When seeing this movie I first thought I was going to see a biopic about this great composer. I was mistaking. I liked the idea to build up the story with flashbacks during a train-journey with his wife Alma. The various flashbacks handling crucial (according to Russel) moments of Mahler's life (childhood, father-relation, antisemitism, problematic relation with Alma,...)
What's wrong with this movie? Well, lots of things. The casting of the main characters is questionable. Yes Georgina Hale is a fine looking woman, but she's not Alma. In the movie everything is simplified, there's no room for subtlety. The way Mahler finds inspiration in his environment is simply ludicrous.
There's also a cheap allusion on the Death in Venice character (Visconti's movie on the Mann novel) accompanied by the great music from that movie. The music in this movie however is poor. Mahler wrote so many great pieces and there's very few in the movie. And when there is an interesting piece, then it's some horrible translated version.
Russel doesn't seem to know the difference between antisemitism and Nazism, according the depicting of Cosima Wagner (wearing a WW II helmet - Mahler died in 1911) in an embarrassing scene which has to portray Mahler's switch to catholicism.
When I compare this movie to Visconti's movie Ludwig (an absolute masterpiece) which I saw a few days earlier, I can only give this movie three stars. (mostly for the nice views)
What's wrong with this movie? Well, lots of things. The casting of the main characters is questionable. Yes Georgina Hale is a fine looking woman, but she's not Alma. In the movie everything is simplified, there's no room for subtlety. The way Mahler finds inspiration in his environment is simply ludicrous.
There's also a cheap allusion on the Death in Venice character (Visconti's movie on the Mann novel) accompanied by the great music from that movie. The music in this movie however is poor. Mahler wrote so many great pieces and there's very few in the movie. And when there is an interesting piece, then it's some horrible translated version.
Russel doesn't seem to know the difference between antisemitism and Nazism, according the depicting of Cosima Wagner (wearing a WW II helmet - Mahler died in 1911) in an embarrassing scene which has to portray Mahler's switch to catholicism.
When I compare this movie to Visconti's movie Ludwig (an absolute masterpiece) which I saw a few days earlier, I can only give this movie three stars. (mostly for the nice views)