Plot
Generally, Desire for Love by Jerzy Antczak commences with Frederic Chopin, living with his sisters and parents in Warsaw, practicing to play the piano. Chopin’s father advises him to go to Paris before the November Uprising. Chopin goes to Paris, a city that he defines as “full of love” (Desire for Love 00:13:24 – 00:14:19). Chopin meets George Sand, whereby Alberts helps them to start dating. The movie ends with George, her children, and Chopin separating. Overall, the film is engaging, thought-provoking, and believable because it focuses on happenings in society today. In modern times, people in love face several challenges that may lead to divorce, as in case of George separating from Mallefille and Chopin. She divorces Mallefille due to domestic violence ordeals. The film is also interesting as it ‘jogs up’ the audience’s mind relating to the different love entanglements. The film reaches the climax when Chopin and George become lovers (Desire for Love 00:24:13 – 00:25:34). Moreover, it is set in Paris, which affects the story, considering that people know Paris as a romantic city.
Themes and Tone
The movie’s central goal is to develop awareness among the audience that love sometimes can frustrate. It also promotes the importance of biological family. When Sand disagrees with both Mallefille and Chopin, she decides to quit the relationship, opting for a better life after that. Moreover, the film creates an impression that family matters a lot. Understandably, when Chopin is left alone, he decides to call one of her sisters to take care of him until his last breath. Symbolically, tuberculosis in the film is used to present the hard times people go through. Chopin is left alone in his poor health conditions instead of George being around and ensuring that his husband is comfortable in his recovery journey (Desire for Love 00:37:17 – 00:39:29). Argumentatively, the piano in the movie represents love, whereby it can be interpreted that Chopin moves to Paris to find a lover, considering that it is known to be the city of romance.
Acting and Characters
The characters are excellently portrayed. Chopin is described as a young man discovering new things in life. The actors are stereotyped considering that they want something to happen in life just because they desire it, including Maurice and George, whereby Maurice disregards Chopin as his stepfather (Desire for Love 01:42:09 – 01:46:07). Chopin embodies the resiliency archetype since, despite the challenges that come to his life, he perseveres and looks for alternatives to overcome them. The acting supports Chopin since his shift to Paris commences his discovery journey, where he finds George Sand and falls in love (Desire for Love 01:52:16 – 01:54:40). George decides to part ways with his longtime lover, Mallefille, opting for Chopin with the anticipation that their love would be perfect (Desire for Love 01:32:21 – 01:37:01).
Direction
I liked how the director chose to tell this impactful story. He showcases how people’s expectations turn to be the opposite. Partially, Chopin lives his dream, considering that he was playing piano for the Grand Duke. However, life turns unfair when he is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Sympathetically, the director raises sorrowful emotions among the audience, hence achieving his main target of the film, showing Chopin’s life until he decides to call his sister to help him (Desire for Love 02:10:21 – 02:14:02). The movie’s pacing and speed were average, making the audience better see the film. Besides, the storytelling was straightforward as it follows Chopin’s happenings from childhood until adulthood. Chopin falls in love with George and subsequently leads a miserable life after his health retrogresses due to tuberculosis (Desire for Love 01:14:14 – 01:16:47). Moreover, suspense worked among the movie’s audience, whereby we are not sure whether Chopin recovered from his illness and found another love. Generally, the direction of Jerzy’s movie Desire for Love closely resembles that of Nights and Days, whereby he traverses through the epic family drama.
Cinematography
The shots uniquely tell the audience more about the story. There are both light and darkness in the movie, the same way Chopin’s life is light and dark. At times, Chopin proves to live his dream and afterward ravages in disaster in his love life and his health. The coloring and lighting equally affect the tone of the story. For instance, when Chopin calls one of his sisters to help him until he succumbs, the lights darken, and Chopin is seen from a distance, exemplifying the cameras’ movement effectiveness (Desire for Love 02:05:10 – 02:14: 54). The lighting and coloring aim to enhance the movie’s tone, developing the somber mood in the viewers. The actors were well because they did everything according to the scene. For instance, George kisses Chopin after accepting his courtship proposal (Desire for Love 00:58:33 – 01:01:31). The audience expects characters to kiss as a sign of love. Therefore, the film was coherently shot, focusing on one aspect, and bringing the required unity, making the audience understand the film plot easily.
Production Design
The sets feel lived-in and believable to the story. Chopin and George are seen in a vast restaurant during their early days of courtship (Desire for Love 01:12:43 – 01:18:21). Here, the director creates a lively comprehension of how the love circle starts at first. Notably, the movie is shot during Fall, and Chopin wears a trench-court in the better part of the film. George also wears seductive pants and tops and night dresses during evenings and nights, giving the audience an understanding of how people expect lovers to behave.
Editing
The editing of the movie is clean, making the flow consistent. Fast motion is one of the editing styles that is used in the film, for example, when George flashbacks on her previous marriage are shown (Desire for Love 01:27:57 – 01:38:13). Moreover, fade in and fade out is used whereby Chopin thinks about his life as a superstar pianist (Desire for Love 00:23:54 – 00:27:04). The cut approach is used to join the different scenes. After the end of a specific location, another set commences on the same point that it left before it was cut.
Pace
The flowing of the movie is excellent. The flow is neither too fast nor too slow, making the audience digest every bit of it. The movie’s organization gives it a distinctive form, where the audience is kept guessing on what might happen as the film continues. However, scenes like flashback fragged down the movie, whereby George reflects on the suffering of the past affair with Mallefille (Desire for Love 00:44:25 – 00:48:39). Understandably, the flashback makes the viewer comprehend George’s past life.
Dialogue
The conversation throughout the movie is believable. For instance, Chopin and George converse over their disagreements, and George decides to leave despite Chopin requesting her to stay and take care of him (Desire for Love 02:05:34 – 02:15:37). Here, the conversation develops both the character of Chopin and the plot wholly. It exemplifies that Chopin is determined to get whatever his heart desires. The exchange also contributes to the sorrowful tone in the movie, where the audience sympathizes with Chopin.
Musical Score
The music supports the mood of the movie, considering that it is subtle. Rock and pop music play almost throughout the whole film; for example, when George packs her things and goes away, leaving Chopin alone. The song’s lyrics mention that “this is another almost perfect that did not work” (Desire for Love 02:00:17 – 02:04-57). These words contribute to the movie’s mood, whereby the audience feels terrible and sympathizes with what the film’s starring goes through in life, where everything seems not to work, making him despair.
The music works amazingly for the script, and the music cues were timed well for the scenes since they come at the right time when the characters are going through different life scenarios. As mentioned above, pop song lyrics resurface when Chopin is left alone in the house, without anyone to help him despite being sick (Desire for Love 02:08:11 – 02:10:17). The music and lyrics are in line with the movie’s tone, whereby it makes the audience feel sorry for the ordeals that Chopin is experience in his life. Listening to the lyrics attentively and internalizing them, the audience can find themselves crying. They relate what they have seen the starring go through in the movie with the songs. Connectedly, the music goes hand in hand with the tone of the film.
Work Cited
Desire for Love. Directed by Jerzy Antczak, 2003.