Because of this, most people who end up homeless have schizophrenia because they are unable to keep a job, nathaniel ayes in the book the soloist. Theres no movie equivalent of newsprint, but there is a tangibly grimy quality to the soloist. All lopez can do is try to help, and the movie gives testimony to the way newspapers can comfort the afflicted. Times columnist steve lopes that purse him to write a story about him. He is the subject of numerous newspaper columns, a book, and a 2009 film adaptation based on the columns. Times writer, steve lopez, has his life changed forever. Part ii will the real schizophrenia please stand up. The screenplay by susannah grant is based on the book, the soloist by steve lopez. A foundation bearing his name was started in 2008 with an aim to support artistically gifted people with mental illness.
The true story behind the soloist business insider. The columns were collected into a book called the soloist. He was the subject of steve lopezs bestselling book, the soloist as well as the movie based on that book starring robert downey jr. Steve lopez is cycling around town and goes in the opposite direction of a bunch of cyclists. Ayes is a gifted musician who attended julliard but had to drop out due to his mental state.
The soloist manages to avoid the dumbing down that often happens when a true story is made into a movie. Its about friendship, compassion, and the homeless. Fortunately, the soloists complex story is not easily destroyed. Steve tells us in a thoughtprovoking column printed last night that explores the. You will recall that he was the subject of steve lopezs best selling book, the soloist as well as the powerful movie based on that book. Somethings gone wright in the mix this reallife tale of a homeless, gifted musician with mental health issues and the journalist who. The film is based on the true story of nathaniel ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. In this entry i will be looking at the film adaptation the soloist 2009. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the soloist study guide and get instant access to the following summary.
Read the the soloist movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. The screenplay written by susannah grant is based on the book, the soloist by steve lopez and it is based on the true story of nathaniel ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and. We first assume that nathaniel, being the musician, is the soloist, but lopez, steeped in the selfcenteredness of his work and his culture, shows himself to. The story is compelling, the actors are in place, but i was never sure what the filmmakers wanted me to feel about it. The soloist is a film based upon the true story of. Nathaniel anthony ayers is a musical prodigy who was on the. The violin turns out to be short a few strings, and the player turns out. I also knew we were a long way from the early days of the movie business, when hollywood ran roughshod over. Times columnist steve lopez and street musician nathaniel anthony ayers, the true story depicted in aprils paramount movie the soloist. This movie is also based on the true story of nathaniel ayers, so i feel that helped immensely in portraying the condition in real life, outside of the pages of a textbook. This guide will also work well as a sub plan for your substitute teacher. The soloist stars deliver a helpful message the boston. The soloist the story of the soloist is a truelife story base on the life of nathaniel jonathan ayers, a former cello prodigy whose bouts with schizophrenia landed him on the streets after two years of schooling at juilliard. The soloist, originally set for release last fall, was pushed back to february, then april, indicating to some a lack of faith in the movie by its studio, and foreshadowing some inevitable.
The soloist has all the elements of an uplifting drama, except for the uplift. The book inspired the recently released movie the soloist starring jamie foxx and robert downey jr. The soloist, based on a book by lopez of the same name, chronicles the unlikely story of these two mens pilgrimage, a journey into the darkness of mental illness lit by the flickering flames of. Based on a true story, it stars jamie foxx as nathaniel ayers, a homeless man who was once a musical prodigy, and robert downey jr. An editor looks out a window, despondent, dulled with pain. It also steers clear of message movie heavy handedness though only just, even though it has plenty to say about mental illness and l. For all his setbacks, he still finds hope and sanity in. He said that the movie would be a benefit for our discussion in social intervention class. The soloist overcame his homelessness with a little help from his. New reality of the soloist 10 years after film about him. The soloist movie trailer based on true story youtube. The soloist brings to life its story with genuine compassion, neatly avoiding many of the traps that afflict hollywood films about mental illness.
It begins in 2005 when lopez, on the lookout as always for a good column. A newspaper hits a door and the main articles title is life has a mind by steve lopez robert downey jr. Story continues below advertisement to its credit, the soloist is a far cry from the traditional movie portrayal of. The true story behind the soloist video business insider. Nathaniel and i spent a little time together as he warmed up, and he. How a journalist discovered a musical prodigy sleeping rough and their story became a hit film.
Its an admirable goal and it makes the soloist a profoundly emotionally dynamic book. The soloist 39 movie clip a new cello 2009 hd duration. And jamie foxxs transformation will simply astound. Ideal for a unit about mental health if you download this freebie, please leave feedback. He had been looking for a story in all the wrong places. A lost dream, an unlikely friendship, and the redemptive power of music. It begins in 2005 when lopez, on the lookout as always for a good column idea, hears a violin on the streets of downtown l. The problem with the soloist is that, while wright shows admirable restraint in dramatizing the interaction between the two principals and does not fall into the trap of following a movie of the week formula about mental illness, there is little emotional resonance in the story. But everyone around him, everyone who loves him is trapped in a vicious cycle of needing to help him, of continuing to hope, and of fighting the illusion that he can be.
A man is cycling by as a paper boy is driving around delivering newspapers. The soloist is the true story of lopezs discovery of, and fitful friendship with, nathaniel anthony ayers jamie foxx, a homeless, schizophrenic cello player. Overall, we get the impression that if he is exploiting ayers, hes doing it to cast light on a problem that simply will not go away on its own. Having missed seeing the soloist when it was in the theater, i was happy to finally get it on netflix. Imagining he can change ayers life, lopez embarks on a quixotic mission to get him off the streets and back to the world of music. One of my student in university widya mandala catholic university, surabaya, indonesia suggested me to watch a movie, the soloist. The movie with las immersion in the film industry, hollywood descended on lopez pretty quickly. New reality of the soloist 10 years after film about him daily mail. The life of nathaniel anthony ayers, 65, is the true story behind the 2009 film, the soloist, staring jamie foxx and robert downey jr.
The soloist was a fantastic movie featuring robert downey jr. The soloist is a 2009 american film based on the true story of nathaniel ayers, a juilliard musical prodigy who has schizophrenia. Nathaniel was a cello player attending the julliard school of music, one of the worlds most prestigious performing art schools, until he developed schizophrenia and was unable to continue. The soloist is a hauntingly beautiful, deeply moving story of a gifted musician who is unable to make health, cleanliness or other basic choices in life. Nathaniel ayes the soloist and the history of schizophrenia. Based on the true story of nathaniel ayer, this free 5 page movie guide accompanies the film the soloist 2009. The story begins featuring lopez at his job frustrated with a dose of writers block. The soloist is a real manonthestreet story newsday. Like this months other newspaper movie, state of play, the soloist has been updated from a few years past to what feels like this morning. For all its sensitivity to the horrors of mental illness, the soloist ends up as a fairly canned piece of work.
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