The Harvest of Sorrow

This portrait of pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is an exquisite composition in its own right. There are interviews with others but much of the story is told in Rachmaninoff's own words, through journals and correspondence as read by Sir John Gielgud. Performances of his works are enhanced and illuminated with archives, vintage home movies of Rachmaninoff's world, film from both world wars and new footage filmed in Russia, Switzerland and America. It's also a showcase of Palmer's approach to filming classical music. Palmer never simply "documents" a musical performance - he selects significant musical passages for conductors and musicians to perform as they're filmed from a variety of intimate and expressive perspectives. The film is also an active story. Palmer joins Rachmaninoff's grandson Alexander Rachmaninoff for a touching sequence: his first visit to Ivanovka, the reconstructed family estate, which had been plundered and destroyed after they fled Leninist Russia. (Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival)