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Wagner

  • TV Mini Series
  • 19831983
  • 5h
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
566
YOUR RATING
Richard Burton, Vanessa Redgrave, László Gálffi, Marthe Keller, and Ekkehard Schall in Wagner (1983)
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
A huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final trium... Read allA huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final triumph at Bayreuth. Richard Wagner's radical musical and political ideas, his German nationali... Read allA huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final triumph at Bayreuth. Richard Wagner's radical musical and political ideas, his German nationalism, and even his anti-Semitism are set in the context of his life and times.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
566
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Richard Burton
    • Vanessa Redgrave
    • Miguel Herz-Kestranek
Top credits
  • Stars
    • Richard Burton
    • Vanessa Redgrave
    • Miguel Herz-Kestranek
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Episodes10

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    1983

    Photos

    Wagner (1983)
    Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, and Ralph Richardson in Wagner (1983)
    Richard Burton in Wagner (1983)
    Richard Burton in Wagner (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton
    • Richard Wagneras Richard Wagner
    10 episodes10 eps • 1983
    Vanessa Redgrave
    Vanessa Redgrave
    • Cosima von Bulowas Cosima von Bulow
    9 episodes9 eps • 1983
    Miguel Herz-Kestranek
    Miguel Herz-Kestranek
    • Hans von Bülowas Hans von Bülow
    8 episodes8 eps • 1983
    László Gálffi
    László Gálffi
    • King Ludwig II of Bavariaas King Ludwig II of Bavaria…
    8 episodes8 eps • 1983
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Pfistermeisteras Pfistermeister
    8 episodes8 eps • 1983
    Gyula Benkö
    Gyula Benkö
    • Narratoras Narrator
    8 episodes8 eps • 1983
    Gemma Craven
    Gemma Craven
    • Minnaas Minna…
    7 episodes7 eps • 1983
    Ralph Richardson
    Ralph Richardson
    • Pfordtenas Pfordten
    6 episodes6 eps • 1983
    Richard Pasco
    Richard Pasco
    • Otto Wesendonckas Otto Wesendonck
    5 episodes5 eps • 1983
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Pfeufferas Pfeuffer
    5 episodes5 eps • 1983
    Andrew Cruickshank
    Andrew Cruickshank
    • Narratoras Narrator…
    5 episodes5 eps • 1983
    Marthe Keller
    Marthe Keller
    • Mathilde Wesendonckas Mathilde Wesendonck
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Niall Toibin
    Niall Toibin
    • Lutzas Lutz
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Mátyás Usztics
    • Franzas Franz
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Ronald Pickup
    Ronald Pickup
    • Nietzscheas Nietzsche…
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Arthur Denberg
    • Prince Paul Taxisas Prince Paul Taxis
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Gabriel Byrne
    Gabriel Byrne
    • Karl Ritteras Karl Ritter
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Stephen Oliver
    • Richteras Richter
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Richard Burton received poor reviews for the early scenes, since at fifty-six-years-old, he was clearly much too old to play Wagner as a young man.
    • Goofs
      When Ludwig is wading into the water to drown himself, automobiles are seen driving on a highway on the far shore.
    • Alternate versions
      A feature-length 466-minute director's cut was released on DVD in 2011. It is divided into three parts, each approximately 2 and 1/2 hours in length
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Performances: Richard Burton: In from the Cold (1988)

    User reviews20

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    In Paris every Opera MUST have a Ballet, Monsieur Wagner!!!
    ouff… I made it … a 9 hours series (and I never watch series!) very pompously made about a very pompous Richard Wagner played by an equally pompous Richard Burton.

    Produced truly on an epic scale! Wagner composed some beautiful melodies but the majority of his music is just so loud, overbearing and far too aggressive to my taste … he must have been the Motörhead of his generation. Sitting through a full length Wagner Opera is torture to me, so the snippets of his music and arias here and there accompanying the movie/story were just enough. My love for Richard Burton and the historical curiosity kept me going, but to be honest, I only recommend this to hard-core Wagnerians or those who appreciate a good historical period drama.

    Sets and costumes are beautifully authentic and gorgeously visualised, although with some abrupt editing. It is historically and biographically lovingly accurate and one does learn a lot about the historical events, the composer's private and professional life and how these influenced his creations. Many other well known actors such as Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Laurence Olivier play key roles. Despite the movies' length, we only enter Wagner's life when he is already in his early 30s. Chronologically starting around the 1848 German Revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his relationship with his young and romantic but very influential groupie, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who became one of his main patrons, to his travels to Paris and Venice as well as his last triumph in Bayreuth and death. Wagners' radical and revolutionary political ideas, his anti-Semitisim and German nationalism are set in context with his musical dream of grandeur. His ultimate fall out with Nietzsche is interesting to read up on in more detail.

    I was never bored nor impatient and actually enjoyed it. Of course, as a balletomane, my favourite passage was the depiction of the quarrels between Wagner and Marius Petipa at the Opera de Paris, concerning that 'every Opera in Paris MUST have a Ballet and that it HAS to be in the 2nd act for the important gentlemen patrons of the town to enjoy' … therefore Wagner calls the 'ballet-master' the 'whore-master' and decided provocatively to put the ballet into the 1st act ... made me giggle.
    helpful•3
    3
    • ursulahemard
    • Jul 9, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Austria
      • Hungary
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • ワーグナー
    • Filming locations
      • Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
    • Production companies
      • Hungarofilm
      • London Trust
      • Magyar Televízió Müvelödési Föszerkesztöség (MTV) (I)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      5 hours
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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