Richter: The Enigma (1998)

Director: Bruno Monsaingeon
Star: Svyatoslav Richter

This biography of Sviatoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist who dedicated his life to music and had little regard for fame in the West, shines a light on his formative years and places him against the setting of a chaotic USSR culture.

Biographical films are often permeated with suggestions made by the director regarding the person portrayed. These may be positive or negative - either way, they form a highly subjective pattern through which the viewer is then forced to perceive the given protagonist. Monsaingeon however, with this movie succeeded at the opposite: making a -relatively- objective portait of S. Richter. Relative inasmuch, as it is exclusively Richter himself who, by means of his music and own words, reveals himself to the viewer. Thanks to the cut, scenes from various interviews, concerts and relevant historical events (Stalin's funeral, for instance) interchange perfectly - the film appears like a stream of memories, with Richter in the center, leafing through his diary. Another crucial point when portraying a musician is the choice of samples from his/her music. Again, Monsaingeon did an excellent job, since the chosen pieces, from Bach to Schostakowicz, give a good impression of the enormous scope Richter's repertoire had. The Movie begins and ends with the Andante from Schubert's last sonata. The performance of this very sonata was appreciated even by Glenn Gould, who, praising Richter, said he had 'bypassed the performing mechanism creating the illusion of a direct link' between the listener and the music. Here, Monsaingeon's achievement is comparable to a certain extent: as far as possible: the film enables the viewer to learn something about Richter himself.

Note: The film itself consists of 2 parts (files). At the beginning of each parts (files) there are 16 minutes an introduction by Bruno Monsaingeon, recorded in 2023, in English with English and French sutitles. The Film part 1 has English and French subtitles. The Film part 2 has English subtitles only. Total runtime of the film and introduction 170 minutes.

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