Shine
A gifted pianist battles his own fractured mind and a domineering past to reclaim the stage, risking sanity for the chance to let his music finally be heard.
“A true story of the mystery of music and the miracle of love”
Synopsis
Pianist David Helfgott, pressured by his father and teachers, experiences a mental breakdown. Years later, he returns to playing the piano, achieving popular success, though not necessarily critical approval.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 69+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Pip KarmelShot by Geoffrey SimpsonScored by David HirschfelderDesigned by Vicki Niehus
Box Office
1996 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 6.5× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$35.9M
Opening weekend: $162K — 0% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Peak 7 theaters
Also known as
- Shine - Der Weg ins Lichtde
- Shine – Der Weg ans Lichtde
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Cast & Crew
69 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Geoffrey Rush
as David Helfgott - Adult
Armin Mueller Stahl
as Peter
Noah Taylor
as David as an adolescent
Justin Braine
as Tony
Sonia Todd
as Sylvia
Lynn Redgrave
as Gillian
Chris Haywood
as Sam
Googie Withers
as Katharine Susannah Prichard
Alex Rafalowicz
as David Helfgott - Child
Gordon Poole
as Eisteddfod Presenter
Nicholas Bell
as Ben Rosen
John Gielgud
as Cecil Parkes
Supporting cast
50Danielle Cox
as Suzie - Child
Rebecca Gooden
as Margaret
Marta Kaczmarek
as Rachel
John Cousins
as Jim Minogue
Paul Linkson
as State Champion Announcer
Randall Berger
as Isaac Stern
Ian Welbourne
as Boy Next Door
Kelly Bottrill
as Louise as a baby
Beverley Vaughan
as Rabbi
Phyllis Burford
as Synagogue Secretary
Daphne Grey
as Society Hostess
Edwin Hodgeman
as Soviet Society Secretary
Maria Dafneros
as Sonia
Reis Porter
as Postman
Stephen Sheehan
as Roger Woodward (younger)
Brenton Whittle
as Announcer
Marianna Doherty
as Suzie as a teenager
Camilla James
as Louise as a child
David King
as Viney
Danny Davies
as Registrar
Helen Dowell
as Sarah
Louise Dorling
as Muriel
Sean Carlsen
as Student
Richard Hansell
as Ashley
Robert Hands
as Robert
Marc Warren
as Ray
Neil Thomson
as RCOM Conductor
Joey Kennedy
as Suzie as an adult
Ellen Cressey
as Nurse
Beverley Dunn
as Beryl Alcott
Andy Seymour
as Bar Customer
Ella Scott Lynch
as Jessica
Jethro Heysen Hicks
as Rowan
John Martin
as Roger Woodward (older)
Bill Boyley
as Celebrant
Teresa La Rocca
as Opera Singer
Lindsey Day
as Opera Singer
Grant Doyle
as Opera Singer
Leah Jennings
as Musician
Kathy Monaghan
as Musician
Mark Lawrence
as Musician
Gordon Coombes
as Musician
Luke Dollman
as Musician
Margaret Stone
as Musician
Tom Carrig
as Musician
Helen Ayres
as Musician
Suzi Jarratt
as Vocalist
Samantha Mcdonald
as Vocalist
Peter Osborn
as Priest (uncredited)
Sandi Gardiner
as Restaurant Customer (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
4Parents Guide
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Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
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