Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien never wanted the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philarmonic, it was inevitable that she would become the focus of much interest and fascination. Now 87 years old and recently retired, Orin looks back on her remarkable life and career, insisting that a fuss should not be made, much preferring to play a supporting role to the family, students, friends, and colleagues that surround her.
A warm and intimate portrait of Orin O'Brien, the first woman in the New York Philharmonic, the film benefits from a compelling subject whose modesty and understated charm make for engaging viewing. The documentary is competently shot with standard talking-head and archival footage conventions, offering little cinematographic ambition. The narrative is well-structured around O'Brien's life and legacy but follows familiar music-documentary rhythms without real surprise. Novelty is modest — the subject herself is singular but the filmmaking approach is conventional. The ending, while emotionally fitting, resolves a little too neatly given O'Brien's own resistance to sentimentality, leaving a slightly unsatisfying conclusion.