Impromptu (1991)

the audience applauded

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

For people that think this film is a true story sorry but it is not... Except for the romance between Chopin and Sand the events in the film are mostly fictional the real story of Chopin is much more interesting having said that I have to say the usual depressing enervating dark and austere retelling of this story is totally flipped here, it is energetic bright and even humorous and the pulsating music pulls the viewer into the photogenic haunting French country side perfectly, there are great performances, some bad dialogue aside, but as a whole this is enjoyable and well worth watching it's a bit of fine fluff and there's nothing wrong with that especially if it creates an interest in the actual person's depicted here, even the actual story of George Sands Children and their relationship with Chopin that is almost non existent in the film is very interesting and extremely influential to Chopin in later life... it's not accurate but it's a great fantasy flick which I suspect it was ment to be... this film is best enjoyed with a glass of Hennessy V. S. O. P. Cognac. and a sense of humor.

With Hugh Grant playing Frédéric Chopin, Impromptu seems an unlikely film to be, as some critics have called it, the best film ever made based on the notorious writer George Sand and her pursuit of the Polish-French composer whose attitude toward amour frustrated the daylights out of her. Grant plays Chopin as a handsome but delicate soul, and Judy Davis turns in another magnificent performance as the hyper-aggressive Sand. Grant's Polish accent is endearing; even if it is not quite identifiable; so what, they were speaking French anyway. Emma Thompson is a hoot as the social climber who plays host to Chopin, Sand, and Franz Liszt while her husband calls them a bunch of parasites. It's a very entertaining romp, with lovely scenery, witty lines, and lots of temperament. References to Chopin's Polishness are sprinkled lightly throughout.

Of the two Chopin biopics seen in the past month, Impromptu was the (much) better of the two. The other was 2002's Desire of Love, which looked and sound good but was tedious, disjointed and read of very badly written and done soap-opera. Impromptu could have been better, the ending was abrupt, the transition from Chopin's avoiding of Sand to loving her was rather rushed and underplayed and Lapine's direction was a mix of over-eager and stodgy at times, not always knowing what to do with the story. Impromptu is exquisite to look at though, it is so beautifully photographed and the sets, scenery and costumes are accurate and so lovingly rendered. You won't be disappointed by the music either, Chopin wrote some of the most beautiful and soul-searching of any composer and it is placed and played in Impromptu in a way that those involved know that. The writing has humour and pathos, there are some funny situations(the farce-play, you have to love Emma Thompson's facial expression when she realises it's about her) and doesn't forget to explore some of the social themes and oddities. The story is witty and charming on the most part and the characters are engaging and not too distorted in personality(though admittedly Chopin and Liszt are not quite as complex as they actually were), Georges Sand's character is the most interesting and Mandy Patinkin's character was so much fun that you wish there was more of him. Hugh Grant gives a nuanced performance as Chopin(if at times too healthy), while Emma Thompson is alluring and hilarious and Bernadette Peters gleefully portrays a character that is very easy to hate. Mandy Patinkin has some of the best lines and brings a huge deal of charm to whenever he appears, but the acting honours go to Judy Davis who is brilliant here, one of her best performances but sadly one of her lesser-known ones too. In conclusion, could have been better but it was good, at its best very good, and is the superior of the two Chopin biopics personally seen. 7/10 Bethany Cox

If it weren't for Judy Davis' overpowering presence (which might sound redundant since that is what she is known for), IMPROMPTU would be an extended piece of boredom modulated by the occasional incursion into repartee, blended with the revolving door of (then) rising and established British actors, peppered with an occasional American thrown in for sport. What little plot there actually is, revolves around Aurora Dupin, a.k.a. Georges Sand -- arguably the first feminist the world and literature ever had -- and how her life becomes a sitcom of sorts where men and women flutter in and out, some of them -- Franz Lizst (Julian Sands) and Frederic Chopin (Hugh Grant) -- becoming lovers, and others, like Felicien Mallefille (one of her former beaus, played by Georges Corraface) turning mildly psycho and trying to prove something by challenging the effeminate Chopin into a duel which never officially establishes itself since Chopin faints dead away and she has to shoot Mallefille herself. Some characters are written rather shabbily -- most notably Marie d'Agoult played by a shrill Bernadette Peters -- who switches personalities quicker than she would do outfits and seems to act on whims that have to do more with her love/hate acquaintance with Sand than actual preoccupation with anyone else. Other than that, with Emma Thompson in a small part, IMPROMPTU lives up to its ad hoc story and execution and is a solid piece of entertainment.