'Shine' is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. I travelled to Stavanger last week and saw the film for the first time on Wednesday. As the story picked up I could remember having heard about it previously from someone who had refered both to the film and the musical complexity of the work of Rachmaninoff, which is a part of the story .

In the film David Helfgott falls in love with a woman called Gillian Murray, who is considerably older than David, but who also happens to be an astrologer She is introduced to David from the part of him being rather a nutcase, but when she sees David's chart and then he proposes to her, she accepts inspite of his mental disturbances and they marry.

I briefly saw Davids' supposive natal chart as it flashed across the screen and thought, "Blimey - That's good!" The Sun was 27 Taurus and Mercury in the beginning of Gemini - both in the 12 house. Ascendant Gemini!! The Sun was conjunct Algol and Pleiades (The Weeping Sisters) and sextile the exaltation degree of Venus (music), and from the 12th - the difficult relationship between David and his father is one of the key issues in the story. The Gemini Ascendant and Mercury in Gemini in the 12th - It is quite obviously this 'could' be the natal chart of a musical genious, but someone who lived in two worlds and who had lost grip of reality. The chart has credibility!

Then it struck me: I had travelled to Stavanger to join up with an old school mate of mine who always had had a fanatical interest for classical music. My friend was born on May 19. 1963 and had his natal Sun in the very same degree as David Helfgott in the movie. David Helfgott was born May 19. 1947!! I would never have recognized the coincidence if I hadn't understood the astrological chart as appeared on the screen for no longer than a split second.

For anyone who hasn't yet seen 'Shine' it is well worth getting hold of or renting at your local DVD store.

Shine - The Film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shine_(film)
David Helfgott: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Helfgott[/url]

Hi Andrew,

ADB has the birth time of David Helfgott as 19th May 1947 at 8.28 AM Melbourne, Australia. It's rated as C with a commentary "Marion March quotes Lynda Hill from Australia, time rectified by Helfgott's astrologer wife. (Chris Turner gave 8:24 AM in AFAN Newsletter)"

The birth time of Gillian Helfgott is 10th December 1931 at 5.04 AM Melbourne, Australia. This is rated as A.

Did she rectify the chart before she married the guy, or afterwards??

Thank you for the input. I reckoned it was old material really, but still worth mentioning.