Madame Sousatzka

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

78%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 18

64%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 346

Where to watch

Show all services

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

Madame Sousatzka Photos

View All Photos (9)

Movie Info

In London, eccentric piano instructor Madame Sousatzka (Shirley MacLaine) takes on a new prize protégé, Manek (Navin Chowdhry), a teenage Bengali immigrant who displays incredible talent. Manek forms a close bond with his teacher, but soon discovers that she expects her pupils to become disciplined in all areas of life, and not just behind the piano. As he struggles to meet the challenges, Manek must also deal with his mother (Shabana Azmi), who vies with his teacher for his attentions.
  • Rating:
    PG-13
  • Genre:
    drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    John Schlesinger
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $2.9M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Cineplex Odeon Films
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround

Cast & Crew

Shirley MacLaine
Madame Yuvline Sousatzka
Navin Chowdhry
Manek Sen
Peggy Ashcroft
Lady Emily
Twiggy
Jenny
Shabana Azmi
Sushila Sen
Leigh Lawson
Ronnie Blum
Geoffrey Bayldon
Mr. Cordle
Lee Montague
Vincent Pick
John Schlesinger
Director
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Madame Sousatzka

All Critics (18) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (4)

View All Critic Reviews (18)

Audience Reviews for Madame Sousatzka

  • Oct 26, 2012
    A piano teacher and a prodigy's mother vie for the pupil's devotion. In the canon of teacher films, this provides a new category, the pedagogy of self-abnegation. Madame Sausatzka has an unfortunate string of pupils who learn from her then leave her. During their instruction she uses the basic tough love methods that we've come to expect from films of this ilk, and like <i>To Sir with Love</i>, which is the ultimate tough-love educator film, she forms an emotional bond with her students. But when she's left, she feels emptier, like a jilted lover. The film doesn't condemn her teaching methods; in fact it celebrates them because she emerges as an educator-hero, one who has sacrificed for the greater good. I don't like the message, but I think it's interesting. Shirley MacLaine gives a very good performance, an abrasive attitude mixed with an inner pain. Navin Chowdhry is also very good, giving one of the better performance I've seen from a child actor. The film's plot unfolds slowly, and it isn't until late in the second act that its pedagogical philosophy becomes clear. I also had no idea what was going on with the house in which Sousatzka was entrenched; I got that it was condemned or something, but the specifics of the problem and its solution failed to be a compelling plotline. Also, the subplot between Manek and Jenny was poorly set up. Overall, I didn't like a lot about how the film was structured, but its basic idea is quite interesting.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

Madame Sousatzka Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

Movie & TV guides