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Amazon.com: The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka: The Mystery of Chopin : Corin Redgrave, Paul Rhys, Penelope Wilton, John Shrapnel, Terence Rigby, Peter Woodthorpe, Patricia Quinn, John Fortune, Michael Gough, John Bird, Vernon Dobtcheff, Tony Palmer, Michela Antonello: Movies & TV
In 1945, the new Polish Government asked for the heart of Chopin, who was previously buried in Paris. A woman named Paulina Czernika approached the Polish Government claiming to have some love letters from the composer to her great-grandmother, the Countess Delfina Potocka, the only woman to whom Chopin had dedicated any music. The Ministry began a witch-hunt against Madame Czernika. These letters were said to be pornographic, anti-Semitic and thoroughly damaging to the image of the composer as a Polish hero. Czernika supposedly committed suicide on October 17th 1949, 100 years to the day after the death of Chopin. Or was she murdered, and if so, why? Were the letters in fact forgeries? And what was the truth about Delfina Potocka? Tony Palmer’s dramatized film tells the story of Czernika Potocka, probing a veritable mystery in a series of parallel scenes from 1945 and 1845. New light is shed on Chopin himself, not the least in the interpretation of the music brought to life by the beautiful young Russian pianist, Valentina Igoshina.
Product details
Aspect Ratio
:
1.33:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer
:
No
MPAA rating
:
NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions
:
0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
Item model number
:
USD-DV-1654
Director
:
Tony Palmer
Media Format
:
NTSC, Color, Multiple Formats
Run time
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1 hour and 49 minutes
Release date
:
May 4, 2010
Actors
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Corin Redgrave, Paul Rhys, Penelope Wilton, John Shrapnel, Terence Rigby
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The existing biographies of Chopin concentrate on his music and not much on his personal character. He comes over more God like than human whose inventive mind is sometimes inspired and sometimes put off by his contemporaries. But this movie suggests that he was much more passionate and involved with people, especially with one woman, than we have been lead to believe. Knowing this has put a new cast on his music. Somehow knowing that Chopin was more 'manlike' than 'godlike' has, for me, added another dimension to his music. I think any Chopin devotee will come to the same conclusion. And the playing of Valentina Igoshina, apart from being a delight to watch and listen to, emphasizes the story being told by the film.
I enjoyed the music! I found the whole film on the dark side, however. So I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Chopin's life certainly had its challenges, so it may have been an accurate portrayal. But somehow the creativity and beauty of the compositions failed to rise above the difficult life being portrayed, despite the pianist's best effort..
It's important to realize that Chopin's purported letters to Delfina Potocka were thoroughly proven to be fakes; the two did have a more or less intense relationship, but little is actually known about it. Paulina Czernicka was a scam artist, and there was no conspiracy necessary to discredit her, as her work spoke for itself. It was easy to show, for example, that her letters used words that didn't exist in the Polish language in Chopin's time. While enjoying Igoshina's playing, please keep that in mind. If you are interested in Chopin's life, please read from reputable sources-- none of the films about him have much to do with reality, unfortunately.
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka – The Mystery of Chopin (2009) 109 minutes
The facts of this story are confused and best summarised as follows : in November 1945, a woman by the name of Paulina Czernika presented herself to Polish Radio in Vilnius, claiming to be the great niece of the Countess Delfina Potocka, to whom she claimed Chopin had written letters, which she now had in her possession. She had with her only typed ‘copies’, and ‘originals’ in Chopin’s hand have never been seen. Under pressure to produce them, Czernicka, committed suicide on the hundredth anniversary of Chopin’s death in October 1949. She had a family history of mental illness, and many other family members also ended their own lives.
The letters detail an erotic affair. In 1960, they were published, and immediately became the subject of controversy. They are now completely discredited as ‘forgeries’. Their style is quite different from that used by Chopin in his ‘authentic’ letters, and they contain many mistakes that he could not possibly have made - including incorrect dates of performances, incorrect references to scoring of his music, use of words and expressions that did not enter the Polish language until the 20th century, and incorrect and negative references to Beethoven, that Chopin would never have written.
Countess Potocka was a wealthy patroness of the arts; she supported Chopin financially, and he dedicated 2 pieces of music to her, Piano Concerto in F minor Op21 and Waltz in Dflat major Op64 #1. She was also considered to be a talented composer, and was Chopin’s student in Paris. Unfortunately, none of her work has survived. At his request, she sang to him when he was dying. There is no evidence that they were lovers. The film begins with Czernicka going to the Ministry of Culture in Warsaw, not the Radio Station in Lithuania. The story moves on to Chopin’s ‘relationship’ with Potocka, including a brief bedroom scene with nudity, then to his happy years with George Sand in Majorca : finally a harrowing deathbed scene (not including Potocka) that you might wish you hadn’t seen, and his burial in Montmartre Cemetery.
In 2009 when this documentary was made, it was thought to contain new information, but this was convincingly discredited by Krzysztof Komarnicki in 2010, and discounting all of this, it now tells us nothing that we didn’t already know. The acting is good, and Chopin’s music is very beautifully played by Valentina Igoshina, who is placed largely in the background, sitting very still and expressionless and in shadow, obviously meant to emphasise the story, rather than the music. She is much better represented on the audio disc that includes all the music played in the film : VOICEPRINT SACD TP-CD160, Valentina Igoshina plays Chopin (2009). In summary, the music is great, but the story is now without credibility.
I had seen this film on Australian TV about 10-15 years ago, and always remembered if for the beautiful renditions of Chopin's pieces together with the warm scenes of family life. I have always enjoyed watching both Paul Rhys and Penelope Wilton, so this film was a delight as it featured them both (along with other fine actors of note).
