Another day, another biopic, although this film is likely to be of a decidedly different type to the one threatened by Elton John (below), and one about a decidedly different order of musician. Sergei Rachmaninoff was among the pre-eminent composers of the early twentieth century- among the last of the great romantics. Rachmaninoff was renowned for the beauty of his melodies, his thunderous rolling harmonies and lavish virtuoso piano arrangements. It is frequently asserted that his Piano Concerto No 3- written, initially, for a lucrative concert tour of America- is among the most technically challenging pieces ever composed. Given his extra-ordinary accomplishments in art, and his association and tutelage under some of the greatest musicians to have lived, not to mention the struggles he endured as a consequence of the Russian revolution, it is with some reservation that the news that a film about the great mans life is to place considerable weight upon a love triangle of which he was reputedly a part. The project, provisionally entitled Whisperings and Lies, is to be directed by Australian film-maker Bruce Beresford (Her Alibi, Driving Miss Daisy) and has been in development for nearly five years. However, Bleeding Cool, breaking the news this week that Abbie Cornish has been approached to play one of Rachmaninoffs love interests implies that the wheels have at last begun to turn. Cornish possesses some form in this sort of role having played Keats love interest Fanny Brawn in Jane Campions Bright Star, which received positive feedback on the European festival circuit, but failed to draw crowds at the box office. It is to be hoped that in spite of the stated love triangle theme of the film, and the melodramatic implications of the title dont overwhelm the narrative of Rachmaninoffs life- especially since the composer has a particularly positive relationship with cinema. The use of the composers second piano concerto for Brief Encounter is now synonymous, and the notorious Rach 3 is employed to great effect in the story of David Helfgott in Shine. Should Whispering and Lies possess similar quality, it will be a fitting tribute to a true virtuoso.