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Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
Tel: 610/779-8226
Fax: 610/370-1978
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Mozartballs
An off-beat anniversary tribute to Mozart through some Mozart-loving eccentrics.
54 minutes
DVD-R version available
Color / Stereo
Grade Level: 10 -12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 2006
Copyright Date: 2006
ISBN (VHS): 1-59458-384-6
ISBN (DVD): 1-59458-385-4
Directed by Larry Weinstein
Produced by Jessica Daniel and Larry Weinstein
Written by Thomas Wallner
Cinematography by John Minh Tran
A Rhombus Media Production
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"Alive and sprightly like a Mozart seduction." Victoria International Film & Video Festival Program
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MOZARTBALLS is a light-hearted tribute to Mozart and explores what he symbolizes in our age. It is the antidote to the many "serious" programs produced for the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth.
It features curious characters that embody the spirit of Mozart -- from a retired Swiss school teacher obsessed by all things Mozart, to an ex-pop musician in Oklahoma who believes that her body is actually inhabited by Mozart's spirit; from a computer genius in California whose software has created a new Mozart cello concerto in less than one second, to a piano-playing Austrian astronaut who carried a score of "The Magic Flute" and delicious chocolate Mozartkugeln into space.
Disparate elements come together as the narrative unfolds. The soundtrack features an ever-present weave of Mozartian musical motifs.
The DVD version of this program is recorded on DVD-R which is not compatible with some older DVD players. See the new DVD page for more details.
Awards:
Best Arts/Culture Documentary, Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival
Opening Night Film, Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival
FIFA, International Festival of Films on Art, Montreal
Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival, Tel Aviv
Reviews:
"Finding the humanity and joy of existence in the most unique of society's characters, Weinstein doesn't reveal too much of his characters all at once. He waits to complete his themes until just the right moment. Alive and sprightly like a Mozart seduction Weinstein lets the viewer dabble here and there as the notes fill the page leading us from one eccentric character to another. Each character we meet seems to represent a facet of Mozart - his love of mathematical equations, his passion for the world, his interest in pure sound, his fraught life - it all plays out through their lives.
As the accompanying music washes over the viewer the most compelling moment will come when you realize that through his music Mozart continues to give inspiration and not only to this unique cast." Victoria International Film & Video Festival Program
"[Mozartballs] emerges as a hilarious and educational look at how Mozart is still a popular icon 200 years after his death...an exquisitely rendered documentary, delightfully explores what fuels the Mozart obsession." ReelTalk
"Superb...an 'antidote' to 'serious' celebrations of Mozart (who needs such a thing? Any sincere commemoration of Mozart would have to be fundementally joyous)." Bonnie Jo Dopp, Performing Arts Library, University of Maryland, Educational Media Reviews Online
"Cheerfully buoyant...Transcending time and place, the film is as seductively sweet as the extraordinary Austrian chocolates that bear his name...delightful." Booklist
"A whimsical snapshot of human obsession...An intriguing addition to collections supporting psychology or cultural anthropology." School Library Journal
"Perhaps the most avidly enjoyable of Toronto director Larry Weinstein's many films...juxtaposed and interwoven in an appropriately symphonic fashion to create an operetta of nuttiness." Eye Weekly
Related Subjects:
Anthropology
Anthropology
Europe
History
Humor
Music
Performing Arts
Sociology
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Ravel's Brain: Evokes and explores Ravel's illness-plagued final years, when he was able to produce music but couldn't write it down.
The War Symphonies: Shostakovich's musical counter-attack on Stalin's bloody purges.
Shadows and Light: An intimate portrait of the remarkable Spanish composer, Rodrigo.
My War Years: Portrait of the 20th century's most influential composer.
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