The Music Lovers details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Richard Chamberlain, Glenda Jackson, Max Adrian, Christopher Gable |
| Director: | Ken Russell |
| Genre: | Drama - General |
| Studio: | MEDIA SALES UK |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
The Music Lovers |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 58 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 27 Jun 2011 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
The Music Lovers
By a customer from Nottingham , 19 May 2009[Highly rated reviewer]
This was a brilliant film by the director Ken Russell. Despite what others may say, it was actually a very good and true account of the life of the russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his short lived, ill fated marriage to Antonina Milyokovich, a nymphomaniac, married to a homosexual. The musical score was Tchaikovsky`s own music carefully selected and introduced to provide an excellent background to the story. Richard Chamberlain was an excellent Tchaikovsky, his performance, sympathetic as a gay man and a neurotic, confused individual, cast against the brilliant Glenda Jackson as Antonina, who provided a desperate and sad character struggling with her desire to marry.The marriage lasted just 14 days and caused Tchaikovsky a nervous breakdown and his wife to end up in a lunatic asylum.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(10)Sensationalism Gives Distorted Picture
By Seedyvee (187 reviews) from Grantham , 07 Jan 2013Ken Russell's film only bolsters the common conception that the composer Tchaikovsky was emotionally crippled by his homosexual issue throughout his whole life and indeed his death (in the film) and his post-separation life and death are telescoped and compressed into the last few minutes of running time. The truth is that there were long stretches of his life where he was happy borne out by much music such as the lighter orchestral suites which do not get as much hearing as the more introspective works. Of course there are the usual flights of fantasy and some emotional extemes appear quite bizarre such as the look of abject terror as Tchaikovsky's wife tries to seduce her husband. Some devices are quite contrived such as the matching of orange tops that Nina and Tchaikovsky's male lover wear when they sit next to each other at the ballet. Despite Russell's revelling in the complications of the composer's life the film is quite watchable and the photography is impeccable.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Fantastic
By Slurs from Scotland , 27 Mar 2012Presumably it wasn't a documentary. Ken Russell and his fabulous excess. And then there's some decent acting going on, some great pictures and, of course, some more than passable music- Was this review helpful to you?
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Interesting to see it again.
By geor (2 reviews) , 12 Dec 2011At the time this was a movie that was very odd, but having watched the DVD my impression has changed and anyone who is a Glenda Jackson fan should watch this.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Ken Russell at his crazy best
By bobshaw5 (21 reviews) , 08 Dec 2011What a film! Totally over the top, dazzling visually, dramatic and funny, worth viewing several times. Forget Russell's bad work, this one is well worth it.- Was this review helpful to you?
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An Entertaining Look At Tchaikovsky
By MrGiles2 (64 reviews) from Middlesbrough , 05 Sep 2011I recall seeing this curious film years ago during its initial release. Depicting a fantasy version of Tchaikovsky's life who remains to this day an extremely popular composer, Ken Russell provides the viewer with a surreal look at the complex life of the Russian composer who struggles to come to terms with his homosexuality and his bizarre relationship with not only Madame Von Meck, but also his nymphomaniac wife who eventually ends up in an asylum. She is brilliantly portrayed by Glenda Jackson long before she became an M.P. Those who admire the music of Tchaikovsky will only hear snatches of some of his most popular works such as Piano Concerto No 1, Swan Lake, 1812 Overture and some symphonic music from his final three symphonies particularly his masterpiece 6th Symphony. I found it a rather entertaining film overall, although it does not say a great deal about the composer's life, more like sketches and scenarios, some of which are bizarre to say the least, and others quite funny. Richard Chamberlain portrays the composer (long after he had departed the hospital wards as Doctor Kildare) and is supported by Kenneth Colley as his brother Modeste and Max Adrian as Rubenstein. Worth a view, but do not expect a biographical sort of film, just an entertaining one. Picture and sound on the DVD are decent enough bearing in mind the age of the film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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