The Maestro (2018 film)

The Maestro is a 2018 American historical drama directed, produced by Adam Cushman and David J. Phillips and written by C.V. Herst, the real-life son of the film's protagonist Jerry Herst. The film features Xander Berkeley as composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, an Italian immigrant who arrived in Los Angeles in the thirties after evading Mussolini's Italy. The Maestro premiered at the Heartland Film Festival in 2017.[2] The film was acquired for distribution by Freestyle Releasing and had a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles.[3][4]

The Maestro
Official poster
Directed byAdam Cushman
Written byC.V. Herst
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyColton Davie
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
  • Phillm Productions
  • White Rabbit
Distributed byFreestyle Releasing
Release date
  • December 8, 2018 (2018-12-08)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,080[1]

Plot

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After World War II, budding musician Jerry Herst (Leo Marks) returns to Los Angeles for one more go at becoming a successful film composer. In Los Angeles, Herst studies with the famed instructor Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Xander Berkeley), whose students include John Williams, Andre Previn, Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle and Jerry Goldsmith. Herst, who already had a hit under his belt, 1937's "So Rare", struggles between family pressure and his musical calling, as Tedesco teaches him what it means to be a successful artist. The film also features actor Jon Polito as fictional MGM executive Herbert Englehardt in what would be Polito's final performance.

Cast

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Release

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The film played several festivals before its official release, receiving the Audience Award at the Tallgrass Film Festival in 2018,[5][6] the Jury Award at the Borrego Springs Film Festival in 2019,[7] the Silver Palm award at the 2018 Mexico International Film Festival,[8] and the Youth Film Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2018.[9] Actor Xander Berkeley received "Best Actor" awards at the 2017 Oaxaca Film Festival and the 2018 Albuquerque Film & Music Experience.[10][11]

On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 83% based on reviews from 6 critics.[12]

References

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  1. ^ The Maestro (2018) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-09-14
  2. ^ "Special Events, Pavilion and Premieres Schedule". Heartland Film. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  3. ^ The Maestro (2018) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-09-14
  4. ^ Hipes, Patrick (2019-01-18). "Xander Berkeley Pic 'The Maestro' Scores Freestyle Deal; Giant Pictures Acquires Feminist Thriller 'The Bellwether'". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  5. ^ "Tallgrass Film Association". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  6. ^ "Tallgrass International Film Festival (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  7. ^ "The WINNERS!". THE BSFF. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  8. ^ "Mexico International Film Festival (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  9. ^ "2018 RIIFF Awards". www.film-festival.org. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  10. ^ "Xander Berkeley". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  11. ^ "2019 AWARD WINNERS". AFMX. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  12. ^ "The Maestro (2019)". Retrieved 2020-09-14.
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