Mozart's Sister (film)
Encyclopedia
Mozart's Sister is a 2010 French drama film
written and directed by René Féret
and starring two of his daughters. It presents a fictional account of the early life of Maria Anna Mozart
, nicknamed Nannerl, who was the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
and his only sibling to survive infancy.
, a cracked carriage axle forces Leopold Mozart
, his wife Anna
, 14-year old Nannerl and a rambunctious 11-year old Wolfgang to seek shelter in the nearby Abbey of Fontevraud. There Nannerl develops a friendship with 13-year old Princess Louise Marie of France, who is being brought up in the Abbey, along with two of her sisters. This leads to an encounter at Versailles
with her brother, Louis, Dauphin of France. Nannerl, an accomplished harpsichordist and singer who helps support the family as part of a brother - sister act, yearns to compose music and play violin, but her father, Leopold, forbids it. The young, but recently widowed Dauphin takes an interest in her and her music that edges toward romance. But he breaks off the relationship when he becomes engaged to Maria Josepha of Saxony
. Princess Louise enters a convent and urges Nannerl to stay away from the Dauphin who is struggling to avoid the debauchery of his father, King Louis XV
. A bizzare final encounter with the Dauphin and his new wife ensues. Nannerl and Princess Louise reflect on how their fates would have differed had they been born male.
. On Metacritic
, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has 71/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by René Féret
René Féret
René Féret is a French actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. His film Solemn Communion, was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Solemn Communion...
and starring two of his daughters. It presents a fictional account of the early life of Maria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart , nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.-Childhood:...
, nicknamed Nannerl, who was the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and his only sibling to survive infancy.
Plot
During the Mozart family grand tourMozart family grand tour
The Mozart family grand tour was a journey through western Europe, undertaken by Leopold Mozart, his wife Anna Maria, and their musically gifted children Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus from 1763 to 1766. At the start of the tour the children were aged eleven and seven respectively...
, a cracked carriage axle forces Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
, his wife Anna
Anna Maria Mozart
Anna Maria Walburga Mozart was the mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maria Anna Mozart.-Biography:...
, 14-year old Nannerl and a rambunctious 11-year old Wolfgang to seek shelter in the nearby Abbey of Fontevraud. There Nannerl develops a friendship with 13-year old Princess Louise Marie of France, who is being brought up in the Abbey, along with two of her sisters. This leads to an encounter at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
with her brother, Louis, Dauphin of France. Nannerl, an accomplished harpsichordist and singer who helps support the family as part of a brother - sister act, yearns to compose music and play violin, but her father, Leopold, forbids it. The young, but recently widowed Dauphin takes an interest in her and her music that edges toward romance. But he breaks off the relationship when he becomes engaged to Maria Josepha of Saxony
Maria Josepha of Saxony
Maria Josepha of Saxony was Queen consort of Spain as the wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain...
. Princess Louise enters a convent and urges Nannerl to stay away from the Dauphin who is struggling to avoid the debauchery of his father, King Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. A bizzare final encounter with the Dauphin and his new wife ensues. Nannerl and Princess Louise reflect on how their fates would have differed had they been born male.
Cast
- Marie Féret as Nannerl MozartMaria Anna MozartMaria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart , nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.-Childhood:...
- Marc Barbé as Leopold MozartLeopold MozartJohann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
- Delphine Chuillot as Anna Maria MozartAnna Maria MozartAnna Maria Walburga Mozart was the mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maria Anna Mozart.-Biography:...
- David MoreauDavid MoreauDavid Moreau, also known as the Genegineer, is a fictional character, a villain in the Marvel Universe. Working for the island nation of Genosha, he developed a mind control device which made mutant slavery possible.-Fictional character biography:...
as Wolfgang MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music... - Clovis Fouin as Le Dauphin
- Lisa Féret as Louise de France
- Adèle Leprêtre as Victoire de France
Reception
Mozart's Sister received mixed to positive reviews, currently holding a 76% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has 71/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".