Both films, The Soloist and The Devil's Fiddler are about real musicians, although they live in different centuries. While both films focus on the emotional lives of these two musicians, they approach the subject from very different perspectives. The Soloist is a realistic portrayal of the events surrounding Nathaniel Ayers, while The Devil's Violinist uses the cliché story of selling one's soul to the devil to gain fame and prominence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Nathanial Ayers was a talented musician (bass, cello, and violin) who had a promising career ahead of him. While studying at Juilliard he collapsed under the stress, suffered a psychological breakdown and ended up homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. His condition was eventually diagnosed and he responded to medication and managed to have a reasonably normal life after many years of hardship. She achieved stability thanks to the support and understanding of friends, especially journalist Steve Lopez who championed her cause and eventually told her story. Under treatment, Ayer was finally able to live a life as an active musician and member of society. Paganini was an Italian violinist and composer of the early 1800s. He wrote music that was revolutionary for its time and would take years to achieve its harmonic and melodic intricacies. Although he was not depicted in the film, Paganini suffered from many emotional disturbances and contracted syphilis, which ultimately led to his death. Given the time of his life, it is not possible to accurately diagnose his mental disorders, but clearly the film attempts to portray his many obsessions, abuses, and addictions. The film couldn't realistically address and/or diagnose his condition like we could today. In this case, the director/writer chose to focus on ideas of the time that supernatural (Satanic) forces were at work to explain his abnormal psychological behaviors. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay It is not far-fetched to draw the conclusion that with great talent often comes mental health problems. Statistically, musicians have a very high rate of depression. Musicians think in a different language; one that is much more connected to emotions than to logical or rational thinking. Perhaps for this reason musicians have a propensity for emotional disorders. Great musicians are consumed by their work and the drive can be harmful and lead to psychological problems. Fortunately, people understand this now and there is much more acceptance and help available than in Paganini's time and even during Ayer's university years, which wasn't that long ago. If Paganini had lived today, perhaps he would have received medical care so that he too could have lived a longer, happier, more prolific life.