48 | OCTOBER 5 • 2023 J
N

L

eo Spellman’s talents as com-
poser and pianist dramatically 
survived the Nazis in Poland, 
and his skills and stories, recognized 
as the Spellman family later lived in 
Canada, are being showcased in a 
movie, live concert and discussions 
scheduled to fill two almost identi-
cal programs. 
“The Lost Rhapsody: A World 
War II Survival Story and Musical 
Legacy” covers Spellman’s life that 
lasted close to 100 years and will be 
presented Saturday evening, Oct. 14, 
in East Lansing and Sunday after-
noon, Oct. 15, in West Bloomfield. 
What touched off Spellman’s wid-
ening remembrance was the man’s 
determination to leave a legacy for 
his descendants. Personal contacts 
with musician Paul Hoffert to 
accomplish that resulted in a film 
recommendation to Hoffert’s film-
making and television-producing 
son David. 
The film The Rhapsody, made 
under the direction of David 
Hoffert, used the skills of David’s 
own parents prominently in the 
mix. Stephen Fry, English actor and 
writer, did the narration.
 “When we first met Leo, he was 
98 years old,” said Brenda Hoffert, 
Paul’s wife, an artistic photographer 
who was given charge of the anima-
tion used in the film to distinguish 
scenes dramatizing war conditions. 
“When Leo walked in our house, 
he was so amazing — extremely 
vigorous, very lively and intelligent. 
I immediately thought he was an 
incredible subject. We knew noth-
ing about his story at first, but I just 
thought that he would be a very 
interesting person to know better.”
The couple learned that Paul’s 
family had lived in a Polish town 
close to a town where Spellman’s 
family had lived with some able to 
survive and others not. In travel to 
Poland as part of the making of the 
film, Brenda found the diary kept 
by Spellman during the war, and she 
went on to enlarge and animate the 
pages for the film. 
“
After Leo died, his family invited 
us to come to his house and find 
interesting material we could use,” 

ARTS&LIFE
FILM & MUSIC

The Lost 
Rhapsody

World premiere celebrates the 
life of Leo Spellman.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Leo Spellman 
at 98

