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Madame Sousatzka

Country: UK, Language: English, 122 mins

  • Director: John Schlesinger
  • Writer: Peter Morgan; Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
  • Producer: Simon Bosanquet; Robin Dalton

CGiii Comment

A tale of two cultures and a musical prodigy stuck in the middle.

MacLaine plays her part, a piano teacher, to ditzy perfection amid a houseful of amiable eccentrics.

The CGiii element is minor - an old gay character is bashed. Aaaaw.

A lovely film.


Trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

Bengali Sushila Sen and her son, Manek, relocate from India to London after Sushila's relationship with her husband fails. Sushila struggles with everyday living. A child piano prodigy, Manek's schoolteacher refers him to a piano teacher, Irina Sousatzka, a Russian immigrant renowned for her teaching skills. Irina forms a strong bond with Manek, not only teaching him piano but also valuable life lessons. Disagreements arise, as Manek does not want anyone to run his life for him, but nevertheless the training progresses. Sushila, a baker and seller of Indian cuisine, loses an important client after her hair is found in one of her baked goods. To help his mother, Manek feels pressure to use his piano skills to earn some money. This is against Irina's wishes, however, as she is trying to protect Manek from her own negative experiences as a young concert pianist. She believes no student should perform until they are ready.

Cast & Characters

Shirley MacLaine as Madame Yuvline Sousatzka;
Peggy Ashcroft as Lady Emily;
Twiggy as Jenny;
Shabana Azmi as Sushila Sen;
Leigh Lawson as Ronnie Blum;
Geoffrey Bayldon as Mr. Cordle;
Lee Montague as Vincent Pick;
Robert Rietty as Leo Milev;
Navin Chowdhry as Manek Sen;
Greg Ellis as Tarek;
Sam Howard as Edward;
Jeremy Sinden as Woodford;
Roger Hammond as Lefranc;
Mohammed Ashiq as Sunil;
Carol Gillies as Sousatzka's Mother