Search - Music of the Heart [Collector's Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Adult Language Movie Release: 1999 DVD Release: 04/25/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 4 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Drama, Message Movie, Urban Drama, Inspirational Drama

After devoting his career to such horror films as Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left, director Wes Craven makes a dramatic change of pace with this inspiring drama about a teacher who helps change the lives of her students. Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras (Meryl Streep) teaches at an elementary school in Harlem, where discipline is a higher priority than the lively arts. But Roberta believes that studying music will give the children a sense of purpose invaluable in later life. Despite indifference from the school administration and budget cuts that force her to seek outside funding (and even threaten her job), Roberta struggles to teach the violin to her students, instilling a love of classical music in kids who might otherwise never have heard Bach or Mozart, and leading to a student recital at Carnegie Hall. Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman, and Aidan Quinn highlight the supporting cast, and virtuoso violinists Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark O'Connor appear as themselves. The Music of the Heart is based on a true story; the real Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras and her students can be seen in the documentary Small Wonders. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Meryl Streep - Roberta Tsavaras
Aidan Quinn - Brian Sinclair
Angela Bassett - Janet Williams
Cloris Leachman - Assunta Guaspari
Gloria Estefan - Isabel Vasquez

Miramax has released a DVD presentation for Music of the Heart (1.85:1 widescreen with Dolby Surround Sound) that equally satisfies the music and movie lover. This feel-good, true-life tale of a violin teacher bringing music, discipline, and inspiration to East Harlem schoolchildren comes with the full-length documentary Small Wonders on which the movie is based. Director Wes Craven, better known for his horror flicks, supplies a refreshingly unegotistical and thoughtful commentary, mixing technical notes, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and small reflections, such as how shooting on location gives a film an overall different feel. The "Deleted Scenes" section can be viewed with or without Craven's commentary, underscoring his remark on filmmaking, "A lot of it has to do with the choice of what to leave out, even though something might be good on its own." For the musically inclined, there's a peek into the scoring session and the filming of the Carnegie Hall concert, as well as biographies of the professional violinists from the Carnegie concert and interviews about the teachers who helped their musical careers. Collectively, they remind viewers of music's ability to transform a life, as well as the discipline that the musical life requires. Finally, there's the music video of 'N Sync and Gloria Estefan performing the title track, completing a classy package of DVD treats. ~ Marina Chavez, All Movie Guide