December 23, 2023
Leonard Bernstein was the first American-born conductor of an American orchestra, the first American conductor to receive international fame. For most people nowadays, his name is remembered for the operas he ahs composed (like "Candide") and Broadway musicals ("West Side Story") he has composed. This biographical film dealt with Bernstein's tempestuous relationship with his one and only wife, actress Felicia.
From an introductory segment with Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) at 70 years old being interviewed, the film shifted to black-and-white mode to 1943, when 25-year old Lenny Bernstein was called to substitute for Bruno Walter to conduct the New York City Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, an auspicious debut which was met with immediate acclaim. He was then living with a clarinet-player named David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer).
At one party with his sister Shirley (Sarah Silverman), Lenny met aspiring actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan) who came from Chile to New York City to study piano and acting. After hitting it off great that night, the two of them became a couple as both their careers were taking off very nicely. They got married and had three children together and had a happy family life, until Lenny's alternate lifestyle got into the way.
Lovers of classical music and show tunes will love the musical score, which is credited to Leonard Bernstein himself. Cooper incorporated excerpts of various memorable Bernstein works, among them: "I Get Carried Away," "New York, New York" from "On the Town," the "Prologue" from "West Side Story," the grand "Overture" from "Candide," and the utterly sublime "Secret Songs" from "Mass." Cooper also made sure we saw his piano playing.
The acting performances of Cooper and Mulligan were impeccable. Their scenes together were magnetizing, from that sweet first night on the stage of an empty auditorium, to that amazing sequence from a garden party to the stage of "On the Town" to an intimate cuddle in bed, to that intense argument as Thanksgiving Day as the parade was passing by. Oscar nominations for acting are definitely in the cards for both of them.
Bradley Cooper was not only lead star, but also director, producer (together with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg), and co-writer (with Josh Singer, Oscar-winning writer of "Spotlight"). In only his second feature film after "A Star is Born" (2019), Cooper displayed remarkable artistic growth in his directorial style. Together with cinematographer Matthew Libatique and editor Michelle Tesoro (Fil-Ams both!), his scene transitions were seamlessly poetic. 8/10
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