Director - Barbara Albert
Run Time - 97 minutes
Language - German & French w/ English subtitles
Format - Digital
Year - 2017
Genre - Drama

Educational Interests- Adolescence, Biographies/Profiles, Cinema Studies, Cultural Studies, Disability Studies, Music, New Releases, Performance, Women's Studies

Institutional DVD Price: $295

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Set in 18th century Vienna, this is the true story of Maria Theresia von Paradis, a gifted piano player and close friend of Mozart, who lost her eye-sight as a child. Desperate to cure their talented daughter, the Paradis entrust Maria to Dr. Mesmer, a forward-thinking-physician who gives her the care and attention that she requires. With the doctor's innovative techniques of magnetism, Maria slowly recovers her sight. But this miracle comes at a price as the woman progressively starts to lose her gift for music. Faced with a heavy dilemma, Mademoiselle Paradis will have to choose: an ordinary life in the light or an extraordinary life in darkness, as a virtuoso.

"Sensual, sensitive historical drama. A fresh, inquisitive portrait...the engrossing result feels entirely modern." - Variety

"An exquisitely crafted period drama. A superb performance from Maria Dragus pulls Maria from the pages of history making her alive and emotional, vulnerable to every harsh word and casual insult. She creates a deeply sympathetic figure trapped between the conflicting demands of life and art." - Screen Daily

"An inquisitive, curious and gorgeously accoutered period piece about science, the senses and the position of women in Mozart-era Austria." - The Hollywood Reporter

"A stunning success...told with passion and grace. Maria Dragus is simply extraordinary." - The Playlist

"Director Barbara Albert fashions a remarkable image of blindness and healing, of cruelty and of compassion." - The Globe & Mail

"A subtle and intelligent film about the historical crisis of female subjectivity and the various men who attempt to control that emerging identity. Dragus' performance is a study in precision within a tightly controlled range." - CinemaScope Magazine