Product Details

• Actors: Svyatoslav Richter
• Directors: Bruno Monsaingeon
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nvc Arts
• VHS Release Date: February 2, 1999
• Run Time: 158 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000I7PQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,459 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable film about a great pianist, January 21, 2001

By 

Ed Ting (Amherst, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richter, the Enigma [VHS] (VHS Tape)

By now most of you have heard about the famous ending of this remarkable film, in which a frail, gaunt, 80 year old Sviatoslav Richter looks into the camera and declares "I do not like myself. That's it." What's stunning about this statement is that it seems to come out of left field. Richter talks to the unobtrusive interviewer about his life, jokes around, discusses performances, talks about his contemporaries. These are intercut with videos of his unparalleled piano playing over the years. Everything seems fine.

Then, -boom- the admission. "I do not like myself." The film is silent for a minute or two afterwards, as the slow movement of Schubert's D960 sonata plays in the background. His eyes take on a blank expression. Richter puts his head in his hands. This is heartbreaking to watch. Then the film ends.

This 2.5 hour documentary was originally produced in two 75 minute parts in France. The two halves have been joined together (end credits roll after the first section) in an inelegant fashion, which disrupts the viewing experience a bit. But you won't care.

This is the most remarkable film about music I've seen about music in a long time. Along with those Famous Last Words, there are a number of great moments in this movie. Like Benjamin Britten, barely able to contain his glee form playing Mozart's Sonata #10 in a duet with Richter (Britten's smile at the end of the performance is almost worth the price of admission in itself.) Or seeing Glenn Gould's nutty analysis of Richter's playing. Or of the numerous contradictions in opinion the film loves to place side by side. Or hearing the harrowing story about his father's death.

There are other admissions as well. Haydn was preferred to Mozart. His favorite Schubert sonata was D 894 in G. He hated planning and would just as soon announce a concert a day or two in advance. He had no need for material wealth or common creature comforts (many artists *say* this, but how many of them would sleep happily underneath their teacher's piano night after night?)

This film had one curious side effect on me. Whenever I see a film or video about piano playing, it makes me practice my own playing a little more. Heck, even the recent silly Jim Brickman special on PBS got me to sit down a few extra hours. But after watching this film, which shows one towering, titanic performance after another, I could not bear to even look at my piano for several days.

I mean, after hearing Richter play, what was the point?

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece: An Inspired Portrait of Sviatoslav Richter, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Richter, the Enigma [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I would give this video more stars if I could--it is a truly astounding document for all. It is narrated by Richter himself as he talks about his life, performances, and experiences. Mosaingeon cleverly and artfully interweaves the narrative with rare home and archive footage, and many archive performances which are bound to leave the senses reeling! Included among other clips are Richter conducting in 1952, a Soviet propoganda film from the 50s showing Richter playing Chopin to dazzled television audiences, Richter playing in Warsaw with a funny cap on his head, etc etc etc. I felt dizzy with inspiration after watching this film. The 2.5+ hours are a steal at the price. Not just for Richter or music lovers but anyone....I have seen that even in public places this video has drawn quite a crowd which was understandably amazed. This just might be the video that will change your definition of "documentary." Jam-packed with substance!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enigma Indeed, March 26, 1999

By 

Lon Thompson ([e-mail]) (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richter, the Enigma [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an overwhelming experience. A fascinating portrait of one of the great artists of our time, it is beautifully crafted and is at turns poignant, witty, astonishing, and frustrating. If you love the piano, if you love music, if you admire Richter's recordings, then you must see this summary of his life. More importantly, if you have always been curious about his musical tastes and his personality, if you wanted to know more about him, hear his voice and look into his eyes, if you've always wondered what it is that separates a great artist from the legions of talented "performers", then this film is a revelation. Not because it provides an answer to those questions. It does not. It provides the converse. Just as Richter despised superfluous analysis, this film depicts how ultimately futile it is for us to attempt to understand the myriad influences and events that conspire to create an artistic genius of this proportion. We can no more understand Richter than we can understand a Mozart or a DaVinci or a Michelangelo. And the film makes it painfully clear that Richter himself, like many great artists, could not understand his gift. Unfortunately, due in large part to his perfectionism and self-criticism, his talent was both a gift and a curse. One has to wonder if he was ever truly happy, or if he understood the joy that his music brought to other people. Enigma indeed! Let us all simply be thankful that occasionally, through divine intervention or through random circumstances, the world is blessed with a human being of such complex beauty and individuality that analysis becomes irrelevant. They are simply a gift to humanity. Such was Richter.