Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
A ‘nepo baby’ of famous movie stars who never attempted to start an acting career and chose to play music instead, that too a double bass in an orchestra of over 100 men? Interesting!
Directed by Molly O’Brien, ‘The Only Girl in the Orchestra’ is a 34 minute documentary that celebrates the trailblazing career of her aunt, Orin O’Brien, who became the first permanent woman member of the New York Philharmonic, and was inducted under the prodigious American conductor Leonard Bernstein. Her parents were famous actors George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill, but she wasn’t interested in following their footsteps.
“I didn’t want the limelight to be on me. I just backed off from all of that. Everybody can’t be a general… somebody has to be a soldier. To me, that’s part of the pleasure of playing in an orchestra, you can join what everybody else is doing,” Orin tells the camera. And that’s the funny thing, she didn’t really want to be part of this documentary either. While she never says it outright, it’s clear that allowing cameras into her life to document her retirement was a reluctant decision, one she agreed to only because it was her niece, her only surviving relative, behind the lens.
Archival footage and old magazine articles highlight the kind of press Orin received as the first permanent female member of the New York Philharmonic. However, the documentary primarily focuses on her present life, which consists of teaching students and often playing the double bass. So the documentary is packed with some great classical pieces. Orin, in her late 80s at the time of filming, is absolutely radiant when playing or teaching music. Despite not pursuing an acting career, one can’t help but see that she could have made a great on-screen presence, her face and charisma feel like a blend of Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.
As The Only Girl in the Orchestra already explores a niche subject, its scope is further limited by Orin’s reluctance to talk about herself. A no-nonsense, serious musician, she doesn’t see herself as an ‘artist,’ let alone a celebrated one. However, she candidly reflects on her tough, unstable childhood shaped by her parents’ fame and divorce. Music became her true calling, leading to a remarkable 55-year career with the Philharmonic, whose glimpses we see through her photo albums.
The documentary ends rather abruptly, with Orin wrapping up a teaching session and reflecting on the importance of following one’s passion. ‘I am an artist in my own mind, but I don’t want to advertise.’ And she truly doesn’t. Instead, her niece quietly observes, retracing her career and offering this film as a deeply personal tribute to an aunt she admires – not as a legend, but simply as Orin.
Rating: 3.5 on 5. Watch the documentary on Netflix.
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