La Spirale du pianiste (2000)
Directed by Judith Abitbol

Film Synopsis

Jean-Louis Haguenauer is an award-winning classical pianist.  Director Judith Abitbol makes him the subject of her film, following him as he works on Claude Debussy's twenty-four preludes.  Watching an artist at work is always fascinating, but what Abitbol is keen to discover is how Haguenauer uses his time at the piano to acquaint himself with a piece of music and develop his own unique interpretation - a challenge certainly if the music in question was the product of a mind as rich and complex as Debussy's.  By filming the pianist for several hours each month, over a period of eight months, Abitbol captures an artist at work and provides us with an illuminating insight into how the dizzying spiral of creativity performs its magic.