Tim on The Legend
"When I saw the movie for the first time (on Monday, 26th October, 1998, in a Roman theatre) I was speechless. It's extraordinary, I've never seen anything like that: in this film there's room for feelings. What does it have in common with Titanic? Just the ship."
According to Tim, the Pianist is an angel who crosses the world and life without touching them. Even though director Tornatore may not agree, the Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean is an old fashioned movie, possessing the magic of a fairy tale told by the Italian director De Sica. Tim sees it as a film with no nationality, a film belonging to any country where the memory and the nostalgia for good cinema exists. It has not been an easy movie for him. The experience in Odessa has been horrible. Perhaps it is a nice place, people are kind, but the scenes were very complex, around he felt the weight of a country tormented by corruption, with thieves and prostitutes at every corner. This created some tension between Tim and Giuseppe Tornatore, perhaps because of their characters, perhaps because of lack of communication. They had some quarrels, but this is part of the job, they were good for the film. In Rome, everything has turned out all right. Tim says he has nothing to do with music; he plays no instrument, but he has had to learn where to place his hands on the keyboard. He does not have a great interest in jazz, but, during the shootings, he found himself listening to it with some affection: this music reminded him of his father, who could have listened to it for hours. On Monday , December 8, 1997, Tim was back to London to start working on the War Zone, his directorial debut, which will be an Anglo-Italian production.
The pictures and the text are from La Repubblica
For more news on 'The Legend Of The Pianist On The Ocean'
Hear Tim defining the Pianist film
Sound clips - Tim discussing the Legend
18 June 99: The Pianist wins 6 David Awards
14 June 99: Tornatore's last word on the Pianist editing
