Tchaikovsky - genius and madness
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Tchaikovsky - genius and madness |
| Original title | The Music Lovers |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1970 |
| length | 123 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ken Russell |
| script | Melvyn Bragg |
| production |
Roy Baird Ken Russell |
| music |
Peter Tchaikovsky André Previn |
| camera | Douglas Slocombe |
| cut | Michael Bredsell |
| occupation | |
| |
Tchaikovsky - Genius and Madness is a British feature film from 1970. It deals with the life of the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . It is based on the novel Beloved girlfriend ( Beloved Friend ) by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara von Meck .
action
Peter Tchaikovsky, composition professor at the Moscow Conservatory , receives a visit from his brother Modest. This admonishes Peter to be seen with his family more often. He is also worried that Peter's career could suddenly be over if it became known that he is homosexual and lives with Count Anton Schiluwsky.
Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto is premiered. It was a hit with the public, but received harsh criticism from Tchaikovsky's superior Nikolai Rubinstein .
When Tchaikovsky heard a woman singing in a bathtub during a party organized by Rubinstein, he painfully remembers his mother, who had cholera and was thrown into hot bath water to treat the disease.
One of the visitors to the world premiere of the piano concerto was the wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck , who made contact with Tchaikovsky through Rubinstein: She offered to provide Tchaikovsky, who lives with Rubinstein, with an apartment and a spacious apanage .
At the same time Tchaikovsky receives a love letter from young Antonina Milyukowa. For fear of perishing just like Eugene Onegin, who, as the main character in Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin, disdains a woman's declaration of love, he marries Antonina against the warnings of Modest and Count Schiluwski. Mrs. von Meck reacts indignantly to the news of Tchaikovsky's marriage. But the marriage is not a lucky star, as Tchaikovsky does not feel physically drawn to Antonina and feels hindered in his creativity by her. The marital crisis escalates into an argument between Tchaikovsky and Antonina, which causes Tchaikovsky to suffer a nervous breakdown; the neurologist urgently advises absolute rest and a longer separation from Antonina.
Mrs. von Meck lets Tchaikovsky live on her property in Briow, where he composes his 4th symphony , which he dedicates to his patroness. Antonina now welcomes various composers such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin as lovers.
At the birthday party given for Tchaikovsky on Frau von Meck's estate, Count Schiluwsky asks for their relationship to continue, but Tchaikovsky refuses. In revenge, Count Frau von Meck reported Tchaikovsky's homosexuality.
To Tchaikovsky's surprise, Ms. von Meck breaks off contact with him without a word of explanation. The property that housed him is for sale; the appanage is canceled. At Modest's suggestion, Tchaikovsky concentrated on conducting so that he could stand financially on his own two feet.
While Tchaikovsky is working on his 6th symphony , the Pathétique , his sister Sascha dies. Antonina comes to the asylum, addicted to madness.
While Tchaikovsky and Modest are looking for a name for his symphony, which he describes as his “Requiem”, he drinks a glass of water that has not been boiled despite the risk of cholera infection. A little later he fell ill with cholera and died.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films wrote that the production was a “ bombastic visual glut ” enriched with “ some bad taste” , which was largely limited to “depicting Tchaikovsky's homosexuality and his marriage, which was therefore failing” .
Web links
- Tchaikovsky - Genius and Madness in the Internet Movie Database (English)