Shirley MacLaine is Madame Sousatzka, an aging piano instructor of Russian extraction. Entrenched in a dilapidated London rooming house, the Madame gives lessons only to the most gifted. She does not stop at mere instruction; Sousatzka insists that her pupils conduct their lives in the same genteel, cultured manner in which she was raised. Her prize student at the moment is an East Indian teenage boy (Navin Chowdhry), who forms a strong and loving bond with the old woman. Director John Schlesinger occasionally cuts away from the Madame and her pupil to allow comic space for the other tenants in Ashcroft's building, including an erstwhile songstress (Twiggy) and a gay osteopath (Geoffrey Baydlon). Navim Chowdhry's mother is played by Shabana Azmi, an important star of Indian films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Director John Schlesinger reins in Shirley MacLaine's penchant for scenery-chewing in this story of a young piano prodigy (Navin Chowdhry) and his eccentric mentor. There's very little scenery for MacLaine to chew: set against the drab backdrop of London's suburbs, the film divides its time among the many characters in the boy's life, from his opportunistic mother (Shabana Azmi) to Sousatzka's leggy neighbor (Twiggy). Ultimately, Sousatzka is a parable pitting old world values against new world pressures, but Schlesinger and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (best known for her Merchant-Ivory adaptations) refrain from the treacly, teacher-pupil sermonizing of To Sir, with Love or the later Mr. Holland's Opus. The result is a refreshingly smaller film than most of MacLaine's Hollywood work, which may explain why the perennial Oscar nominee was passed over that year. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Leigh Lawson - Ronnie Blum; Geoffrey Bayldon - Mr. Cordle; Lee Montague - Vincent Pick; Robert Rietty - Leo Milev; Jeremy Sinden - Woodford; Roger Hammond - Lefrance; Christopher Adey - Conductor; Barry Douglas - Pianist at Portman Hall; Jean Anderson - Lady with Removal Men; Charu Bala Chokshi - 1st Punjabi Lady; Roland Curram - Menswear Salesman; Peter-Hugo Daly - Roadie; Vernon Dobtcheff - Music Critic; David F. Doyle - Street Youth; Elizabeth Hayes - Piano Student; Sam Howard - Edward; Katherine Schlesinger - Piano Student; Sam Smart - Street Youth; Andrew St. Clair - Festival Mime Artist; Humphrey Burton - Festival Announcer; Carol Gillies - Sousatzka's Mother; Susan Porrett - Receptionist; Stephen Webber - School Teacher; Mohammed Ashiq - Sunil; Cheryl Miller - Black Schoolgirl
Credit
Amy Roberts - Art Director, Stephen Scott - Art Director, Ian Whittaker - Art Director, Simon Bosanquet - Associate Producer, Noel Davis - Casting, Jeremy Zimmerman - Casting, Amy Roberts - Costume Designer, Chris Rose - First Assistant Director, John Schlesinger - Director, Peter Honess - Editor, Gerald Gouriet - Composer (Music Score), Yonty Solomon - Musical Direction/Supervision, Luciana Arrighi - Production Designer, Nat Crosby - Cinematographer, Mary Richards - Production Manager, Robin Dalton - Producer, Simon Kaye - Sound/Sound Designer, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala - Screenwriter, John Schlesinger - Screenwriter, Peter Morgan - Screenwriter, Bernice Rubens - Book Author
Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) lives in London with her son Manek (Navin Chowdhry) who is musically gifted. She supports them both as a caterer of Indian food, while Manek studies the piano with Madame Sousatzka (Shirley MacLaine), who is a Russian immigrant. Madame Sousatzka, while highly talented, never succeeded as a pianist and thus lives through her students, particularly talented ones such as Manek. Manek is soon forced to choose between Madame Sousatzka and his mother who both compete for his attention.
