Zuzana Ruzikova lived through several Nazi concentration camps, the Communist era in Prague, and being a Jew in one anti-Semitic society after another. "Music Is Life" , filmed before her death in 2017, doesn't show much of her music, let alone much of her life outside the prison camps, until the last 20 minutes. Horrifying as her story is, Nazi concentration camps have become a trope. Unfortunately it takes the majority of the movie. Which gives short shrift to Zuzana's music, her 54 year marriage to composer Viktor Kalabis, and her career.
There is virtually no footage of her playing. When the music is played, it is often undercut by talking heads. Zuzana spends a lot of time staring into space, clearly because she was directed to do so. Her personality shines through, however, when she engages with the people around her. But this is not revealed until the last section. The background music tracks are often mixed so loudly that Zuzana's talking, not helped by her heavy accent, is impossible to understand. A perfect example: we visit (without Zuzana) a harpsichord maker. Her pupil plays the instrument, explaining how it works. That hers is an entirely different, old fashioned model. Then the two men sit in a cafe' and bloviate. Where is Zusana? Finally, the camera returns to her apartment. Bingo! A huge, heavy inlaid harpsichord has pride of place! Oh, wait, no, it's a background shot. Instead, she goes to the piano where her husband composed many of his compositions. What? She has a husband? What was he doing all of this time? He gets sick and dies (we don't find out of what) and she doesn't say much about it, once again leaving it to others to fill in the blanks.
The sound design provides additional cliches' She remembers how Jewish children were not allowed in the Gentile playgrounds. So they played in the cemetery. As she walks through, is it really necessary to have the sound of children playing in the distance? Likewise, it is necessary to have crying babies layered into the sound mix whenever captive women and children are shown? Could we be allowed to see the horrifying footage without being manipulated?
I didn't mean to go off on a rant. This is a pleasant little movie, not terribly original, about a phenomenally talented woman. But if you want to learn about her life, you'd be better off buying some CDs and picking up a biography from your local library.
There is virtually no footage of her playing. When the music is played, it is often undercut by talking heads. Zuzana spends a lot of time staring into space, clearly because she was directed to do so. Her personality shines through, however, when she engages with the people around her. But this is not revealed until the last section. The background music tracks are often mixed so loudly that Zuzana's talking, not helped by her heavy accent, is impossible to understand. A perfect example: we visit (without Zuzana) a harpsichord maker. Her pupil plays the instrument, explaining how it works. That hers is an entirely different, old fashioned model. Then the two men sit in a cafe' and bloviate. Where is Zusana? Finally, the camera returns to her apartment. Bingo! A huge, heavy inlaid harpsichord has pride of place! Oh, wait, no, it's a background shot. Instead, she goes to the piano where her husband composed many of his compositions. What? She has a husband? What was he doing all of this time? He gets sick and dies (we don't find out of what) and she doesn't say much about it, once again leaving it to others to fill in the blanks.
The sound design provides additional cliches' She remembers how Jewish children were not allowed in the Gentile playgrounds. So they played in the cemetery. As she walks through, is it really necessary to have the sound of children playing in the distance? Likewise, it is necessary to have crying babies layered into the sound mix whenever captive women and children are shown? Could we be allowed to see the horrifying footage without being manipulated?
I didn't mean to go off on a rant. This is a pleasant little movie, not terribly original, about a phenomenally talented woman. But if you want to learn about her life, you'd be better off buying some CDs and picking up a biography from your local library.
