Bye, bye.
[attendant] My colleague
is missing a bottle of tea.
Oh... I'll pass it back to you.
Pass it back. We'll pass it back.
-Hello, hello. Have a good journey.
-[Gillian] David? David?
Have a good... Hold the door.
Hold the door.
-Give me the tea, they're asking for it.
-Sorry, darling.
[David] Wow, wow!
Oh this behavior is got to--
-The tea's for us.
-[Gillian] No, it isn't, David.
Pass-- no, it isn't.
-You're in big trouble.
-Have a good journey! Have a good journey!
I'm so sorry about that.
He's terrible, he does it everywhere.
[Gillian] That was terrible--
-Well, she said yes. But then she...
-[Gillian] She did not!
-Well, I thought...
-[Gillian] David.
What?
-Well, she more or less nodded.
-[Gillian] She-she, did not--
Look at this, you can get
a violin, darling. Look.
What do you think about that?
Would that cost a fortune?
Oh, a parcel might be better.
These are good ones!
[Gillian] David come on.
Can we get this little white Toblerone?
It's a special travel one.
Oh all right.
I'm David. What's your name?
Together? Yes, together.
[background music]
-What's your name?
-My name is Susanne.
Hello, Susanne.
Bye bye!
David come here.
-Hello. Have a good journey.
-Oh thank you very much.
-Where are you from?
-Oh, India.
Oh, India! How wonderful!
Calcutta? Calcutta?
[indistinct name]
Calcutta! It's in one of
the most populous nations on earth.
[traveler] Yeah.
-[David] Hello, hello. What's your name?
-[co-passenger] Hello.
-Anita.
-[David] Anita!
[Walter] You're not a singer,
that's obvious.
Hello.
So which is our piano?
[Walter speaking over the music]
-It's more logical, yes, yes.
-Would you wan to try it again?
Yes, shall we try it again?
We'll build it up gradually.
[playing the piano]
One, two, three. One, two, three...
One, two, three. One, two, three...
All right, try it again.
-Can you buy a band-aid for my finger?
-[Walter] Yes, we'll get one.
Good, good, good.
Will you get me a band-aid, darling?
-Will you get me a band-aid? Not now.
-[Walter] Not now.
A band-aid for my finger, darling.
So, come on.
[David continues playing the piano]
[Walter] Can you do a little bit faster?
Yes.
[David stops playing]
[birds chirping]
[speaking German] I don't really think
I can teach David anything.
I can only help him
bring forth what he used to have
and what, to an extent,
he's had to rediscover in recent years.
His illness, or all the time
he spent in the institutions,
meant he's probably lost a lot.
And it's only...
It's not like a piano lesson.
I'm trying to press certain buttons,
to give him prompts and mention
certain things that he recalls again.
It was pivotal that the first piece
I heard David play was the Appassionata ,
one of my absolute favorites,
that he played.
I only heard a CD,
but it was so full of passion,
feeling and inner beauty
that I got goosebumps and realized
I wanted to work with that pianist.
That was before the film, Shine.
That's kind of beautiful,
because dollar signs didn't appear
in my eyes when I heard his name.
For me it was a blank page.
There was the fascination of meeting
someone like him, who plays like that.
If a divine feeling can arise in me,
then it's through music.
I wouldn't call it God, though.
But certainly Beethoven.
[David playing the piano]
[piano slowly fading]
It's a shame they didn't put a piano
in here for me earlier.
-A keyboard.
-[Gillian] Oh, for goodness sake.
Well, I suppose it's possible.
-It's possible. I don't see why not.
-Yes, well not for two days.
Oh well. It would cost
too much probably. Cost the world.
That's... Asia says...
Sees... Asia, is that Asia? Asia...
[Gillian] Come and sit here, gorgeous.
Go and sit down.
That sounds good. Course you do.
When you're ready, sit there,
and I'll pour a cup of coffee.
Oh, careful.
What other cheese is there?
[Gillian] There's uh...
Oh no, I love it, darling. A little bit.
A little of this one. That's it.
-What's that one?
-Oh, it's this one.
[Gillian] Oh darling that's a bit much.
[David] Don't fall. Don't fall.
Quickly eat it. Oh well.
Oh, don't try and eat it in one bite.
No, no. That's greedy. Is that greedy?
What can we do with you?
I certainly have manners, or not?
Well, if I eat this,
that'll be enough, won't it?
[Gillian] I think so.
That's a very good breakfast,
is it, darling?
[Gillian] Oh it's a delicious breakfast.
Why don't you have cream in your
coffee, that's much better for you.
-You think?
-Just drinking very strong black coffee.
Here we are.
-[Gillian] Okay, that'll do.
-That's very good. Try some.
[Gillian] You've had 12 in Frankfurt.
That is enough, darling.
Well, later, later.
Okay.
I'll have it later. Good on you.
Would you like to wash your hands?
Oh, I think it's all right.
The grapes are ripe and sweet.
David the grapes are beautiful.
Would you like some?
[Gillian] I put down the right way.
Don't be greedy. Okay, shall I?
I got it the right way.
Oh well, it gives me something to do,
just putting on a wool...
Look, Asia, "sein, sein" something.
France won. This should be the...
Just don't be so picky.
[David] What's that violinist?
You know who I mean. Not Mischa Elman,
the religious. You know.
You know who I mean.
-I haven't got a clue.
-You know. Vladimir's friend.
He wore these wonderful...
It's really uncomfortable, darling. I'm
going to take it off. It's uncomfortable.
Well, you should hold your sleeve
when you put the pullover on.
I'm trying to think of it.
What was his name? I don't know.
I have no idea.
Course I know.
I know his name. I know it very well.
Nathan Milstein, that's right. Yeah.
I remember you were crying when he died.
And he wore all these exquisite
sweater cashmere things and all.
And they thought he'd be young
forever and there for ever and ever.
Nathan Milstein,
you remember Nathan Milstein?
Now do you remember? So you're
not junked through Dr. Germine's son.
The father wanted the whole world to know
his son was a Jew. Charming, wasn't he?
So I don't know what... It's true.
Don't talk about that. That's nonsense.
There you are, now
isn't that nice and cozy?
Look, look. Look how wet it is.
[David] Just get some fresh air...
I have to drink that. You want some?
I don't need much. But I'm a big drinker.
[newscasters talking]
It's good cream. Sort of cream cream.
Creme de la creme. Do you want some?
[mumming while playing]
-What's this, what's this?
-This is milk.
-And what's this one here?
-And cream.
Oh, that's cream! Is that cream?
Can I see it?
Can I have a little just under the piano?
Under the piano?
-Oh, that's all right. That's all right.
-You think that'd work out?
-With one cup.
-Okay.
And this is Assam.
-Assam. But that's, that's a--
-Oh, Darjeeling!
Oh, Darjeeling!
Can you make me a pot of tea?
Yes, you'd like some Darjeeling tea?
With caffeine.
Could you do it with caffeine?
Are you not awake enough?
[mystic music playing]
-What's in here?
-Oh this is... [speaking indistinctly]
-Can I see? What's a rumple...
-Yes you can.
Is it an attic?
Can I see? Oh nothing much.
Odd sorts of things.
-Oh, there's the way downstairs.
-That's the way down.
Okay, well, don't fall now. Don't fall.
[whispering] That's very
nice Schlagsahne.
[Gillian] David,
we'll be making tracks now.
[Gillian] Oh darling, you shouldn't
be really drinking a pint of cream.
[David playing the piano]
[David muttering]
Cosima, can I have...
The pencils. Yes, I'll get the pencils.
You've got a big bottle
of Coke in the car, David.
-That's true. But if I asked nicely...
-No...
Go on. Let me. Go on. Be a sport. Go on.
If I ask... No, I just want to look at it.
It's just extra in case of rainy days.
Look, nice and sunny now, darling.
Go on, let me have another.
Oh well, I know.
Well, Salomon does especially.
It's too hot for a woolly, isn't it?
No, I don't want the woolly.
Would you like it around your shoulder?
-No.
-[David laughing loudly]
Go on, darling. I can always argue,
if they say yes, then it's all right.
No, don't worry.
I just want to look at it a bit longer.
Go on. Let me, let me.
It's all right. No, it's really nice.
I tell you what.
-No, negotiating.
-Oh, go on. Be a sport.
No, I don't want this woolly
on my shoulders, darling.
[Gillian] All right...
Oh, go on. Let me have the Coke, darling.
Very spoiled.
[plays a few keys]
Quick, darling.
Here's the woolly. Here's the woolly.
It's a confirmation?
-Yes, of course. I-I...
-Of course, of course.
Oh, you're the confirmation.
Are you the brother?
-No, no, a friend.
-Friend.
A friend. A good friend. You need good...
Hello. Hello. How are you?
Hello. Very nice.
Confirmation, confirmation.
Just like a baby. Hello.
Just like a baby. Is that the father?
How are you? I'm David.
Water, water! Hello.
Who's this? Midgie. Hello.
Etienne. French! You're French?
My mother's French.
That's good, the best of all. Very nice.
Thank you. Merci. You're the father.
-State of mind.
-... are very closed up.
-State of mind. Mind set.
-Yes. Um...
-It's a state of mind. A mindset.
-Certainly, this would apply.
-Did I behave?
-Even...
-Well, hopefully. You have to open up.
-It's closed up in many ways.
[Gillian] But do you know as you
get to warmer climates,
it's easier to be friendlier.
You just spend more time outdoors.
Where you're living in colder climates,
people are more self contained.
But then, when you look in history,
hardly any great artists
have come out of the trop.
No, no. That's true.
[Gillian] This is a very charming place.
Keep smiling!
[Speaking in German] Four beats before 41.
Bassoons and clarinets,
hold the half note longer, yes?
That was a bit too fast to 2.
You've got to laugh. You've got to laugh.
[conductor] More vivo after 27. One, two,
three, four, five, six,
the seventh beat after 27.
Yes, forte, forte. Yes.
Go for it. I'll begin.
[orchestra starts playing]
Yes. All right. Good.
Thank you very much.
[applause]
Good luck. Good luck.
One, two, three... One, two, three...
One, two, three... One, two, three...
Again.
[applause]
[soft music playing]
Enjoy. Enjoy.
[Speaking in German] Enjoy it, enjoy
the moment. It's really great.
We all know that, but he practices it
and always reminds us all
that we should do that with him too.
We're really very fortunate.
When playing with
the ensemble of the orchestra
he sometimes gets distracted
with his enthusiasm,
because he's so happy the flute's
playing with him, or the horn or celli,
and at times it makes you wonder
what will happen next.
As the conductor,
you need to keep an overview,
but that's what gives the special,
improvisational character
to the performance.
It's underpinned by great piano playing.
It doesn't have the hallmarks of
perfection, but of primeval musicality,
of drive, of reverie,
and of great extremes.
That's how music should be.
Not one tempo from start to finish,
but a playfulness with the
various characteristics of the music.
And it's so full of that,
you have to concentrate when listening.
It's not just "okay, here we go," as one
might think with Rachmaninoff's music.
It's very intoxicating music,
very sonorous, rousing music.
At the same time this music has,
in the good sense, a show effect.
It really does. It was the age of
George Gershwin, Rachmaninoff,
Leopold Stokowski, Philadelphia Sound.
To an extent they were dandies,
who played and composed it,
and they knew how to live life.
And David exudes all that
in his own way, with his joy and his
jazz-man mode
in which he plays this music.
That's incredibly moving for me.
[soft piano music playing]
-[David] What is it?
-It's broken.
-Oh, is it? Just there. Oh, what a shame.
-Yeah.
What a pity. It is a pity. Well, we can
repair... Most things can be repaired.
-What? Oh, there is a bit of a damage.
-Yeah, damage.
This happened to you?
I did. I broke my finger
-in the swimming pool.
-You broke it?
But then we flew right back
to Australia and they fixed it.
-They fixed it? And now you can play?
-[David] They fixed it.
And now I can play again. It's a miracle.
I know, the nightmare's over.
I can play now.
Traveling with David is fine, as long as
you're moving the whole time.
I mean I'd love to get out
and wander around a bit.
He's fine as long as the car is moving.
-[David] The car, that's right...
-And if you keep coming to traffic lights.
He even complains about
stopping at a stop light.
-We wont be long David.
-Oh, good.
And if you don't complain.
You'll get me a reward.
don't know why I have
to reward you for just...
behaving nicely.
[soft music]
[David] I can't entertain
myself for hours.
Hello, I'm David. That's very nice.
[Gillian] David, put them back.
Now don't touch anything, darling.
Thank you very much. I'm David.
[Gillian] David, get out
of the way, darling.
[David] I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[Gillian] You should have
stayed in the car.
[David] I know, but it's boring.
Oh, can I? Can I, darling? Yes.
[indistinct conversation]
Oh, that was terribly nice.
I don't know. What is it?
It's all this red stuff. A lot. I know.
-[Gillian] Open the door for me darling.
-Which door? Oh, this door!
Just what we want is more
things, shopping.
-Can I--
-No just get in the car.
The joys of shopping with Helfgott.
Darling, why do we have to wait
and sit around waiting for so long?
[David] Oh, there's one more present.
Thank you, darling.
Because-- all right then, I wont
do you any shopping.
Can you buy me a Coke?
Did you buy me a Coke?
No, I didn't today, we'll get
you one tomorrow.
I'll get you a bigger
bottle tomorrow, okay?
Four, five, that'll do.
That's fair enough.
Just one. Three cups, that'll do.
Well, it'll have to do. Shoo, shoo.
You want some? Want some?
What is it?
-It's a sort of concentrate.
-Vegemite.
Have you heard of that?
Yes, it's an Australian--
That's right. All the way from Australia.
That's what I got for my birthday.
A tube of Vegemite.
Have some. It's vitamin B.
You've got to have vitamin B.
You like it? The Prime Minister likes it,
but the President doesn't,
but the Prime Minister does.
[David] Who wants this tea?
[Gillian] I think his childhood was taken
up almost entirely with playing the piano.
He was at school of course, but...
every afternoon after school
he was practicing.
And so his whole life
was devoted to the piano.
Now, this wasn't sad for him.
He loved it.
But as he got older he realized that he
never had a normal childhood.
And I think this would probably apply
to practically every child prodigy.
You've got your tea?
Have you got your tea?
I think we have.
Have you enough?
You have enough! Oh, good. You can share.
You have enough. Right.
The world should be enough.
They were five children,
and on just an average
wage that is a struggle.
The fact that the father bought the piano
when they really didn't
have any furniture,
I think is something one
has to admire greatly,
that he had the courage
to go and spend the money,
on the piano.
And, without him doing that, David
wouldn't be the pianist he is today.
[Gillian] Things started to go wrong
for David when he was 15.
Issac Stern... a famous violinist,
recommended that
he should go and study at the
Curtis Institute in America.
And... he was accepted... to go,
and his father wouldn't allow him to go.
I can understand this in some ways.
You know, David's parents are Polish.
They lost nearly all their family.
Um, in the '40's.
And he was, perhaps,
overprotective of David.
But he just said, "You're not going."
The father's love was a bit conditional,
not just... an open hearted love.
And this is tragic, it left
a terrible scar on David.
When I first met David, he would
talk about the pain of his father...
to me every night.
So from 1984...
to 1996...
I really had Peter Helfgott with me...
a great deal in conversation,
but then when Shine came out.
It gave David a new sense of selfhood.
In 1986,
we were doing the first Australian tour.
And evidently Scott Hicks had
read the publicity about...
this Helfgott, the child prodigy.
All these years in institutions,
coming back into the
professional world of...
concert pianists.
David at that stage, ambled out
onto the stage,
and then he sat down, and when
his fingers touched the piano,
there was this transformation,
then it was David the pianist.
And Scott Hicks was absolutely
intrigued by this.
And straight after the performance,
he came
to see us back stage and said,
"Oh Gillian, I'd love to make
a feature film of David's life."
Thankful. Gillian said you've got to...
Be grateful. Just be grateful.
Because if you're thankful, you're happy.
If you're grateful, it makes you happy
if you're thankful
for everything that's done for you.
We were just a twinkle
in Dad and Mum's eyes, weren't we?
But Gillian remembers a lot,
because she was born in 1931,
but she was in Australia.
Took him ten years from
the time he asked us.
He said it wasn't going over really well.
And then he went to Hollywood.
And he met one of the big,
Hollywood producers there.
They loved the script and said, "Yes,
you can have all the money
that you want, but...
you can't have Geoffrey Rush.
We'll have Tom Cruise
or someone like that."
He just had buckets
of money put in front of him.
And he said, "No, if you
don't have Geoffrey,
you don't have the film."
And, I don't know if you remember
the Academy Awards, when
Geoffrey got the Oscar.
And he held it up and said,
"And for those who had no faith in me..."
And then David played a slightly erratic
Flight of the Bumblebee out on the stage,
which just about brought the theater down.
Not many people have an experience
like that in their life and...
I felt amazingly grateful and...
bursting with joy,
and looking at gorgeous David out there,
smiling and on top of the world.
Are you going to come back here?
Do you want to come or not?
You want me to come there?
Yes, do you want to come here, darling?
Here, come when I play.
Trust. Have trust. If you only have trust.
-Can you be all happy all the time or not?
-No.
I don't. I definitely don't.
-No one, is that... just a film role.
-I think happiness is just for the moment.
-Just for the moment. Be in the moment.
-I think you can't keep it forever.
No, you can't keep it forever.
That's true.
I wouldn't call it happiness.
-What can you do?
-But you can maybe keep...
-For a while. Keep hold... Inner peace!
-Inner peace?
-Peace of mind, peace of mind. Yes.
-I think this is something long-lasting.
That's heaven on earth, is peace of mind.
Heaven on earth is peace of mind.
For the moment.
What can you do? It's all relative.
Everything in degree, or in perspective.
There's always something worse,
someone worse off than yourself.
So keep that in mind.
[music on TV]
[piano in the background]
[music slowly subsides]
[birds chirping]
[laughter]
[Rolf] Good to see you.
Nice to meet you.
-My good friend.
-Good to see you.
Yeah, welcome.
David is already looking for tea.
[Gillian] Oh, is he terrible?
-[Gillian] Did he say hello?
-[Rolf] Yes, yes, totally.
Oh, it sure is a nice cup. All very nice.
Darling, look at all that. All very nice.
Very important, isn't it?
Oh, don't be silly, my sensible.
[David] That's all there is,
that's all there is.
What nice, sunny weather, isn't it?
Yes, all very nice.
[Speaking in German]
Personally, as a human,
I've never been interested in viewing
David Helfgott in professional terms.
I've never had any interest
in thinking about...
which diagnosis one might make.
Once, though, when he was
visiting us in Heidelberg,
I invited fifteen psychiatrists
to my apartment
while David and Gillian were there.
We sat in a circle, and David
quite willingly talked about himself
and answered everyone's questions,
and no one tried
to formulate a psychiatric diagnosis.
The world needs...
outsiders. The world needs people
who don't tick to the same beat,
who are more original,
who think less reverently,
and who simply don't stick
to the norms and rules as much.
Oh, what's that? That's nice.
Oh, very nice.
Oh, have a look what I found.
It's a nice one.
Can I put it in my back pocket?
It's a nice one. Nice one.
-That's right...
-We are going to marry.
Oh, are you?
You mean you're not married yet!
-Not yet.
-With Dorthe.
-Yes, yes, yes...
-You have seen my former wife?
Few months ago.
-When you were here the first time.
-Yes, yes.
Yes, and where is Dorthe?
Dorthe is-- we are separated,
we are divorced.
It's all planned, it's all planned.
Arranged, arranged marriage, yes.
-And now, and now... I'm free.
-Oh, you're free! You're free!
But you're free anyway. You're free.
I love her, I love her, yeah, I love...
It's all planned. It's all planned.
She's very nice.
Yes she is.
[Rolf laughing]
[birds chirping]
[Rolf playing soft piano music]
That's what Pam Shriver says, "Get over
it. Rise above it, rise above it."
No, I don't misbehave.
Don't behave like that.
It's not fair, darling. It's not fair.
Well, we do whatever. We do what we can.
The pizza's ready.
[continues muttering]
Do no harm. As long as you're
not doing any harm...
[David] They can trick you into doing it.
There is trickery.
The world's full of trickery.
Change your attitude, trick you into doing
something different, trick you into it.
By playing games.
See if we can do something a bit...
-That was nice, did you know that?
-Oh, that was for you.
Oh, nice. For a change.
You've got to be kind.
-That was for me? Very nice.
-Right, I'll get the pizza then.
Now I go bring the pizza, all right?
-Happy, be happy. Keep smiling.
-[Rolf] Keep smiling.
[music playing]
[David] A big crescendo.
It's not... I'm not starting there.
-It's you.
-It's me, it's me.
-You have to know the orchestra a bit.
-Yeah?
-Otherwise...
-Look at the tempo of the...
-Fortissimo, fortissimo!
-Yes, it is.
I love it fast. I love it fast.
-Very precise.
-Precise, precise.
Together. The miracle is
we all ended up together.
Look, standing ovation,
-Standing ovation... Just one...
-After just one second.
And after 20 seconds, the whole...
-The whole... Yes, yes.
-concert hall stands,
-The whole hall stands...
-you know, that's very fast.
Very new, very new.
[speaking in German] Hello, gentlemen!
We want to re-tune the piano.
So we'd like to ask for
a little quiet please. Right, thanks.
Thank you.
[speaking in German] This wonderful
closeness to him is a delightful moment.
When he hugs someone,
it's like a child hugging its father,
or a child being grateful for a present
and expressing that gratitude in a hug.
It's something incredibly heartfelt
and humanly touching.
It's like that from the first moment.
That was my first impression.
David doesn't think in categories.
David is human and David is positive,
cheerful, and sees the good in everything.
And the great fortune he now has,
after the hardship he's been through,
is the joy in playing and in living,
and that rubs off
on everyone in the concert hall.
[applause]
[playing piano]
[music continues]
[piano playing in the background]
You've got a house there,
have you, Walter?
-Yes.
-Must cost a fortune.
-No.
-Oh, it doesn't cost that much.
In Manaus?
Oh, in the jungle.
-Well, there isn't money, thank the money.
-[Walter] It's funny.
[Walter] But you have
no connection to money.
I don't have to worry about money,
that's true.
But in a way...
Well, I don't worry about money.
[Walter] As long as they have Coke
and tea you're fine.
That's right.
[Walter] You have the piano for that.
And the TV and the radio, yes.
That's right.
[piano music continues softly]
Hello, David, you can hear yourself, man?
[David] Oh, if I say something,
yes. It's funny. Hello. Hello.
Where is everyone? Hello.
Hello. It's all planned. Technology.
Hello, David.
Hello, darling.
How are you? Fine. Say fine.
Nils is coming all the way from Denmark.
Come on, come on...
Move on, move on. You're dancing for me.
Dance a tango or something.
You've got to dance or something.
You've got to laugh, haven't you?
-The tango, well...
-It's very pointedly and you swerve.
You sort of put that like that, and
you sort of very pointedly... Like that.
I danced the tango with Dr. Dad too,
and Dr. John.
But it's sort of dancing.
It's good to dance, isn't it?
Hello, gorgeous, come on.
Carry these for me.
Don't be selfish.
-Oh, pizza! Oh!
-Thanks darling.
These must have cost a lot. Oh!
Oh well, actually, perhaps you can
put them on the table.
Yes, yes.
Good idea.
Here's a present for you.
Oh, a radio!
It's a radio.
-Do you know how it works?
-Yes.
You just take the lid of it.
-And look what color it is.
-It's red. The same as this.
-Oh, very nice.
-There are batteries.
[David] Ohh...
[Gillian] And you can put it onto classic.
Very nice. Very compact.
It's a very nice radio.
[Gillian] Yes.
Yes, I'm very pleased. And your
promise was true. Lovely radio anyway.
[birds chirping]
David is just naturally,
has a spiritual connection with life.
And, uh...
In some ways he's just teaching
himself the oneness of... all.
But he's not easy to just
sit him down and have a...
heart to heart discussion.
Hard to keep him in one place.
Two years ago-- We live in the country.
And there were
three horses in the paddock
next to us and,
one of them had been very badly treated
and no one could get near it,
couldn't put a saddle on it,
ride it in anyway.
And David went out every
morning and just gently
talk to them. And the horses
were many meters away.
And over the weeks,
the horse came closer and closer
until David was feeding it carrots,
and the woman who owned the horse
said this has been almost like a miracle.
David's gentleness and love
that he expressed,
just calmed the horse, so he was
bit like a horse whisperer.
[David playing the piano]
Oh, David, you can't play.
[David stops playing]
Jeepers.
Go down the back, darling.
David, no-- go dow--
[Cosima] I just made you clothes.
[Cosima] Or maybe, David, what
do you feel about...
[Cosima] Is it? I think it's fine
if you close the door.
Well, turn the sound right down.
[inaudible chatter]
[David continues playing the piano]
[Gillian] David...
Well, go and have another bath.
[exasperated sigh]
Thank goodness for the bath.
Those, yes.
Tea bags and baths.
Can you believe this?
The first years were more challenging
for us, David's health was...
nowhere near as good as it is now.
But, uh, as he has developed,
I think my love for him
has matured and grown.
And, everyday when he--
I look at him, my heart sings.
[speaks under her breath]
[speaking indistinctly]
Didn't you like the nice
words I just said?
[imitating] Yeah, but too bad
I can't play the piano.
We won't be much longer,
patience is a virtue darling.
[soft background music]
[Gillian] Look David.
[David] Yes, darling?
[Gillian] See your photo?
Yes, coming, darling. What?
Come and have a look,
just leave that alone, darling.
How about this?
Yes, very nice.
Walter, can you tran... Can you read this?
You're playing tomorrow in Leipzig.
"Morgen" is tomorrow.
Rach's third.
Darling, can I go to peepeeland here?
[Gillian] Oh David!
Go on, read it.
Can I go to the bathroom here? Can I?
-Am I allowed to go to the bathroom?
-Pepeland.
It's in there.
David, we'll only been gone a few minutes.
I'm going down to the shop
to buy you some Coke.
And then we're just having a quick--
Oh look, only one shoe.
Well, this one's... Yeah, well...
-One shoe off and one shoe on.
-Now, wait a minute, I've got to
take the key. They always were.
I can't hear a thing.
I wonder how this works.
I wonder how that works.
[music comes on radio]
Ah, now it works.
It's all planned.
Look at that, that's from Australia.
Here they are saying...
[speaking German]
- Schnell, quick.
-That you're thinking very fast.
Very very fast.
And then they're wondering if you
by the age of 65 if you are thinking
maybe of getting retired.
And what are you saying?
What do you think?
Oh, what do I think?
[speaking in foreign language]
What does that mean? Never, never?
Ah, never, never, never.
[music continues]
[cheers and applause]
[soft piano music in the background]
Hard work, hard work, hard work.
99 percent perspiration,
and 1 percent inspiration.
[inaudible chatter]
It is risky, but life is risky,
and music's part of life
and music's risky.