Joan Warmbold includes on her list for summer reading *Love You to Bits and Pieces: Life with David Helfgott*. I suggest anyone reading this book by honorary life member of the Australian Federation of Astrologers Gillian Helfgott should immediately take an antidote in the form of the book co-authored by David Helfgott's eldest sister Margaret and journalist/commentator Tom Gross: *Out of Tune: David Helfgott and the Myth of "Shine"*
The film "Shine", based on the story propagated by Gillian in her book, enraged David Helfgott’s family, family friends, and other people associated with David’s life, because of its gross misrepresentations, both of individuals and events. Margaret's account is backed up by qu otations from numerous people who knew the family at all periods of their lives, and who have provided testimony that the portrayal of David's father in the film (and specifically his behaviour towards David) is a travesty of the facts. The Reverend Robert Fairman, who knew the family and ran a halfway house where David Helfgott stayed for seven years after a lengthy period of hospitalisation, writes that in the whole of that time "he never said one angry word about his father". He also said of the "Shine" filmmakers that their "line of thinking must have been: 'Why let facts get in the way of a good story?'." A consequence of David Helfgott's mental disorder was that he became a child-like adult. His fir st wife was a nurse several years older than him. His second wife Gillian, then a professional astrologer, was sixteen years older than him and effectively ran his life and told him what to do. Here is Denis Dutton, editor of Arts and Letters Daily, commenting on David Gelfott's schizophrenia and the claim his mental disorder was brought on by his father's brutality: "Whatever its etiology, his disease is not something explained by life with an unpleasant father. This is a view shared by Helfgott’s sister, Margaret, who has objected to the 'derogatory and insulting' portrayal of their father in the film. As for their mother, who now lives in Israel, she said after the film was released that "Shine" 'haunt s me day and night. . .I feel an evil has been done.' It is hard not to sympathize with Mrs. Helfgott. On her and her daughter’s testimony, Peter Helfgott never struck his son…" http://www.denisdutton.com/helfgott.htm Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London ________________________________________________________________________ Don't let your email address define you - Define yourself at http://www.tunome.com today! --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
