MovieChat Forums > From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China Discussion > a question about the Chinese pianist

a question about the Chinese pianist

posted 18 years ago by antti-sairanen
2 replies | jump to latest

I saw "From Mao to Mozart" few years ago and can recall having heard in it a story about a Chinese pianist whom Stern met in good health, happy spirits and both hands, in contradiction to the stories that he had been chopped his hands off after returning home after winning (?) of some piano competion, in West or USSR.

Was this story told in the film or is my memory cheating.

Best,

Antti Sairanen

[–] Capeman 18 years ago

Never heard about that. It must be a rumor. Some people always want to distort the truth about PRC. During the Cultural Revolution, some people, including musicians, committed suicid because they're abused and felt like lost self-esteem.

[–] scgary66 17 years ago

It's not in the film, so perhaps you heard it elsewhere. Most of the pianists in the film (other than David Golub) are children, though one - who's never identified or discussed - is an adult.

Gary Krause