Out of Tune: David Helfgott and the Myth of Shine

by Margaret Helfgott, Tom Gross

Margaret Helfgott, sister of the piano virtuoso David Helfgott, shines new light on the story behind the film that brought him into the public arena. Her story contests the ideas developed in the film Shine in a thought-provoking manner.

294 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jim Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Never saw Shine , the movie supposedly based on David Helfgott's (born 1947) life; and after reading this memoir, I don't want to see it. In this memoir, David's big sister sets the record straight, or tries to; while she does an admirable job, even she admits that that she and her family can't fight the mythmaking of Hollywood and the media. I feel sorry for David, whose schizophrenia-related illness is almost certainly hereditary and not his fault. In Margaret's opinion, his second wife Gillian is to blame for his present condition. This is a good book for those who saw the movie and want the real story behind it.

[Tom Pintong · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I can be allowed to be trite with my word choice, this book certainly took the shine out of the Shine story. As I was reading this, with the "rach 3" running through my head as background music, I wanted to go and chuck the soundtrack and the video in the garbage. I still remember how I felt when I watched Shine the first time. and how inspired I was at the time. To know that it is just a concoction of deliberate ignorance and exploitation of an ill man sickens and saddens me to no end. If I met the director of the movie or David Helfgott's gold-digging wife, I'd like to beat them senseless. Defaming the Helfgott family, and deluding the world to make a quick buck is shameless at best, and unforgivable. I almost used Shine for a lesson plan in class when I was teaching music one year. I'm so glad I didn't now. Too bad it didn't take place in America. The defamation and libel suit against those two people would have been ridiculous.

[Andrew Blitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first saw the movie Shine when it came out, and also had the privilege of attending one of David Helfgott's live concerts. I was completely unaware of the Helfgott family experience and the true story that sits behind David's life experience. I am so glad that Maggie wrote this book and that I had the opportunity to learn what really happened. More than this, the book demonstrates how media coverage and corporate exploitation can combine to distort a narrative for nefarious purposes. With so much sensitivity towards "fake news" and "cancel culture" today, this story exposes the worst example of distorting facts, misrepresenting real people's human nature, and taking advantage of one person's vulnerability for the sake of fame and fortune. Anybody who has seen the movie Shine must read this book. I was touched by its raw and confronting account, and appreciative of its forthright and well structured approach towards giving the Helfgott family's account of their experience.

[shutterbug423 · Rating 2 out of 5]

For people who have mistaken autobiographical films for absolute truth Margaret Helfgott's book is an eye opener. While the film continues to be highly popular on cinema platforms like IMDB and is still regarded as one of the greatest biopics by many film buffs, the writer apparently tries to repair the the damage to his father's reputation. Out of Tune may sound like it's a well written book and anyone could easily sympathize with the writer but at times at it really feels like it has really this repetitive, bossy tone. It sounds more like diary than a well-researched book full of facts. For instance, the writer mentions more than once that she has made copies of David’s clippings just to make sure she tells us that her father did not burn those clippings and she tells us she can't publish her brother's letters in more than one chapter.
I appreciate the way that she offers examples and memories to state that her father had not been an ill-spirited man but there's no point to associate this with Holocaust more than a few times.
Apparently she's very uncomfortable with the references to Israel and she says "The very idea, so strongly suggested by Hicks, of my father, the supposed Holocaust survivor, adopting the manner of his persecutors, is grotesque. " It seems to me Margaret herself is as much out of tune as Hicks when it comes to the question at hand. I wonder who's the persecutor and who's persecuted right at this point in Israel right now? Maybe she can tell about that 'distorted, negative, simplistic, and arguably anti-Semitic television image' to Palestinian kids rather than to the so-called anti-semitic film-makers.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book read well. fluid. organized. MH's anger never overwrought. I have come to feel empathetic with her claims and implications. Admittedly, upon initial review, I am a sucker for the underdog, just as for David upon first seeing the film. And now I am inclined to investigate this story and its aftermath further. For the moment I say:
1) MH seems very level-headed, not vindictive. The motivation for her book seems a natural, self (family) preservative response to the cruel 'true' portrayal of her father and others.
2) In retrospect, the 'cause' of David's behavior, as portrayed in the film, remained unresolved for me. Was he mentally ill (biologic), or was he 'driven mad' (environmental)?
3) Photos of GH leave me cold. I've seen that face before and it is not to be trusted.
Praise MH.

[Sandra Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was well written and I sympathized a lot with the writer, David's sister, and the whole family and friends and it saddens me that the movie was so wrong and far from the truth.