Product Description

Vitus is the story of a child prodigy who has everything he wants except the chance to be a normal kid. At six, Vitus is both incredibly talented and wonderfully precocious. When it becomes evident that he has an exceptionally high IQ and can play piano like a young Mozart, expectations run high. His parents love him, his grandfather understands him, but no one knows the truth that his real genius is in his heart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21825 in DVD
• Brand: GHEORGHIU,TEO
• Released on: 2007-11-27
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: German
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.com
In Vitus, a boy's extraordinary talent makes his life unbearable--until he applies his brilliance to the problem of normalcy. Vitus (played at 12 by actual piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu), a boy obsessed with bats and the piano, reveals high intelligence and musical intuition in his childhood; his mother Helen sets out to both push and protect him, resulting in a life hemmed in and out of the boy's control. His only solace is his rascally grandfather (Bruno Ganz, Wings of Desire, as wily and charismatic as ever), who lets Vitus explore without restrictions. But when he can stand his mother's well-intentioned but domineering ways no longer, Vitus takes a drastic step to reclaim his autonomy. A charming fable, Vitus rises above the usual cliches about gifted youth through subtle performances, emotional restraint, and lovely images. Director Fredi M. Murer draws remarkably natural performances from both Gheorghiu and the adorable Fabrizio Borsani, who plays Vitus at age 6, as well as from the young actresses who play the girl Vitus yearns for. There's no denying that Vitus aims to be heartwarming, and for some viewers that goal is cloying in and of itself. But when the 6 year old Vitus running around wearing the gigantic batwings his grandfather made, it would take a rigid cynic not to be delighted. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

STAND UP & CHEER!!
VITUS-(2006-PG) was the Swiss entry in the 2006 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. It is a terrific family friendly film about a young prodigy (Vitus) who wants to grow up normal and his parents want him to use his incredible gifts and not waste them. While his mother does come across sometimes as selfish in her desires, I imagine if we put ourselves in her shoes, we might struggle with the same tensions of how to let him grow up 'normal' and also not waste his gifts. Vitus then takes it upon himself to ensure that he will grow up 'normal'. Through all this tension, he finds a friend in his grandfather who understands him and passes on his love of flying and woodworking, something his mother does not approve. She goes ballistic one day when she sees Vitus learning how to use a saw because of what it could do to his fingers if he had an accident. There are also some clever little twists in the story that make this a very interesting and entertaining family movie. [...].

A tribute to human spirit
This is an incredible movie in the fact it takes on genius and the expectations of genius, only to make a full U-turn and follow the heart. It is a good example of not placing our expectations upon others...they will rise to their own level on their own, often surpassing our dreams. Only true genius can become self actualized and happy as a result of pursuit. This movie is not about piano playing, but finding your happiness in spite of the world around us.

Classic Cinema From Switzerland
This brilliant fable about a child prodigy struggling to take flight remains among the few masterpieces in recent years. Swiss director Fredi M. Murer elicits superb performances from Fabrizio Borsani and Teo Gheorghiu (who portray the boy pianist at ages 6 and 12, respectively) while maintaining a charmingly eccentric tone. Bruno Ganz is wonderful as Vitus' grandfather. I would not change a single frame.