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BERNSTEIN’S WALL

Douglas Tirola | USA | English | 2021 | 105 MIN

This intimate look at one of the towering figures of 20th-Century music highlights the storied career, vigorous activism, and tumultuous private life of Leonard Bernstein.

The Harvard-educated son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Leonard Bernstein rose to fame as the conductor of the New York Philharmonic and remained a subject of public fascination, adoration, and occasional controversy for the rest of his life. BERNSTEIN’S WALL highlights major accomplishments from the composer and conductor’s illustrious career as well as the defining facets of his personal life, from his complicated marriage to his conflicted relationship with his sexuality. Those only familiar with Bernstein’s musical legacy may be surprised to learn about the way politics informed his life and public image, often leading him into controversy with his support for leftist political causes. Director Douglas Tirola takes an unconventional approach to the bio-doc, eschewing strictly linear storytelling and contemporary talking heads in favor of an evocative collage of home movies, performance recordings, photos, and words from Bernstein’s correspondences. Tirola draws extensively on a number of recorded interviews conducted throughout Bernstein’s life, and the film feels suffused with the maestro’s own voice and spirit.


All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

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A Note on Health & Safety

As of September 1, PFS will require masking as well as proof of vaccination at the Film Center & PFS Bourse.

Acceptable forms of proof of vaccination include your CDC record/card or a picture of the vaccination card along with photo I.D.

Masks are required at all times except when eating or drinking in the theater. Children under the age of 12 are currently exempt from this requirement.

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Masking is now optional at the Film Center & PFS Bourse, proof of vaccination is still required. Click HERE for more info!