Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Am I Missing Something?

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

"The Competition" is a very enjoyable movie and delves slightly into the stress of piano-competition. There are more shenanigans going-on that are not apparent in this type of competition, not only for the many pianists' stresses, but also on the part the judges play in choosing the finalist. Those competitions deal with humans, and ANYTHING can influence the judges' decisions. The best pianist does not always win. This movie shows some of the competitors' "required" pieces being performed: it's more than the "concerto"-playing part of the contest. In many competitions, the pianist is given an unfamiliar score for "sight-reading" and affects the final judgment. The "concerto"-playing event is always the big one: after making it to that event, the stress is almost unbearable. You only get to play the concerto once; anything can screw it up. When a major artist releases ANY recorded concerto, the general public does not always realize the recording is not done in one sitting. Just like scenes in a movie, many passages are recorded several times and the best chosen to splice them all seamlessly together. For the "concerto"-playing event, you have one crack at it. Heck, one could play flawlessly, but a judge may just not like them at that particular performance. Very similar to skating in the Olympics, "deals" are made, too.....Many years ago, I was a concert-pianist talent. To me, ALL of the six finalists' synchronized banging looked pretty good. It is my opinion, some of the competitors who didn't make it to the big event WERE actually playing. AND, I also think that "Tatjana" (Vicki Kriegler) was actually playing the short sequences of Braham's 1st Concerto. I'm very familiar with that concerto, and it's a killer. What convinces me of this is the "curve" of her fingers of her left hand which is necessary to play those big chords. After all, actors/actresses DO play piano !!! Her role didn't call for her to "place", anyway......I also agree that "Heidi" (Amy Irving) almost convinced me she was playing Prokofiev's #3 - another ballbuster. Great coaching! That entire scene was brilliant, with "Erskine" (Sam Wanamaker) looking over his shoulder at her, realizing "Dietrich's" (Richard Dreyfus) performance was popular with the audience (did you notice the orchestra stood-up?), but "Heidi" made them all look like first-year students. Po' ole "DiSalvo" (Joseph Cali) had to follow her ! Most comments thought "Greta Vandernmann" (Lee Remick) was a-bitch-on-wheels teacher. Brava, Lee ! She was only certain her pupil was the best, but her own career had taught her raw talent wasn't the only ingredient necessary to make a world-class pianist. Just like football-coaches, piano-teachers can be brutally tyrannical - not nice at all. Does anyone remember the admonishment "those who can't play teach"? Lots of jealousy in there......It doesn't matter that the plot of this movie was predictable - "Paul" WAS a bit too assured and rude. The "gotta-make-a-stop" scene told the whole story; we are there to make music, not sex. Noticeably, it was "Paul's" last shot; "Heidi" had nothing to lose and was confident of her talent. The chemistry between the two was there with brilliant acting - especially, "I-never-thought-you-could-play-better-than-me" scene. The entire cast was stellar, as was the directing.Oh - for "stetsons" - there ARE DVDs available on eBay. Be careful what you buy ! And, many DVDs of all of the concerti by many great artists are available. If you want to revel in this awesome music, imagine how the entireties of these concerti will wow you - you heard only passages of each. For the Prokofiev piece, just remember "Heidi's" hands....."The Competition" has something for all kinds of movie-watchers. Good acting, believable characters, a little political intrigue, a little "backstage" intrigue, lovely cinematography and all that great music. What a winner - 10, no doubt !

Where is the DVD of this Movie? Why Haven't They Made A DVD Of This Great Movie? I want to Own a DVD of this GREAT Movie! Richard Dreyfuff & Amy Irving give Excellent Performances in this Movie! The Movie Plot is Very Romantic & Yet Very Competitive! It is a Very Interesting Combination that works well together! The Music in this Movie is Fantastic! Not all of Us get a chance to listen to this kind of Classical Music. This is a Good way for Us to get to listen to these Compositions & enjoy some of the Classics! My VHS is Completely Worn Out....I Need the DVD of This Movie... to Watch when ever I would like too! Mystic Wolf

In 1980 this was a heartwarming love story. In 2005 this is a stale piece of soap. Stand by Your Man should have been the piece Amy Irving played in the competition, because throughout the entire film her character's growth consists of becoming a doormat for the Richard Dreyfus character. I could hardly sit through this two decades later, amazed at Irving's masochistic need to take anything Dreyfus dished out.In this movie, love means having to say you are sorry, over and over again, especially when you have nothing to be sorry for.Ugh.

I must admit this was a great musical thrill as well as a pretty good love story between the competition, a very skinny Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving, who were trained competently for difficult hand movements while classical pianists did a good job. In the story she was trained for perfection by her teacher, Lee Remick. Such a wonderful actress she was!! What a pleasure it was to see her again, as well as listen to such fine classical music. Amy wins the prize for playing a very difficult piece of Prokiev; and, alas, a warm love story between the competitors. I highly recommend this to all classical music lovers; even though I don't know that much about them. I loved it, give it 8/10