Film Review: The Yellow Tie

The Yellow Tie, which had its North American premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) last week, is based on the life of composer and conductor Sergiu Celibidache, whose name may not seem familiar to those outside the classical music world, but whose career and contributions were of great renown.

The story moves back and forth in time, beginning in Celibidache’s youth in Romania in the post-WWI years, where he grew up in a prosperous family. His father, a high-ranking military officer, had ambitious plans for his son to one day be the prime minister of Romania, but young Sergiu was already drawn to composing music.

Eventually he parted ways with his family to pursue his musical passion, first playing piano in clubs and ballet classes in Bucharest, and eventually moving to Berlin to study composition. This was the 1930s, and the Nazi grip was tightening. Romanians were considered “gypsies” and an unwanted part of the German population. Despite this, at the end of the war he earned the position of principal conductor of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic, where he excelled.

Celibidache’s career trajectory took some turns, largely due to his complete refusal to participate in recordings, either in the studio or in live performance. He held very strong feelings about the immediacy of live performance, which could never be captured in recordings, which would only amplify any flaws. (Several recordings were made during his lifetime, but could only be released posthumously.)

This stubbornness cost him his position in Berlin and led him to South America where he was guest conductor in Peru and Argentina, and eventually back to Europe. In his later years he focused equally on teaching, and went on to mentor the next generations of composers and conductors.

The cast of The Yellow Tie is excellent, with Ben Schnetzer as the young and middle-aged Celibidache, John Malkovich portraying him in his later years, and Sean Bean as his father. The production overall is outstanding – lush cinematography, gorgeous score, and amazing locations and sets. It is a treat to see the performance sequences in beautiful concert halls, and surprising to learn that the production was entirely in Romania, which stood in for all locations.

One of the most delightful surprises of all was learning that the director was Serge Ioan Celibidachi, the son of the subject. He also co-wrote the screenplay, with James Olivier.

The Yellow Tie is a sumptuous epic, taking us through much of the 20^th century via a rich and interesting character. It is also a true pleasure to see the recreation of performances, with full orchestras.  Did I say it was sumptuous?