Madame Sousatzka

Shirley MacLaine is Madame Sousatzka, an aging piano instructor of Russian extraction. Entrenched in a dilapidated London rooming house, the Madame gives lessons only to the most gifted. She does not stop at mere instruction; Sousatzka insists that her pupils conduct their lives in the same genteel, ...more

Director John Schlesinger reins in Shirley MacLaine's penchant for scenery-chewing in this story of a young piano prodigy (Navin Chowdhry) and his eccentric mentor. There's very little scenery for MacLaine to chew: set against the drab backdrop of London's suburbs, the film divides its time among the many characters in the boy's life, from his opportunistic mother (Shabana Azmi) to Sousatzka's leggy neighbor (Twiggy). Ultimately, Sousatzka is a parable pitting old world values against new world ...more