Just finished the movie, and I am left really thinking about a lot of things. That’s what make s a movie good, right?

It’s about piano playing, and it’s about mental illness. Kind of both. David was supposed to be this raging genius, but right when he showed everyone that he was so extraordinary, he goes insane.

Or just gives in to his insanity, maybe.

What I can’t help thinking about though, is what Gillian was thinking. What woudl life be like married to an insane person?

Of course, insane has many levels. David’s level seemed to be mostly pleasant. But what kind of partnership would a marriage like that be? I guess there are all kinds of marriages, like there are all kinds of people. It blows my mind. I cannot imagine myself in that position.

It’s also interesting to think about what constitutes genius and what constitutes insanity. Haven’t we all been aware of the relationship between the two?

An insane person sees things differently than regular people. A genius does the same. Maybe it’s only a matter of labels.

I also wonder about the idea of classical music. I play the piano. Rather badly at this point. Technique was never anything I worried about. I just wanted to play. And I always wanted to play new things. I hated practicing. I wanted to learn to play a song, and then just PLAY.

Originality is key. Play the same song, but play it in a new way. Put a new twist on it. Practicing seemed going backwards.

But classical musicians play the same stuff over and over and over. 8 hours a day of practicing. Insane! How could you do that?

Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of reinterpretation. I think that the jazz standards can be done endlessly, and always be new.

But I will never understand the idea of playing the same thing, exactly the same as the guy before you. Maybe this is a throwback to a time before we had recording technology.

Interesting that jazz took off right after we had the ability to record stuff. Hmm….

Well, I recommend the movie.