`Shine' Tells Only Small Fraction Of Pianist's Story

All the world loves a happy ending - especially a Hollywood happy ending.

When you have a triumphant, uplifting movie such as "Shine," which chronicles the re-emergence of real-life pianist David Helfgott from incarceration in mental hospitals to a triumphant concert comeback with the help of his devoted wife, your heart leaps up in response. You even want to be a part of it: when the "Shine Tour" was announced a few months back, audiences around the globe flocked to buy tickets to Helfgott's recital engagements in many of the world's major concert halls. (There's a Seattle recital April 2 in the Opera House, which has been sold out since February.)

It feels like a dash of cold water to hear that "Shine" is only part of the Helfgott story; that the Australian pianist still is far from well; that his playing varies in quality and can't compare with the professional-level artists who play the same venues. It feels a little creepy to question the motives of the "Shine" entourage, including Helfgott's wife Gillian, who have booked this mentally and emotionally fragile 49-year-old on an 18-concert tour that will make a great deal of money (probably between $1.6 million and $2 million, projected from figures reported by The Washington Post), but would test the concentration and stamina of a much more stable and experienced player.

It's a tour, in fact, that could choke a horse, as the saying goes, and from the very first North American stop, knowledgeable observers (including, of course, critics) have made it clear that they find Helfgott's movie inspiring - but his real-life playing less so.

Is it mean-spirited to judge an artist who has been through so much, and who now has gotten his life back on track to his own great joy and that of others? Helfgott, after all, has endured a traumatic childhood with a possessive and demanding father; a difficult breakaway to England for further musical studies; a catastrophic breakdown after an award-winning performance; and a dark decade of hospitals, halfway houses, group homes, and various attempts to get the badly damaged pianist back to self-sufficiency.

There are many, including Helfgott's presenters and promoters, who would argue that this special case deserves special handling in the press. Not a regular concert review, from a regular critic; a more understanding assessment, maybe, that analyzes the playing in conjunction with the movie, making allowances for this very different concert artist, and for various lapses if they occur.

The difficulty with this argument is that journalists of all kinds are supposed to be truthful reporters. In the opening engagements of Helfgott's tour, the truth reportedly has been that the pianist hasn't done well: forgetting portions of the music, making a great deal of noise (singing and chattering while playing), and making many errors in technique and interpretation. For an audience who is there only as a sentimental journey, these things might not matter; they might even be taken as charming evidence of the pianist's unique personality. For those expecting a top-quality concert, however, their $35-$50 might have been better spent elsewhere.

For instance, "Shine" fans might want to take a look at one of two new books about Helfgott. Helfgott's wife, Gillian, has written a book, "Love You to Bits and Pieces: Life with David Helfgott" (Penguin Books, $11.95 paper), with co-author Alissa Tanskaya, telling the story that has emerged piecemeal from David's traumatized testimony ever since the couple met in 1983; it's essentially the story told in "Shine."

Another new book by Australian biographer Beverley Eley, "The Book of David" (HarperCollins, $12 paper), goes beyond the "Shine" story line with interviews with Helfgott's siblings, letters sent by (and about) Helfgott during the time of his breakdown in England, more details about a catastrophic first marriage, and more discussion of the role of his demanding father.

Eley has since withdrawn her book and is preparing another version, as more facts about Helfgott's life have emerged from such sources as Sir Frank Callaway, who arranged for Helfgott's entry into the Royal College of Music. Eley also has had a falling-out with Gillian Helfgott, and the former now claims that the "Shine" version of David Helfgott's life is essentially a hoax that is "deeply disturbing and not quite honest."

As "Love You to Bits and Pieces" tells the story, the Helfgotts seem an odd couple in more ways than one when they got together in 1983. He was Jewish; she was not, and she - an astrologer who looked to the stars and the cards for guidance - was 15 years older than he. He also was "an acute psychotic," according to the doctor who introduced the couple. The story of how they came together, and what it took to get David back on the path toward a more normal life, is intriguing, harrowing and occasionally downright weird, but it's required reading for anyone whom "Shine" has made into a Helfgott fan.

The main outline of the story is fairly clear. David grew up in Perth as a well-known child prodigy in a family whose members had survived the Holocaust; the father was poor, impractical, domineering and obsessive about his gifted son, who became by his own account a "mouse" who only reflected the father's opinions. Though noted violinist Isaac Stern, who heard the talented youngster, offered him a chance to study in America, the father cut off that possibility, partly because he was possessive and partly because he was jealous of the influence of wealthy Jewish community members who wanted to help. He returned the money raised on David's behalf in the local community.

Later, at 19, David escaped to London, where he had three good years - 1966-1969 - before what he called "the fog" or "the soreness" gradually descended (his instructor at the Royal College of Music said he had "extraordinary pianistic talent, but his work is ill-organized and spasmodic"). After an award-winning performance of the difficult Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, and the presentation of his silver medal by the Queen Mother, Helfgott suffered a breakdown and returned to Australia, where he spent nearly a dozen years in institutions.

But there were bright spots. Helfgott had many friends and supporters, from the wealthy families who helped support the family to various teachers (including Alice Carrard, a 99-year-old student of Bartok), kindly elderly patrons and helpful friends (such as the doctor who got Helfgott a job playing the piano in Ricardo's, a wine bar, where he regaled delighted fans with nightly renditions of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky).

It was Gillian, however, who did the most. Back in 1983, and still to this day, David clearly needed a keeper - someone who could help him through all the things he found alarming (initially, that meant many social contacts, the wearing of clothing, car rides, airplanes and anything that kept him apart from cigarettes and caffeine for more than a few seconds). David reportedly still has no sense of personal space, and will hug and kiss strangers. Like a friendly toddler with no sense of time, he will wander off, chattering amiably to himself and others, or swim out to sea (Helfgott is an enthusiastic swimmer and formerly took as many as 10 showers each day). He required at least six charred-crisp lamb chops for dinner each night.

While Helfgott sounds most entertaining (he has a great sense of humor), he had just about worn out his welcome with various friends, and was going to return to institutionalized care, just as Gillian came on the scene.

A professional astrologer, Gillian has laced her narrative with references to triple Sagittarians, psychic readings, tactile Taureans and Ten of Swords tarot cards. Whether or not these factors helped predict destiny, David and Gillian fell in love almost immediately, and she had no hesitation in taking on a bridegroom who was fully capable of wandering off during the wedding ceremony (luckily, those fears did not materialize).

Gillian's gradual improvement in David's quality of life is carefully detailed in "Love You to Bits and Pieces," from weaning him away from cigarettes and stimulants to giving him a greater sense of security and self-esteem. The book also documents the nine years it took director Scott Hicks to get "Shine" made, and follows the pianist and his wife as concert activity is resumed, with a finale in Copenhagen.

What the real finale of the "Shine Tour" will be remains to be seen. An Australian arts editor recently wrote that "The big question about Helfgott is whether he will be able to withstand the pressure of international exposure" following the release of the film and the expansion of his concert career. Those who have followed Helfgott's career thus far, however, aren't counting him out. As Helfgott frequently says of his own life: "It's a mystery. A mystery." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Author to speak

Gillian Helfgott, wife of David Helfgott and author of the book "Love You to Bits and Pieces," will give a short talk and take audience questions at a book signing from 6-7 p.m. April 3 at Borders Books and Music, 1501 Fourth Ave. (622-7625).