Competition, The

This was pretty good actually. I didn't like the ending. It put me off for some reason. Richard Dreyfus is a good actor and handled his character very well. He's a down and out guy who has very little to no support from his struggling family in pursuit of his music genius on the piano. He has entered several competitions and is a serious contender. But he has missed the money reward and scholarships in past competitions, and he REALLY needs a break in order to go to the conservatory. If he can do that, he'll pull himself up and out of the poverty his parents have had to endure. He has talent, but does he have enough? There are some amazing piano players he's up against but he's a formidable competitor and they all know it; none more so than Amy Irving, a brilliant young pianist who comes from a well-to-do family and whose mother (the beautiful, but in this movie, unlikable, Lee Remick) and grandparents were major pianists. The over-bearing mother won't have her be anything BUT a pianist and she has no choice. This pushes Amy further and further away from the piano and the competition. She falls in love with Richard and is rooting for him to win. She wants him to win more than her mother wants her to win. And so goes the movie. The struggle of Richard against a father who wants him to stop "playing around" when he should be out at some two-bit job helping with family finances pitted against a girl who wants to do anything BUT play the piano professionally who is fighting against her domineering mother is the core and heartache of this movie. In the end, Richard, after realizing that Amy may be better than him in the competition, has to deal with that just before going on stage to deliver his composition. I loved the movie but was bummed at the end. Amy Irving is lovely as always, but her acting is wooden and one dimensional. Every movie I've seen her in, I enjoy, but it's just watching Amy with different set designs and wardrobes. Nothing about her ever changes. Even her expression seems to show little emotion. The movie pretty much has to fit HER, rather than her using acting skills to fit the movie. She fits this movie okay---but just okay. She doesn't have the moody or sometimes fiery or colorful personality you expect from musicians. She's pretty flat, borderline boring, in that regard, even when playing her piano pieces dramatically; she just isn't capable of carrying off the intensity to the degree needed and it leaves me unfulfilled. Richard was so great I kept this at 5 stars. I was tempted to knock it down to a 4, maybe even 3, because of Amy, but the story is so good, I want others to watch it.

This older film is one of my favorites and this copy arrived well-done, and played perfectly. As someone who loves classical music it called to me. The two principal actoers showed that they really could play the piano!

Love this movie, good story line and good cast well acted. Especially love seeing San Francisco with the outside of the concert hall being used was the science Academy. Back then it was called Steinhart aquarium

To me it was a great movie. I bought it for the music which is fantastic. This movie is why I got back to listening classical music (not chamber music) Amy Irving & Richard Dryfus were believable

The Competition is certainly not a classic, but if you play piano or even love watching great pianists perform, this is probably the best film ever made about actual piano performance. Richard Dreyfuss (in one of his earlier post-Jaws roles) is in a Van Cliburn type competition pursuing his final chance to make it as a concert performer. This is a very tough field to crack and they generally don't let you compete any more after age 30. He is now 30 so if he doesn't win this time, he can kiss his concert career goodbye and have to settle for teaching in the K-12 circuit the rest of his life. The drama comes not only from his desperation that he must succeed or his career ambitions are over, but his chief competition is a 21 year old kid who is just beginning her career but has loads of promise. He is hugely talented too, but with ten years more time to make him jaded, he is quite the cynic. Of course, they end up falling in love. And that's a problem because they have to be brutal if they're going to beat each other. Which means he's also not a very nice guy. So yes, you might say this sounds a bit melodramatic and it is. I said it's hardly a classic. However, Dreyfuss and Irving, both of whom have piano backgrounds, do some outstanding faking in this film. As a pianist, I love this film and find it well worth watching not only for the gorgeous pieces that are played during the performance segments but for the absolutely wonderful and totally authentic "fake" piano playing that the actors are able to do. From that point of view, completely impressive and one of the best films about piano ever made, even if the script did come out of a gumball machine.

Exceptional film, in regard to script, acting, music (piano playing), romance and real issues in male/female relationships - especially when both genders excel in the same art form or skill. In this case, the two young pianists meet at a national competition - the male is the most competitive and the female the most talented. How can their relationship develop and survive under such circumstances? I loved this film when I first saw it at least 30 years ago and still love it today.......I doubt if it will ever be dated. And there are a few classic scenes (such a the throwing-the-purse in the air later in the film) that are unforgettable. Dreyfuss and Irving are a delight.

Light, easy entertainment. Good for a rainy day. Price has been too high in the past but now reasonable.

Richard Dreyfuss was my favorite actor when I was a young girl. Jaws, Close Encounters, and the Goodbye Girl are all still favorites of mine. As an adult, I would often recall this movie about a piano competition and two rivals who fall in love. I remembered loving the concertos, what beautiful music! I searched and found it on Amazon, and I bought it. The music is still wonderful, of course, but the movie as a whole doesn't seem to live up to my fond memories of it. The next time I'm in the mood to check out Mr. Dreyfuss, I think I will watch Jaws for the millionth time or so, it still being my favorite movie of all time. :)

Ce très joli film n'a pas vieilli du tout et les deux acteurs jouent merveilleusement bien. Je me suis rappelée ce film après avoir vu récemment le film "Du bout des doigts" qui s'en inspire fortement mais qui à mon avis est moins réussi que le film avec R. Dreyfus et A.Irving.

なぜこの作品がほとんどお蔵入り状態なのか不思議で、ずっとDVDを探していました。 その昔、アメリカから個人輸入したVHSが手元にありますが、やはり画質の劣化は否めず。 リチャード・ドレイファスは「未知との遭遇」の主役の個性派の俳優ですが、ピアノを習った経験はなく、この映画のために猛練習をして、手の吹き替えなしで手のアップから引きまで耐える演奏シーンを演じています。 アーミー・エイビングはピアノの素養はあったそうですが、それでもあの激しいプロコフィエフのＰ協を弾く場面は大変だったかと。 演奏はプロが弾いているものですが、それに合わせての演奏の演技、簡単にできるものではありません。そこまでやるか、っていうパフォーマンス。 私はこの映画で、プロコフィエフのピアノ協奏曲に出会いました。

Acquistato negli USA, non ha l'audio italiano e nemmeno i sottotitoli, neppure in inglese. Dietro le quinte di un concorso pianistico tra rivalità, attrazione, aperture di carriera da cogliere al balzo, rapporti tra genitori e figli e tra maestri e allievi, e un pizzico di suspense da guerra fredda: siamo nel 1980, RIchard Dreyfuss e Amy Irving sono giovani belli e bravi, Lee Remick splendida in un ruolo per lei inconsueto e Sam Wannamaker alla sua ultima grande interpretazione, e molti comprimari tutti all'altezza.

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