The Music Lovers (1970)

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Melvyn Bragg (screenplay)
Catherine Drinker Bowen (book) ...

Release Date:

12 February 1971 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

The compelling and bizarre story of Tchaikovsky's life and music. In Ken Russell's own words: "It's...

Plot Keywords:

Homosexual | Tragicomedy | Nudity | Insane Asylum | Incest

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	Tchaikovsky
Glenda Jackson	...	Nina (Antonina Milyukova)
Max Adrian	...	Nicholas Rubinstein
Christopher Gable	...	Count Anton Chiluvsky
Kenneth Colley	...	Modeste Tchaikovsky
Izabella Telezynska	...	Madame Nadedja von Meck
Maureen Pryor	...	Nina's Mother
Sabina Maydelle	...	Sasha Tchaikovsky
Andrew Faulds	...	Davidov
Bruce Robinson	...	Alexei Sofronov
Ben Aris	...	Young Lieutenant
Xavier Russell	...	Koyola
Dennis Myers	...	Von Meck, twin
John Myers	...	Von Meck, twin
Joanne Brown	...	Olga Bredska

Also Known As:

Ken Russell's Film on Tchaikovsky and the Music Lovers
Opus 74 (UK) (working title)
The Lonely Heart (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

UK:123 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Company:

Russ-Arts

Trivia:

Gordon Jackson is wrongly credited by some books as being in this film.

Quotes:

Madame Nadedja von Meck: [concerning Antonina] She'll ruin you! She'll ruin you . . .

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Steele in Circulation (#1.22)" (1983)

Soundtrack:

1812 OVERTURE

A Tribute to a Composer Genius

I've always enjoyed watching this movie, so much because the music alone stands out for its exhilarating beauty. ( Possible Spoilers! ) Though not historically accurate, it captures the psychological emotions and passions, especially during the seven minute portion when the composer is playing the piano and imagining what the complete second movement of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 "visually" represents to himself, and what Antonina's amorous delusions would of wished it meant! In totality, the performance of this concerto and the visual interactions between Tchaikovsky, Sasha, Antonina, Madame von Meck, and the others in the concert hall are extremely intense concerning one of Russia's most famous composers. The director Ken Russell does an excellent job at directing his actors and actresses to portray the required emotional intensity, though somewhat comical over exaggerated script of the story based on the book, "Beloved Friend" The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadejda von Meck. But, even so the excellent acting by the leading and supporting actors and actresses move this film into its "pathetique" or tragic climax. The acting by the wonderful actress Glenda Jackson is superb in her interpretation of the unbalanced Antonina Milyukova. Her performance is an effective counterbalance to Richard Chamberlain's extraordinarily complicated portrayal of Peter Tchaikovsky with all of his emotional energies concentrated on his musical compositions and his private personal torments controlling his "fate" of never having what society would deem a "normal" life! So much said that this excellent movie is a tribute to a composer genius, especially on the anniversary ( 6th November 1893 ) of the one-hundred-eleventh year of his unfortunate mysterious death by his own hands. My rating for this movie is a 3 out of 4.