Switzerland,
2006, 120 min
Shown in 2007
CREDITS
- dir
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Fredi M. Murer
- prod
-
Christian Davi, Christof Neracher, Fredi M. Murer
- scr
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Peter Luisi, Fredi M. Murer, Lukas B. Suter
- cam
-
Pio Corradi
- editor
-
Myriam Flury
- mus
-
Mario Beretta
- cast
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Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker, Bruno Ganz
- source
-
Sony Pictures Classics, 550 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022. FAX: 212-833-8844. EMAIL: info@spe.sony.com.
-
COMMENTS
Fredi M. Murer attended.
OTHER
Vitus is a boy genius. At the age of six, he reads encyclopedias and solves amortization problems in his head. By 12, he grasps complex concepts better than most adults ever do. Vitus also is a child prodigy at the piano, and his musical talent is the source of tension between the boy and his parents, especially his mother, who is compelled to force him to nurture his gift. But Vitus just wants to be a normal boy. He manages to escape the daily pressures placed on him by his parents by spending time with his loving, eccentric grandfather. Veteran actor Bruno Ganz imperceptibly steps into old age in a nimble performance as the capricious grandpapa full of affection and compassion—and lots of sage advice wrapped in riddles—for his grandson. As the 12-year-old Vitus, newcomer Teo Gheorghiu is a true natural on the screen, easily conveying the delicate mix of innocence and maturity endemic to being a boy genius. It helps that Gheorghiu is a child prodigy himself; those are his small hands that flit over the piano keys during Vitus’ virtuoso performances in the film. This miracle of dexterity helps give credence to amusing developments, as when Vitus expertly manipulates the stock market to his family’s advantage. Fredi M. Murer’s upbeat film about an exceptional boy who learns to find his own way in life is an admonitory tale for average folk as well, reminding us that the possibilities of life are endless, if only we can learn to let go of what keeps us from them.
—Beverly Berning
FACTOID #191
The first screenwriter to receive a Festival tribute was Truman Capote in 1974. At the tribute he confessed that, in his opinion, Audrey Hepburn was too chic for the role of Holly Golightly. He would have preferred the then unknown Tammy Grimes for the role.
