Score one for the anti-vaxxers. Had the world managed to eradicate polio by 1945*, we might never have discovered the musical genius of Itzhak Perlman. The polio-stricken child was told he “would never play tennis” and, instead, was “encouraged” to pursue his passion for the violin. As Itzhak himself described of his childhood (I paraphrase), “Anything that wasn’t me playing the violin was a waste of time.” This included his parents’ vocations and concerns as well. So, hey, anti-vaxxers, keep sticking with your agenda; rev up the number of crippled children in the world so we can have another Itzhak Perlman.
I continue to be amused by famous modern people born in countries that no longer exist. Hedy Lamarr was a daughter to the short-lived Austria-Hungarian Empire; Itzhak Perlman was born in Mandatory Palestine. Hence, I suppose it’s as fair as any other country for America to claim the artist despite Itzhak’s neither touching US soil nor speaking a word of English until the age of 13.
Perlman appeared as a kid on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1958 and his legend grew from there. The remarkable thing is the dichotomy of his polio burden which served as both blessing and curse. Many music stages and schools blew off the kid, seeing him only as a child with an inability to walk properly (as if that had anything to do with the music he played); yet, it’s quite likely the Sullivan Show gave him a chance precisely because he was seen as something of a circus freak –kid can’t walk, but look at him go! This performance, however, demonstrated a talent level unseen in humans. “Walking” or sitting, this kid is a helluva musician.
I think what I like best about this documentary is the accessibility of Perlman; he joyfully opens the movie playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at Citi Field. Later, we see him on stage with Billy Joel. Huh? What’s he gonna do at a Billy Joel concert? He’s gonna do backup for “We Didn’t Start the Fire?!” Oh, now this is funny; what do you suppose it’s like to be either Itzhak Perlman or Billy Joel, a legend, an icon to millions, and yet just insignificant enough not to merit mention in that very song which doubles as a laundry list of 20th century history?
FWIW, the violin was first seen in 16th century Italy. (And the Great Fire of Rome was in 64 A.D. Emperor Nero “played the fiddle while Rome burned?” You do the math.) Antonio Stradivari, the Michael Jordan of instrument designers, lived from 1644-1737. Itzhak owns a Stradivari and the documentary
give loving attention to Itzhak showing us the difference between his treasured stage violin and “normal” violins. Now I’m no musical illiterate: I played the piano as a child; I can read music; I even sang in an a cappella group in college. But for the life of me, I cannot tell the difference between a Stradivari violin and a standard violin. Part of my issue here is my own naïveté: of course the sense of hearing is as diverse as eyesight or any other sense, why wouldn’t it be? People don’t either “see” or “don’t see.” There are grades and shades and colors and blind spots; this is obviously true to hearing as well. In the very least, now I understand why I rarely got any group solos.
I can’t say this was a great piece of work; there was way too much Toby Perlman (his wife) for my tastes and “down home Itzhak” as if he’s just a normal guy who has Alan Alda over periodically seems a bit silly. I love what respect he has for the profession of teacher and the wisdom that we learn much from teaching, which I believe is 100% true. I love that he has a sense of humor; but I heard him tell the same joke twice in 20 minutes of runtime. Oh well, you can’t have it all, now can you?
♪Citi Field, Mr. Met, anthem for a wounded vet
Alan Alda, Sullivan, struck with polio
Billy Joel, “Allentown,” violinist of renown
Rockefeller Concert Center, he’s a one-man-show
He doesn’t play the lyre
It was only Stradi
That drove him maddy
He doesn’t seem to tire
He keeps on fiddlin’
While the world is diddlin’♫
Not Rated, 82 Minutes
Director: Alison Chernick
Writer: (Stradivarius)
Genre: Fiddlin’ around
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Toby Perlman
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Any child forced to take music lessons against their will
♪ Parody Inspired by “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
* The Polio vaccine came into widespread use in 1961
