This biographical movie about Leonard Bernstein is directed and written by Bradley Cooper (and Josh Singer - “Spotlight”) and produced between others by Martin Scorsese (that declined to direct it after seeing “A Star is Born” and to be able to film the Irishman) and Steven Spielberg.
It stars Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein an Jew American conductor and composer (1918–1990) and Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre Bernstein
American actress (1922–1978) who married Lenny in 1951, by social convenience of that epoch.
Leonard Bernstein had a brilliant career playing in Broadway (West Side Story is by him), Carnegie Hall and New York Philharmonic and had also an intense career on teaching, having intense presentations that showed his true love for music - it was also a controverse person, with a very active social live and gay. Not shown in the movie, that he holds a cigar in almost every scene we had asthma (being dismissed in WWII) developed emphysema, dying from a heart attack from a mesothelioma tumor.
Felicia Montealegre Bernstein was a Jew actress from Chilean origins that met Leonard while at a party in 1946 - it was also a true love into Leonard's life, even with his sexual orientation, living a sometimes contributed second life.
The story of the movie show marks at the live on the musician, and the cinematography by
Matthew Libatique behind the camera (A Star is Born, Pi, Fountain of Life, Mother!Requiem for a Dream), shown the ages were the story passed is the cinematographic style and format of those epochs from the 40’s to the 90’s from high-contrast black and white and Academy ratio, to 70 technicolor format eras where it passes, using original equipment for those scenes. Also the scenes of the movie that place great emphasis depending on the dramatic moment - from dialogues and close ups, to discussions and background happenings to the magnificent performances of Bradley Cooper as Leny as maestro, including a memorable scene at a church.
The edition of the movie by Michelle Tesoro (The Queen's Gambit) is very well done, and
the music is all works of Leonard Bernstein (not sure if it can be a contender of this year's Academy nominations). Another remarkable work is the
The movie can be another one of NF gems that comes to the oscar consolidating streaming as a real parallel form of art to classic cinema - I can foresee and nomination to best actor, best co-adjuvant actress, best cinematography and maybe on production, because the makeup and prosthetic work of Kazu Hiro is just amazing life-like, and true to both the physical and psychological side of Leny.
The story of the movie itself could be better in showing better the intimacy between the two, and also some facts left aside as the work of both of them as fierce activists for several causes. The story rhythm is also a bit confuse as it make jumps to the relevant points and do not stay till the end of something predictable but lingering and meaningful (as Felicica’s death, show only as a son running to the backyard the moving of the family from the house)
Brit is a solid biographical movie and one of the ”must watch” movies of the year deserving a solid 7.5 out of 10.0 / B+ only because of its lesser faults.
