PITCH

GUY’S REQUIEM

‘Where words fail, music speaks.’ Hans Christian Andersen

LOGLINE

A spirited WWII POW strives to fulfil his lifelong dream to lead a symphony orchestra of prisoners through Brahms’ masterpiece Ein deutsches Requiem despite oppressive captivity, perilous escape attempts and Nazi propaganda.

STORY

Guy sits in a van on the way to Oflag XIIB, Hadamar – a German POW camp. The captured Allied soldiers are quiet, scared. Everyone fears they’ll be killed before they reach the prison camp. Only Guy is calm. Guy has experienced life and death, has seen everything, come to terms with existence… Inside the lockup they’re confronted by a strict Commandant, terrible conditions and numbing daily chores. Guy’s only ally is the second in command, Hesselmann, who witnesses Guy play a discarded piano. The camp changes because of the music. Guy sets up a choir and orchestra while Sherwell, a belligerent impulsive inmate, plans an escape. As Guy struggles with few instruments, sheet music and amateur players, the escape committee digs underneath the camp. Hesselmann tries to help Guy, but his hands are tied.

Everything changes when the Nazis use the orchestra as propaganda, give equipment, music and facilities. The allies don’t want to be a PR coup, but Guy is driven to create his crowning achievement, a full performance of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem. As the allies argue, the escape tunnel falls apart and is found by the Germans. Hesselmann demands answers, but the Gestapo Guard takes matters into his own hands and executes the Australian tenor. Hesselmann saves the others, throws Guy and Sherwell into confinement and abandons the choir. In the darkness Guy and Sherwell bond and share their past.

Released from confinement, Guy rehearses as Sherwell prepares for escape. As rumours of the end of the war circulate, Guy pushes ahead with the performance. The Nazi hierarchy arrive at the camp. The escape happens as the music plays – just as US troops liberate them. The POW’s are free as Brahms' Requiem reaches its triumphant conclusion.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SIMILAR FILMS

The Pianist (2002)
Budget: $35M (est.). USA/ Europe gross: $58,434,663 US Rentals: $43,000,000 gross Awards: Won 3 Oscars. Another 42 wins & 40 nominations. Rated #52 IMDB.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Budget: unknown. Gross: $229M (Worldwide) Awards: Won 3 Oscars. Another 52 wins & 27 nominations. Rated #86 IMDB.

The English Patient (1996)
Budget: $27M (estimated). Gross: $232M (Worldwide) Awards: Won 9 Oscars. Another 41 wins & 37 nominations

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Budget: $25M (estimated). Gross: $59.8M (Worldwide) Awards: Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations. Rated #2 IMDB.

Schindler's List (1993)
Budget: $25M (estimated). Gross: $ 321M (Worldwide) Awards: Won 7 Oscars. Another 62 wins & 21 nominations. Rated #6 IMDB.

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