COMMENTARY : Pianism in ‘Running on Empty’ Strikes a Familiar Chord

It’s an image of pathos that fits into American movies very well: A reticent teen-ager in jeans, with unkempt hair, who is constantly dropping his glasses, turns out to have the right stuff to be a talented concert pianist.

In Sidney Lumet’s latest movie, “Running on Empty,” River Phoenix portrays Danny Pope, a. k. a. “Mike Manfield” and several other fictitious names. He is 17, in a state of emotional hibernation, and a mystery to his teachers. Yet he performs Mozart’s Fantasia, K. 497, well enough to move an entrance jury at the Juilliard School of Music to remark, “You are very talented, you know.”

His mother and father (Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch) are former campus radicals wanted by the FBI, and have been running from town to town, changing their names with every move. Because his parents can’t afford a piano, Danny practices and miraculously develops his artistry on a portable silent keyboard.

Often, depicting classical music on the silver screen involves a little jazzing up and taking license with reality--as happens with almost any profession. For example, making a villain and hack out of composer Antonio Salieri created a convenient antagonist in “Amadeus” but historically wasn’t at all fair or accurate.

In this respect, “Running on Empty” contains scattered but forgivable moments of implausibility. For example, the entrance jury at Juilliard--which in reality has the reputation of being extremely thorough and tough on its applicants--allows Danny to play whatever he wants and doesn’t seem to mind that he starts at the end of the piece. (The same jury also listens to bassoonists and violinists as well as pianists when, in reality, there would be separate juries consisting of specialists in each instrument.)

If we regard the jury’s decision to accept Danny as a wise recognition of his talent and potential, and not an oversight of the obvious shortcomings his circumstances would produce, then “Running on Empty” works as a gentle story of a young musician caught between the pros and cons of two worlds: the down-to-earth world of his revolutionary father and the stiff-upper-lip world of his traditional music teacher, Mr. Phillips (played by Ed Crowley).

The pianism in the movie was the work of local pianist Gar Berke, who coached Phoenix for six months prior to filming. Berke’s rendition of Mozart is slower, more meditative than traditionally performed, but exudes the melancholy desired.

While on camera, Phoenix synchronized his fingers with a prerecorded tape of Berke playing. It is an amazing feat by Phoenix, who until “Running on Empty” never studied piano and yet manages to keep alive the illusion that he’s actually playing for extended periods of time.

Lumet, who selected the music, successfully downplayed banal attempts to popularize Mozart and Beethoven. He also worked closely with guitarist/composer Tony Mottola, whose title music for piano and guitar fittingly melds classical and popular styles.

Considering that the life of a concert pianist these days is sometimes rougher than being a fugitive from the FBI, it is expected that Danny might just have enough insight into his career to be successful. Perhaps a sequel, “Running on Empty II,” could deal with running from today’s difficult music world, which often favors market value over merit.