The Competition | 
| Director: Joel Oliansky
Actors: Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving, Lee Remick, Sam Wanamaker, Joseph Cali
Studio: Sony Pictures
Buy Used: $11.50
New (2) Used (17) Collectible (1) from $11.50
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 608
Format: Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6302363098
UPC: 043396601642
EAN: 9786302363098
ASIN: 6302363098
Theatrical Release Date: December 3, 1980
Release Date: June 23, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: acceptable WORN condition, the box is as pictured but is VERY worn, the vhs plays fine, thanks.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
When you are in the mood for a pleasant little romance, this should fit the bill. Amy Irving and Richard Dreyfuss are young pianists vying for the same prize. Surprise, surprise, they fall in love. We then must wait, with (nearly) breathless anticipation, to see if she will throw the contest to ensure his love. It is all a bit starry-eyed, but not overly gooey. The concert footage is handled with class, and there are some fine supporting performances from Sam Wanamaker and Lee Remick. It is also a lot of fun to see Dreyfuss and Irving as such fresh-faced innocents. --Rochelle O'Gorman
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 DVD please! June 17, 2008
L. Miller (Minnetonka, Minnesota)
Love the music, love the mood. Want to replace my VHS tape with the DVD. Please release it!
One of My All-Time Favorites May 12, 2008
Alex Sanders
I have to admit that people who don't like classical music might not care for this movie as much because the story in itself is a little dated, slightly gooey, and there's a lot of classical music but otherwise, this movie is just a gem and I'm so glad to see how many other people have discovered it over the years. I too wish the DVD would come out.
The music, especially Amy Irving's Prokofiev concerto at the end, is truly stunning and makes the movie so unique and enjoyable. (I only wish I could find a DVD of the actual pianist who played it.) It's wonderful to enter the world of the serious would-be concert pianist and the divas who had already made it (Lee Remick and Sam Wannamaker's characters) and this movie gives people a really great idea what the world was like back in the late 70's/early 80's (Polyester, disco, cold war, defections,etc.) The love story is at times, just a little sappy, but you have to remember that the characters are naturally very passionate (or they wouldn't be very good musicians, let's face it.) I thought it was actually a pretty realistic and fascinating story-line and there's the age old question of the sexual power struggle at the end- that one still hasn't been resolved. A few people have commented that Richard Dreyfuss overacts but I really disagree. His character is a diva-in-the-making and Dreyfuss won an Oscar for acting right around this time- he was excellent. In person, he was a jokester and constantly having too good of a time - the exact opposite of the character he plays. Viewers who are a lot younger may think the characters are unrealistic but even in the 80's, the world was a lot different- people thought differently- so I'd really give it a chance.
 You Can Wait... April 9, 2008
'Giordano Hussein Bruno' (Campo dei Fiori)
11 out of 17 found this review helpful
...for the DVD. It won't be any more or less dated when it comes. It was a sappy love story in 1980, almost embarrassing, but looking at it now I'm surprised by how well it was put together, without any computer effects, without 5-second cuts for short attention spans, etc. The acting is competent, but it's the music that carries the film. The sexual energy comes from Prokofieff, not Amy Irving.
I used to get residuals twice a year from this, my only major Hollywood gig, but the checks stopped last year. Possibly my contract ran out, or perhaps they stopped showing it on Romanian TV. So scream for the DVD, friends! I can always use the cash. And if you enjoyed the Where's Waldo books, you can play Where's Giordano with this film. I dig out the VHS once in a while just to amaze new acquaintances.
A favorite! February 10, 2008
Constance C. Jones
One of the movies I enjoy watching again and one that should be released sooner rather than later on DVD. Credible and creditable preformances by Richard Dreyfus as the pianist competing in his last year of eligibility - he does anxious and anal very well! - and Amy Irving as the girl who's got it all. Wonderful performances by Lee Remick and Sam Wanamaker and for that matter by most of the other supporting cast. And, of course, there's the music!
Where's the DVD? January 15, 2008
Samuel A. Watkins (Winston Salem, NC USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a pianist, this is one of my favorite movies. It gives the viewer a glimpse of the pressures of big league music competitions and manages to do so with charm and wit. Dreyfuss and Irving are perfect for their roles as both are competent pianists. The final competitions with the orchestra will absolutely produce goosebumps all over anyone who remotely enjoys classical music. This movie begs to be re-mastered on DVD. In an age where even the Three Stooges are on DVD--Sony, WAKE UP!! This is a classic!
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