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The Rhapsody is the astonishing story of composer Leo Spellman (born Leon Szpilman), a Polish Holocaust survivor who sets out on an exhilarating and emotional journey towards artistic liberation at the age of ninety-eight. For the first time, he reveals his secret wartime diary (with excerpts read by actor Stephen Fry) and brings his family back to the Polish town of Ostrowiec where he spent eighteen months hiding from the Nazis. This harrowing tale of survival is told through animation, interviews with family and colleagues, and powerful live concerts by orchestras in North America and Europe. The film also features the revelation of a musical masterpiece, lost for more than fifty years, that was originally composed in a German DP camp and serves as an uplifting finale when Spellman's legacy is finally recognized in the town where he so narrowly escaped death.
- Year2022
- Runtime104 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryCanada
- PremiereUS Premiere
- DirectorDavid Hoffert
- ScreenwriterDavid Hoffert
- CastStephen Fry, Leo Spellman
- CinematographerMatt Clayson
- EditorDavid Hoffert
If you would like to donate to support our efforts, you can do so by clicking here. You can also experience all the films streaming in the Festival's virtual program by purchasing an All-Access Virtual Pass by clicking here.
The Rhapsody is the astonishing story of composer Leo Spellman (born Leon Szpilman), a Polish Holocaust survivor who sets out on an exhilarating and emotional journey towards artistic liberation at the age of ninety-eight. For the first time, he reveals his secret wartime diary (with excerpts read by actor Stephen Fry) and brings his family back to the Polish town of Ostrowiec where he spent eighteen months hiding from the Nazis. This harrowing tale of survival is told through animation, interviews with family and colleagues, and powerful live concerts by orchestras in North America and Europe. The film also features the revelation of a musical masterpiece, lost for more than fifty years, that was originally composed in a German DP camp and serves as an uplifting finale when Spellman's legacy is finally recognized in the town where he so narrowly escaped death.
- Year2022
- Runtime104 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryCanada
- PremiereUS Premiere
- DirectorDavid Hoffert
- ScreenwriterDavid Hoffert
- CastStephen Fry, Leo Spellman
- CinematographerMatt Clayson
- EditorDavid Hoffert