Testimony

Testimony: The Story of Shostakovich is Tony Palmer's award winning film starring Ben Kingsley, based on the memoirs of Shostakovich (1906–1975) as dictated in the book Testimony (edited by Solomon Volkov, ISBN 0-87910-021-4) and filmed in Panavision. Some consider the book to be a fabrication. "A masterpiece...exceptional; an undoubted hit" - The Sunday Times "The best British film of the year" - Films and Filming "Exciting and deeply moving pie... more

Testimony: The Story of Shostakovich is Tony Palmer's award winning film starring Ben Kingsley, based on the memoirs of Shostakovich (1906–1975) as dictated in the book Testimony (edited by Solomon Volkov, ISBN 0-87910-021-4) and filmed in Panavision. Some consider the book to be a fabrication. "A masterpiece...exceptional; an undoubted hit" - The Sunday Times "The best British film of the year" - Films and Filming "Exciting and deeply moving piece of cinema" - The Independent "Testimony is one of those comparatively rare events nowadays – a real piece of cinema. Palmer's prowess as an editor, his knack of juxtaposing image and music – something which has remained his forte since he first caused a stir back in the sixties with Buddhist monks burning to The Beatles – has a field day in Testimony. Most importantly for a movie about a composer, there is always the feeling that Palmer understands the music. For a start, he puts to rest the hoary old cliché that the private Shostakovich is... less