The audience in the Paris Theater impatiently waited for the movie to begin. Once the lights dimmed, a mere whisper, or the crinkling of a candy wrapper, received an aggressive hush. When Leonard Bernstein’s name appeared in the final credits the crowd cheered, some parties even giving the composer and conductor, who died in 1990, at 72, a standing ovation. No doubt the excitement came from a place of pride: Bernstein lived in New York City; he directed the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1969. In any case, the pressure was on for Bradley Cooper, who directed the film and played “Lenny.” Cooper intelligently centers Maestro around the marriage of Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre. The relationship, challenged by the conductor’s homosexuality, is nonetheless intimate and becomes a touchstone for viewers, who are taken in and out of black and white, pulled from musical numbers to parties, and moved between glamorous Manhattan and the family’s country house in Connecticut. —Jeanne Malle

Maestro is in select theater beginning November 22 and will be available for streaming on Netflix starting December 20