Out of Tune: David Helfgott and the Myth of Shine

This true story of the Helfgott family touched my heart, especially Peter Helfgott. Sometimes I think of him as my father in-law. (sigh) I wish I could go back in time and see the entire Helfgott family. Why you ask? I was introduced to the Helfgotts by watching the movie Shine, and learning about the real life of this book.

I have been stimulated by a number of your readers' reviews to once again see the video of "Shine" and re-read the book "Out of Tune".A number of differences are outstanding. Whereas Margaret Helfgott interviews and quotes from many actual people who knew David in the past, identifying them by name, Scott Hicks "stands by his research" involving "friends, teachers, medical people and colleagues of David's" - however, he does not identify a single one of these people despite being challenged. Similarly, regarding Hick's claim that he was told that Shine's "portrait" of Peter Helfgott was actually "kind" and that there were far greater abuses committed by Peter which he chose not to include in the film. Who were these anonymous people who unstintingly fed Hicks his unconfirmed "facts"? If we did not believe Hicks totally, we might think this was innuendo in the extreme - in the best tradition of throwing mud so that some may stick.What possible motive could Margaret have for defending her father to such lengths? Could it be Hick's claimed jealousy between the siblings, for which no shred of evidence exists in any of the writings.Apropos the famed disclaimer at the end of the video "Shine" - it is microscopic! Unlike many biopics which honestly displayed their disclaimers legibly and clearly at the start of the film, Hick's disclaimer was illegible; despite the fact that living family members had NOT given permission for their real names to be used in the film. Once again, if one did not doubt Hicks' integrity one might really think that his advertised claims of "Shine" representing the true life story of David Helfgott, were honest.Apart from attempting to correct the numerous distortions presented in "Shine", Margaret Helfgott, described on the book jacket as a music teacher, represents in "Out of Tune", a sole individual nobly fighting the forces of the film industry, its exploitation and its millions.Anyone interested in truth and justice should read "Out of Tune".

This is a book which deserves wide circulation to counter the grossly misleading account of events in the film which purports to be based on David Helfgott's life. Margaret Helfgott's account is backed up by quotations from numerous people who knew Peter, David and the family at all periods of their lives, and who have provided testimony that the portrayal of Peter Helfgott in the film (and specifically his behaviour towards David) is a travesty of the facts. More specifically, the filmmakers were oblivious to the disrepute into which the notion that schizo-affective disorders are caused by bad parenting has fallen in modern psychiatric practice. But, as the Reverend Robert Fairman writes about the film's misrepresentations of the years David spent at his hostel after a long period hospitalization, 'The filmmakers' line of thinking must have been: Why let facts get in the way of a good story?'

I recall after seeing "Shine", I remarked to a friend that while I enjoyed the film, "It sadly doesn't happen that way in real life".As a health professional who has worked for many years with people, including artists who suffered from schizophrenic disorders, I can affirm that Margaret Helfgott's book rings only, too true.As a painful and loving testament to her father Peter, her family and her brother David, Margaret Helfgott takes the reader through the maze of distortion and lies by "Shine's" director Scott Hicks, David's second wife Gillian, and the commercial exploitation of David Helfgott by post production interests. Despite the distorted need to invent blame, the profound reality of David Helfgott's illness will not be altered by the many lies in "Shine" about his late father Peter and his family.I could not put Margaret Helfgott's book down, and highly recommend it to anyone who saw the fiction of "Shine", read the screenplay, or are just interested in understanding the impact of schizophrenic-type disorders on patients and families.

This book was very well researched and written. It taught me a lot about David Helfgott and his real family, as well as the Holocaust and mental illness.As a music lover I enjoyed reading about David's early successes at the piano, and was surprised to discover he had never collapsed on stage when playing the Third Piano Concerto by Rachmaninoff, as portrayed in the film.I was amazed to learn that Peter Helfgott was not a Holocaust survivor at all, and that David had been married before. The author, David's sister Margaret, has written a first class biography of her family and is to be congratulated on her courage in standing up to the film industry.