Facing the Music
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Facing the Music Review: Filmmakers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson (the husband and wife team responsible for Rats in the Ranks) movingly capture a power struggle and a personal crisis at the University of Sydney in Facing the Music. Their film tracks a school year in the life of composer and music history professor Anne Boyd. Boyd is a fascinating and complex figure. Early on in the film, at a union meeting, she speaks against a proposed strike in response to budget cuts. She says the teachers will be sending the wrong message to students by striking on the first day of classes, and compares teaching to the clergy, opining that it's a calling, not just a job. The head of the music department, Boyd takes on a huge workload, and works to instill her passion for music into her students. She makes an inept attempt to find funding for her department from private sources. Boyd is not always likeable, but she's always interesting. At one point, Boyd lashes out at an unfortunate composition student, bringing her to tears by momentarily suggesting that the student give up music. Her faith in the university system is shaken by further cuts, and she undergoes a dramatic change of heart, taking a leading role in a later strike, and writing a scathing letter to the school's chancellor. The filmmakers powerfully capture Boyd's conversion, as she redirects her rhetorical fire to save her department and her sanity. Her trials are intercut with wonderful performances by the school's talented students, and one highlight of the film is a scene in which Boyd watches one of her own compositions being performed. Facing the Music garnered worldwide acclaim, and, more importantly, inspired a private donor to negotiate a major donation to the university to salvage the music department. Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide |
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