The Music Lovers (1970) VHSRip (SiRiUs sHaRe)

The Music Lovers (1970)



The compelling and bizarre story of Tchaikovsky's life and music. In Ken Russell's own words: "It's the story of the marriage between a homosexual and a nymphomaniac."



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

Ben Aris ... Young Lieutenant

Xavier Russell ... Koyola

Dennis Myers ... Von Meck, twin

John Myers ... Von Meck, twin



Director: Ken Russell



Runtime: 123 mins



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066109/
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** Not the best copy but the only one I could get **



Codecs:



Video : 591 MB, 669 Kbps, 30.0 fps, 644*480 (4:3), DIV3 = DivX v3 ;-) MPEG-4 (Low-Motion),

Audio : 70 MB, 80 Kbps, 44100 Hz, 1 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, CBR,



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Ken Russell's "The Music Lovers" might be the one of, if not the best film ever made on the subject of classical music. I emphasize this, because as a historical biography it is merely sensational, and borders on the ridiculous.



Russell portrays Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky (Richard Chamberlain) as a closet homosexual who is haunted by the past and present. In order to obtain social acceptance, he marries a sexually ravenous young woman (Glenda Jackson). Their marriage, of course, proves to be disastrous, and Peter flees from his wife, isolating himself in the countryside to compose music for Madame Von Meck (Isabella Telezynska), a rich aristocrat and widow. But Tchaikovsky's past comes back to haunt him several times before the film's manic and grotesque conclusion.



Russell has constructed images that are beautiful and disgusting (often in the same scene) and the film is a perfect accompaniment to the inspiration and ambiance felt in the composer's music.



The best scenes involve the seamless meld between sound and image. A concert at the beginning of the film beautifully transposes images of audience members listening to Tchaikovsky's latest piece, with the fantasies that the music inspires in them. Numerous fantasy sequences throughout the film teeter on the edge of insanity, highlighting the composer's feelings and fears.



Which brings us to the film's astonishing and loony climax: an excessive montage set to the "War of 1812 Overture" that must rival any other sequence in the history of film for its inappropriateness. The piece is no doubt Tchaikovsky's most well known work, which brought him wealth and fame. But Russell presents his transition from composer to "star" entirely in fantasy. I could try to describe this sequence for you, but it would be futile. It must be seen to be believed. Let's just say that the climatic cannons from the "Overture" are put to violent and hilarious use.



The components of the film come together perfectly. Everyone seems to have been in their element while filming. The cinematography by Douglas Slocombe is absolutely beautiful, and proves to be the best feature of the film. This is possibly the best "looking" Russell film. Glenda Jackson's performance as the nymphomaniac wife is perfectly in tune with Russell's histrionic presentation. And though Richard Chamberlain does not fair as well, he shows some emotional depth that has hardly been seen in his other work.



Russell's pyrotechnic camera-work is so breathtaking that it is a wonder why the man cannot find work these days. "The Music Lovers" is an exercise in the pure joy of film-making and the emotions it can invoke within us. Perhaps Russell's career slipped through his fingers in the late 1970's (along with his budget), but this film; like Tchaikovsky's greatest compositions; is, dare I say it… a work of genius.



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I recently bought this (rare) video. It was great watching this film again, I originally saw it in the cinema when it first came out. I think this film ranks amongst the very best ever made.



What I found particularly fascinating, and I have not seen many other comments about this, is the totally convincing way Richard Chamberlain plays the Piano Concerto in the early part of the film and continues to play like as professional pianist. Did he train to play the piano for this part, in the same way as Robert DeNiro became a boxer in 'Raging Bull' or was he just a naturally gifted pianist?



Glenda Jackson and the other main characters are just fantastic in this film. My only criticism is the 1812 sequence near the end of the film, which really doesn't really seem to come off. Also the ending sequence, when Tchaikovsky dies of cholera, seems to be completely rushed. I think the ending could have been more drawn out.



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As startling and entertaining a piece of cinema The Music Lovers is, on the whole it will disappoint those who (not unreasonably) may be expecting an accurate (if typically melodramatic) biopic.



Rife with inaccuracies, The Music Lovers however occasionally elicits tantalising moments of truth which will be familiar to those who might have studied the great man and his music. The moment of madness during the composition of the violin concerto, Tchaikovsk'y mixing fact and fiction during the composition of Eugene Onegin; (resulting in his disastrous marriage), the brief glimpse of his benefactress during a stay at her apartments, the failed suicide attempt etc etc. However, these fascinating glimpses into well documented occurrences are undeveloped, and in their place we are left with a pastiche either of overly romanticised or histrionic scenes of theatrical fantasy.



The real strength here lies in the actor's performances, even Richard Chaimberlain's stuffy and occasionally irritating performance has its moments and Glenda Jackson is wonderful as the vulnerable, unloved wife. The cinematography too is wonderful, evocative and colourful - perfectly in tune with the music of Tchaikovsk'y which also is used to great effect.



If you can take Ken Russel's notorious penchant for the ridiculous (and at times, distasteful) and are not expecting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, then The Music Lovers is worth watching if only for its being so gloriously over the top!



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



# The extras playing (miming) the orchestra in the scene featuring Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky playing the 1st Piano Concerto were mostly from the Bristol University Music Department Orchestra. They were paid 7 guineas a day (£7 and 7 shillings) each - the extras in the audience were only on 5 guineas. The scene was filmed in the Music Room of Bath Spa.