cassar-1 The focus of the movie is Mrs Carey who seems to spend most of her time focusing on the behaviour of the students and and how that impinges on her forthcoming concert. She resorts to threats, even to the point of almost dismissing a student from the concert at the last minute. The students themselves are supremely talented, but nothing is ever good enough for the teachers. One teacher is a composer and insists the student reproduce the emotion he felt when he composed the piece but without giving the student any clues or guidelines. The director has very cleverly shown how students are harshly treated and how very talented students are given little or no gratitude by teachers who should know better. The great violin performance towards the end of the documentary illustrates how off the mark the teachers were at the start of the documentary.

timcolebatch contains spoilerThe first review in this section is such a Rant against Authority that it provokes me to write a rejoinder.This documentary will particularly interest lovers of classical music, because the film is full of it, and really good music too, edgy music from early 20th century composers (Ravel's string quartet, Vaughan Williams' Variation of a Theme of Thomas Tallis.It will particularly interest those who have an interest in how kids grow up, and acquire the discipline to achieve things that were once beyond their reach.And it will particularly interest those who are curious about how interventionist schools shape their students, and why the elite private schools of Australia, Britain and presumably other countries achieve such success in academic and artistic areas.MLC (Methodist Ladies College) is one of the elite girls' schools of Sydney, with expensive fees, a strong culture of achievement, and a policy to apply this to music. The annual school concert in the iconic Sydney Opera House = Mrs Carey's Concert = is one of the highlights of the school year, in which every student, musical or otherwise, interested or not, is obliged to take part.Chinese girls make up outsized part of the school's musical talent, and the film strikes a nice balance by focussing on two of them: one who is the school's outstanding violinist, Emily Sun, and another, Iris, who is the cool, defiant one, determined not to take part.Yes, the girls are pushed to achieve things, to play complex music that at first, and even close to concert night, seems beyond them. But they get swept up in it, push themselves, and they make it. You live it with them, and you share their excitement when the concert comes off.Reviewer 1 up above was aghast that this is achieved by a subtly authoritarian culture, where it is drummed into the girls that their music must come first in their lives. Well, whether it's football coaches or law firms or financial traders, that is how success is achieved, how promise is translated into achievement. That is why private schools are so good at what they do, and why these teenage girls, by the end of it, belong on the stage of the Sydney Opera House.

Chief_Squirrel The various internet movie reviews (and the entirely disingenuous DVD cover) suggest MRS. CAREY'S CONCERT is some kind of "exhilarating feature film experience". I had to double-check to see if I had watched the same show.The movie I saw, a fly-on-the-wall documentary, is more an effective examination of the processes of indoctrination employed by teachers at a private girls' school. Perhaps it's due to the power of dramatic archetypes that critics and viewers alike stopped watching the story that was, and inferred something else entirely. I'm not sure.I didn't see "determination" or "the power of education to transform lives". I saw bullying and threats, as the teaching staff attempted to shoehorn off-the-rack notions of music into the minds of their callow pupils.The one notable exception, Iris, has been described elsewhere as "truculent" and "a villain" for no other reason than refusing to conform. Her crime seemed to be simply stating the truth of her feelings: that she was not interested in participating in the concert. What the hell is wrong with that? In almost any other dramatic context, Iris would be considered the hero.The privileged high school students---appropriately immature and unworldly---are patently unable to appreciate the deeper themes and emotions at the heart of classical music. Yet, are ruthlessly intimidated; if only to the point of appearing as if they do, just to make the intimidation stop.Emily, the competent violinist at the centre of the story seems to be singled out for additional verbal water-boarding for no other reason than that she is Asian. All of her ability and talent is brought to the school on the back of her own circumstance and dedication; I'm puzzled how anyone could think the teachers should take the credit for it.With the focus of the two year-long narrative being wholly on the destination (rather than the journey), it's no wonder the final performance is so bereft of joy, especially from the titular Mrs. Carey. By the end of it all, I didn't see kids transformed by the perseverance of one woman. I saw kids who simply seemed to be happy that the whole thing was finally over.It's impossible to watch this film and not invoke Chris Lilley from ANGRY BOYS or SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH. Nonetheless, the documentary is recommended viewing... just not for any of the reasons stated in the reviews or the marketing.To me, MRS. CAREY'S CONCERT demonstrates two things. Firstly, everything that is wrong with the education system, especially private education. Secondly, considering the comments, the insidious power of brainwashing.

gregking4 This is not another of those films like Mr Holland's Opus in which a dedicated teacher transforms the lives of their disadvantaged students through music. Rather this is a fascinating documentary that takes us inside a private girl's school in Sydney and the music department, which holds a huge showcase concert at the Sydney Opera House every two years. Mrs Carey is the formidable head of the school's music department who believes in the power of music to transform the lives of her students and nourish the soul. She insists that all 1200 students participate in the concert. She is also something of a perfectionist and a demanding taskmaster, and the rehearsals are rigorous, the preparations are demanding. However, not all of her students are eager to participate, and this generates a frisson of tension that adds to the material. A major subplot that develops almost by chance sees two girls whose attitudes are changed dramatically through their involvement. One is Emily Sun, a troubled student who is starting to go off the rails behaviour-wise, until Mrs Carey nominates her to play solo violin on a difficult concerto. The personal pain of her private life eventually shapes her brilliant performance on the night. The other is Iris, a rude, surly, rebellious and disruptive student who is reluctant to get involved. Veteran documentary filmmaker Bob Connolly (Rats In The Ranks, etc) and his new collaborator Sophie Raymond have spent the better part of a year embedding themselves in the school and filming the preparation for the concert. Granted an unprecedented level of access, Connolly and his crew are unobtrusive observers who adopt a frank, fly-on-the-wall approach. The cameras follow the students and teachers as they rehearse and plan for the concert, and uncover a journey of self-discovery filled with passion, angst and the occasional conflict. They even manage to capture some moments of self-doubt on the part of Carey as the concert draws near. Connolly shot plenty of footage over the course of three years, and there is more than enough material to turn Mrs Carey's Concert into a fascinating three part television series, culminating in the concert itself. This is Connolly's first film since Facing The Music a decade ago, and is a tremendously inspiring and uplifting film.