Lisztomania (1975)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Ken Russell

Writer:

Ken Russell (writer)

Release Date:

29 January 1976 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

The erotic, exotic electrifying rock fantasy... It out-Tommy's TOMMY.

Plot:

A send-up of the bawdy life of Romantic composer/piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, with ubiquitous phallic...

Plot Keywords:

Liszt | Piano | Pope | Richard Wagner | Composer

Cast

Roger Daltrey	...	Franz Liszt
Sara Kestelman	...	Princess Carolyn
Paul Nicholas	...	Richard Wagner
Ringo Starr	...	The Pope
Rick Wakeman	...	Thor
John Justin	...	Count d'Agoult
Fiona Lewis	...	Marie d'Agoult
Veronica Quilligan	...	Cosima
Nell Campbell	...	Olga Janina
Andrew Reilly	...	Hans Von Buelow
David English	...	Captain
Imogen Claire	...	George Sand
Rikki Howard	...	Countess
David Corti	...	Daniel
Anulka Dziubinska	...	Lola Montez
Lucy Willers	...	Blondine
Felicity Devonshire	...	Governess
Murray Melvin	...	Hector Berlioz
Aubrey Morris	...	Manager
Andrew Faulds	...	Strauss
Ken Parry	...	Rossini
Kenneth Colley	...	Frederic Chopin (as Ken Colley)
Otto Diamant	...	Felix Mendelsohn
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Fielder	...	Man up ladder (uncredited)
Georgina Hale	...	(uncredited)
Oliver Reed	...	Princess Carolyn's Servant (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Russell

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ken Russell		writer

Produced by
Roy Baird	....	producer
Sanford Lieberson	....	executive producer (as Sandy Lieberson)
David Puttnam	....	producer

Original Music by
Rick Wakeman

Cinematography by
Peter Suschitzky

Film Editing by
Stuart Baird

Production Design by
Philip Harrison

Costume Design by
Shirley Russell

Makeup Department
Colin Jamison	....	hair stylist
Wally Schneiderman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Richard Green	....	unit manager
Peter Price	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jonathan Benson	....	assistant director
Terry Needham	....	assistant director

Art Department
John Allenby	....	property master
Terry Apsey	....	construction manager
Tim Hutchinson	....	assistant art director
Ian Whittaker	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Ian Bruce	....	sound recordist
John Forsyth	....	sound coordinator
Charlie McFadden	....	boom operator
Terry Rawlings	....	dubbing editor
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Bill Rowe	....	sound re-recordist

Special Effects by
Colin Chilvers	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
John Harris	....	camera operator
Jack Roche	....	camera grip
Laurie Shane	....	chief electrician
Cedric James	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Burtenshaw	....	assistant costume designer
Richard Pointing	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Chris Ridsdale	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Alex Alec-Smith	....	music assistant
Jack Bruce	....	musician: bass guitar
Roger Daltrey	....	musician: piano
William Davies	....	musician: organ
John Forsyth	....	music coordinator
Dave Mattacks	....	musician: drums
George Mickie	....	music assistant
Frank Owen	....	music engineer
David Wilde	....	musician: piano

Other crew
Peter Brayham	....	fencing master
Paul Cadiou	....	production accountant
Imogen Claire	....	choreographer
Brenda Dale	....	assistant to producer
Jean Hall	....	production secretary
Ann Skinner	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Goodtimes Enterprises
• VPS
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia-Warner Distributors (1975) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Digital Classics (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (3 channels)

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:X (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Bluebell Railway, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Goodtimes Enterprises

Trivia:

Last film of Andrew Faulds.

Quotes:

Richard Wagner: So you're the jid who only makes music on a cash register?
Felix Mendelsohn: Music, shmusic, it's a living, dear boy.

Movie Connections:

References Mahler (1974)

Soundtrack:

Master Race

Lisztomania

Pure escapism! This film is fantastic. It contains farce, humour, nudity and crudity along with lots of laughs and many cringes. It's ludicrous, hilarious and colourful with great music and costumes. I like the music and also the paradox of some of the scenes. My daughter and I love it, and happy to watch it time and time again, but everyone we've loaned the video to can't get past the first 20 minutes, and think we are weird, so maybe we are off-the-wall like the film. I haven't seen the film Tommy and would like to do so now I've seen this. Don't watch Lisztomania if you are easily offended. Sit back, relax, take it all with a pinch of salt and you'll be grinning all night.