Speaking in Strings
by Paola di Florio
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Nadja Salerno-SonnenbergDirector: Paola di Florio
Cinematographer: Peter Rader
Producer: Paola di Florio
Editor: Ellen Goldwasser
Producer: Cindy Rosenberg
Producer: Elizabeth Rodgers
Producer: Julie Du Brow
Producer: Lilibet Foster
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 73 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-06-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: New Video Group
Movie Reviews of Speaking in Strings
Movie Review: Talented and Troubled
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie with a sense of awe I have not felt for any other musician. Not only does Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg have a great sense of humor, she if overflowing with creativity and pure sassiness. Beneath her animated surface there also seems to be a hurricane of emotions which finds its release in her dynamic musical career.
It is as if Nadja becomes the music she is playing or is it just that the music possesses her? She is intense in her original interpretation and hauntingly expressive style. The music does not seem to be coming from the violin, but from deep within Nadja.
You have to ask yourself why anyone so talented and filled with sensitivity would consider ending their life. Especially when you are one of the world's preeminent violinists.
I believe personally that very creative people can also be struggling from a deep depression or unfulfilled longing of the soul. While Nadja sought obvious release through her playing, I think writers find the same expression through words. Both can alternate between utter hopelessness and extreme creativity. At times writing and music almost seem to be "born of pain."
What is so powerful about her story is how her mother tells her it takes courage to be happy. How true! It is far easier to give up in light of your circumstances. It takes a deep inner strength and sense of hope to continue in life when you would rather give up. Yet what a talent she has. While her talents were unquestionable at the time, her talent for living still needed to be developed. She had a passion for music, but no passion for life.
Not only do we learn how Nadja's father abandoned her family when she was a very young child, we also learn about her regret of never meeting her father. It seems from what she says in this documentary, work was first in her life and she put health and love second and third. She might be interested to know that smokers have a higher risk of developing depression. In the movie, she seemed to be a chain smoker.
"Cries of the Heart" by Ravi Zacharias might be helpful for anyone going through what Nadja seems to have experienced. "Manic Depression and Creativity" by D. Jablow Hershman discusses Beethoven and other great talents through the ages. The Omega-3 Connection by Andrew L. Stoll would also be worth a read as nutrition is always important.
Where does the love come from when you can't supply it yourself? What makes life worth living when even your own amazing talent isn't satisfying the longings of the soul?
Nadja says she believes in God, but at times he seems really busy. There is definitely a difference between knowing there is a God and having a relationship with him. Or at least a reason for living that goes beyond this temporary existence.
This musician's life shows how material success and fame means little when maybe what we all really want is love and a happy healthy life. Not to mention hope in this life and hope for the life beyond.
I truly hope Nadja has found peace and ways to deal with the sheer explosion of creativity surging from her very soul.
An eccentric, wild and unorthodox story of a musician's passionate existence.
~The Rebecca Review
Summary of Speaking in Strings
Described as "possessed, "frightening," and "brilliant," Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg has either enraged or enraptured critics while earning herself the nickname "the bad girl of the violin." Academy AwardŽ nominee Speaking In Strings explores the controversial and fascinating life of this funny, fearless, irreverent, and world-renowned musician. A deeply private look at the woman behind all the accolades and controversy.DVD Features: Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg Biography; Docurama Previews; Interactive Menu; Scene Selection
Emotional, raw, and revealing--those adjectives apply to the documentary Speaking in Strings and the person profiled, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, one of the world's most acclaimed violinists. The intense musician's professional journey, which began at Carnegie Hall when she was a teenager, was sidetracked when she accidentally cut off the tip of a finger and almost ended when she tried to commit suicide. Filmmaker Paola di Florio was a childhood friend, and this intimacy is reflected in frank oncamera interviews. ("Feeling more than anyone I know" can be phenomenal and "a damn curse," she says.) The concert footage is electrifying: Two weeks after the suicide attempt, a possessed Salerno-Sonnenberg once again plays Carnegie Hall. Her mother, friends, fellow musicians, and critics--who say she lets her emotions overpower the music--are heard from. The loudest voice, though, is the honest one of Salerno-Sonnenberg, consumed yet empowered by her talent. "It's amazing what you endure," she says, "when you must." --Valerie Nelson
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