Chopin: Desire for Love
Encyclopedia
Chopin: Desire for Love is a film created by director Jerzy Antczak
based on the life story of the famous Polish
pianist and composer Fryderyk Chopin
.
The plot covers the affair between Chopin and feminist writer George Sand
. Chopin's music is integral to the film - with pianist Janusz Olejniczak
playing more than 77 compositions.
Two versions of the film were shot - in Polish and English, with British actors later lip-syncing the dialogue.
Director Antczak spent 25 years writing the screenplay and six years raising the budget for the film.
The film was screened at Houston Film Festival in 2003 and won the Gold Award for Best Cinematography and the Platinum Award for Best Drama.
, Chopin's father urges him to leave for Paris, which Fryderyk does. Once in Paris he meets novelist George Sand
, who has just split from her violent lover Mallefille
. Although he is immediately drawn to Sand, he initially refuses her advances. However, after several months, their mutual friend Albert urges Chopin to get to know George better and a passionate romance starts to build. During their affair, Chopin is diagnosed with tuberculosis
and has to cope with a declining health. The relationship is further complicated by George's two children: Maurice and Solange. While Maurice's near-hysterical hatred of Chopin leads from one escalation to the other, Solange develops an obsessive love for Chopin which leads to a rivalry between Solange and her mother. After several years of constant fighting between Chopin, George, Maurice and Solange, the relationship ends and Chopin calls for one of his sisters to help him get through the last days of his life.
Jerzy Antczak
Jerzy Antczak is a Polish film director. His film Nights and Days was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival....
based on the life story of the famous Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
pianist and composer Fryderyk Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
.
The plot covers the affair between Chopin and feminist writer George Sand
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
. Chopin's music is integral to the film - with pianist Janusz Olejniczak
Janusz Olejniczak
Janusz Olejniczak is a Polish classical pianist and actor.Olejniczak's piano teachers were Ryszard Bakst and Zbigniew Drzewiecki. In 1970 he won 6th place in the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, and two years later he placed in the Alfredo Casella Piano Competition in...
playing more than 77 compositions.
Two versions of the film were shot - in Polish and English, with British actors later lip-syncing the dialogue.
Director Antczak spent 25 years writing the screenplay and six years raising the budget for the film.
The film was screened at Houston Film Festival in 2003 and won the Gold Award for Best Cinematography and the Platinum Award for Best Drama.
Plot
The film starts when Fryderyk Chopin is still a young man living with his parents and his two sisters in Warsaw where he frequently plays the piano and composes music for the decidedly unmusical Grand Duke Constantine. Shortly before the November UprisingNovember Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
, Chopin's father urges him to leave for Paris, which Fryderyk does. Once in Paris he meets novelist George Sand
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
, who has just split from her violent lover Mallefille
Jean Pierre Félicien Mallefille
Jean Pierre Félicien Mallefille was a French novelist and playwright.Mallefille was born in Mauritius. He wrote a number of plays, including Glenarvon , Les sept enfants de Lara , Le cœur et la dot , and Les sceptiques , as well as two comedies, and two novels, Le collier and La confession du...
. Although he is immediately drawn to Sand, he initially refuses her advances. However, after several months, their mutual friend Albert urges Chopin to get to know George better and a passionate romance starts to build. During their affair, Chopin is diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and has to cope with a declining health. The relationship is further complicated by George's two children: Maurice and Solange. While Maurice's near-hysterical hatred of Chopin leads from one escalation to the other, Solange develops an obsessive love for Chopin which leads to a rivalry between Solange and her mother. After several years of constant fighting between Chopin, George, Maurice and Solange, the relationship ends and Chopin calls for one of his sisters to help him get through the last days of his life.
Cast
- Piotr AdamczykPiotr AdamczykPiotr Adamczyk is a Polish actor.He portrayed Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope John Paul II, in the movie Karol: A Man Who Became Pope and Karol: The Pope, The Man....
as Frédéric ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
: famous Polish composer and pianist. - Danuta StenkaDanuta StenkaDanuta Stenka is a Polish actress.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as George SandGeorge SandAmantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
: French author whose real name was Amandine Lucille Aurore Dudevant-Dupin. - Adam Woronowicz as Maurice Dudevant: Sand's son.
- Bozena Stachura and Sara Müldner as Solange Dudevant: Sand's daughter. Müldner plays the young version of Solange
- Andrzej Zielinski as Albert Grzymala: Chopin's closest friend
- Michal Konarski as Ferenc LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
: famous Hungarian composer and pianist. - Jadwiga BaranskaJadwiga BarańskaJadwiga Barańska is a Polish actress and screenwriter. Jadwiga Barańska is the wife of Polish director Jerzy Antczak and the mother of Mikołaj Antczak, born in 1964.-Selected filmography:* Wraki as Irena...
as Mrs. Justyna Chopin: Chopin's mother - Jerzy ZelnikJerzy ZelnikJerzy Zelnik is a Polish actor. He has appeared in 57 films and television shows since 1963.He was awarded the Badge of Merit in Culture and Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta .-Selected filmography:...
as Mr. Nicolas Chopin: Chopin's father - Agnieszka Sitek as Izabela Chopin: Chopin's sister
- Anna Radwan as Ludwika ChopinLudwika JędrzejewiczLudwika Jędrzejewicz was the eldest sister of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin.- Early years :Ludwika was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1807....
: Chopin's sister - Anna KorczAnna KorczAnna Korcz is a Polish actress.-Filmography:*Ryś*Ja wam pokażę!*Na Wspólnej*Chopin: Desire for Love -References:...
as Baroness Charlotte de RothschildCharlotte de RothschildCharlotte de Rothschild was a French socialite, painter, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France. She was born in Paris, the daughter of Betty von Rothschild and James Mayer de Rothschild . Charlotte de Rothschild was raised by very wealthy parents who were at the center...
: French socialite and art patron. - Janusz GajosJanusz GajosJanusz Gajos is a Polish actor.He graduated in 1965 from the National Film School in Łódź as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams for three times. He debuted while he was still in film school in children's film Panienka z okienka in 1964...
as Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich RomanovGrand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of RussiaConstantine Pavlovich was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I. He was the Tsesarevich of Russia throughout the reign of his elder brother Alexander I, but had secretly renounced his claim to the throne in 1823...
: Polish Grand Duke of Russian ancestry who frequently called upon Chopin. - Maria Gladkowska as Grand Duchess Juliane: Grand Duke Constantine's wife.
- Jacek Rozenek as Jean Pierre Félicien MallefilleJean Pierre Félicien MallefilleJean Pierre Félicien Mallefille was a French novelist and playwright.Mallefille was born in Mauritius. He wrote a number of plays, including Glenarvon , Les sept enfants de Lara , Le cœur et la dot , and Les sceptiques , as well as two comedies, and two novels, Le collier and La confession du...
: George Sand's first lover - Marian OpaniaMarian OpaniaMarian Opania is a Polish film actor. He has appeared in over 50 films since 1965.-Selected filmography:* Pearl in the Crown * Man of Iron * Dreszcze * Chopin: Desire for Love...
as Jan: Chopin's servant
External links
- http://www.chopindesireforlove.com/
- Chopin: Desire for Love IMDB article