Movies about composers

[force]

hey people

my question: is there a movie about chopin, bach, liszt or brahms?

i saw the mozart movie and i was impressed

or another movie from other composers?

thx for help

[pianogirl88]

hey people

my question: is there a movie about chopin, bach, liszt or brahms?

i saw the mozart movie and i was impressed

or another movie from other composers?

thx for help

I don't know of any other ones, but are you talking about the Mozart movie, "Amadeus"? That one was really good..

[mad_max2024]

There's a Chopin movie with Hugh Grant.
Never seen it though. You can search for it in imdb if you want.

There's also that Beethoven movie a few years back with Ed Harris but I didn't really like the looks of the preview. It sounded like a pink love story movie.
I stayed clear of it.

But if you're interested there are loads of books with composer biographies.

[force]

yes i no and i have readed them all

but i want to watch the movies too

thx

[communist]

you were not asking for him but there is a movie about Shostakovitch called "Testimony"

[daro]

Ken Russell has made numerous, but rather curious films about composers, including "The Music Lovers" (about Tschaikovsky), "Mahler", and "Lisztomania." However, since they're by Russell, these films may be viewed as actually having more to say about Russell himself than they do about the composers.

On a more serious level, there was an excellent documentary that came out about 5 years ago about Khachaturian, entitled, coincidentally, "Khachaturian."


yd

[quantum]

Chopin:
A song to Remember is by far my favorite Chopin film.  Not historically accurate, but quite artistically put together as a film.


Beethoven:
Immortal Beloved.  Music is first rate.  Perahia recorded several pieces for this.   The filmmakers did a lot to connect music, imagery, and dramatic elements - so if you know about some Beethoven history it would give an added dimension to the film. 

Beethoven Lives Upstairs.  This is more of a kids movie.


Schumann:
Song of Love.


Liszt:
Rêves d'amour

[iroveashe]

There's a Chopin movie with Hugh Grant.

It's called Impromptu. It focuses more than anything in Chopin's relationship with George Sand. Saw it ages ago so I can't really state a solid opinion about it, though I'm not a fan of Hugh Grant.

Beethoven:
Immortal Beloved.  Music is first rate.  Perahia recorded several pieces for this.   The filmmakers did a lot to connect music, imagery, and dramatic elements - so if you know about some Beethoven history it would give an added dimension to the film.

Must add that it's not historically accurate, but I think the only reason for that is to make it more 'poetic'. I find the ending scene quite touching by the way.

[bernhard]

Composers (and musicians) have always been  a good source material for movies, so there are several (by no means a complete list).

Henry Purcell:

“England, my England” (1995)
https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7437513

J. S. Bach:

“Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach” (1968) - A little known and very interesting German biopic of Bach. All the parts are played by famous Bach interpreters (Gustav Leonhardt plays Bach and Bob van Asperen is in it too).
https://us.imdb.com/title/tt0062804/

“Jagged Harmonies - Bach vs. Frederick II (Mein Name ist Bach, 2003).” - Much more passionate is Swiss director Dominique de Rivaz´s take on the meeting of Bach and Friedrich the Great (which resulted in the “Musical Offering”).
https://www.german-cinema.de/app/filmarchive/film_view.php?film_id=1017

G. F. Handel:

“The great Mr. Handel” (1942)
https://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Mr-Handel/dp/B0002SQ072

“Farinelli” (1994) – Although primarily a biopic of Farinelli – the castrato singer who ended up as musical director of the Spanish court at the time when Domenico Scarlatti was the Queen´s music teacher – Handel features as a major character (Sadly Scarlatti is not even mentioned...)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109771/

“Handel´s Last Chance” (1996)
https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800398158/info

W. A. Mozart:

“Mozart” (1955)
https://www.mountainx.com/movies/review/mozart.php

“Mozart: A childhood chronicle” (1974) – Highly recommended.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071865/

“Amadeus” (1984)
https://www.fast-rewind.com/amadeus.htm

“Mozart: Decoded” (2008) TV documentary.
https://www.sullivanmovies.com/on_tv/onTV_details.php?library_id=92

“In search of Mozart” (2007)
https://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-mozart18may18,0,4296770.story

Other movies about Mozart here:
https://home.earthlink.net/~beachwoodprs/html/MOZART.htm

Ludwig van Beethoven:

“Immortal Beloved” (1994) – Gary Oldman as Beethoven, and all agree that the theory of the movie is spurious. 
https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsImmortalBeloved.html

Abel Gance´s “Un grand amour de Beethoven” (1936).
 https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsGrandAmourBeethoven.html

“Le Neveu de Beethoven” (1985) Beethoven as seen by his nephew Karl.
https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsNeveuBeethoven.html

“Eroica” (2003) TV documentary
https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsEroica.html

“Beethoven lives upstairs”
https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsBeethovenLivesUpstairs.html

“An immortal spirit”
https://www.lvbeethoven.com/Fictions/FictionFilmsImmortalSpirit.html

“Copying Beethoven” (2006).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424908/

Franz Schubert

“In paradise with Franz Schubert” (2002)
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_paradise_with_franz_schubert/

“The double life of Franz Schubert”
https://www.fandango.com/thedoublelifeoffranzschubert:anexplorationofhislifeandwork_v401838/summary

See here for a whole load of Schubert biographical movies / documentaries:
https://www.franzschubert.org.uk/articles/filmsch.html

Fryderyk Chopin:

“A song to remember”. An incredibly miscast Cornel Wilde as Chopin. Very far from the actual facts of Chopin´s life.

Much better (and historically more accurate) is the already quoted “Impromptu” (1989), with Judy Davies perfect as George Sand and Julian Sands as a very believable Liszt. Shame about Hugh Grant as Chopin though.

“Desire for Love” (2004) - An interesting Polish movie about Chopin.
https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/314112/Chopin-The-Need-For-Love/overview

 “La note Bleue” – French movie (Polish director) focussing on Chopin and Sand´s relationship.
https://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/la-note-bleue/

“Jutrzenka: Un Invierno in Mallorca” (A winter in  Majorca) (1971) - Spanish director Jaime Camino follows closely Sand´s book on what happened in Majorca. Historically very accurate (although Sands´s book is considered very biased).
https://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/jutrzenka-un-invierno-en-mallorca/

Franz Liszt:

“Song without end” (1947) – Dirk Bogarde as an unlikely Liszt.
https://hybrid.stanford.edu/~bayen/lisztmovies.html

“Lizstomania” (1975) – Roger Daltrey miscast as Liszt in Ken Russel´s biopic. 
https://www.fandango.com/lisztomania_v29484/summary

Robert Schumann:

“Song of Love” (1947) – Katherine Hepburn (as Clara) learned to play the piano pieces so as not to be dubbed. See a synopsis here:
https://www.geneva.edu/~dksmith/clara/clarafilms.html#SongofLove

“Spring Symphony” (1983) – a more accurate biopic than the 1947 Hollywood version (and Nastassia Kinsky looks better as Clara than Katherine Hepburn).
https://www.geneva.edu/~dksmith/clara/clarafilms.html#Spring

Edvard Grieg:

“Song of Norway” (1970)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066393/

‘Edvard Grieg: What price, Immortality?” (1999)
https://www.blockbuster.com/movies/edvard-grieg-what-price-immortality.html

Claude Debussy

“The Debussy Film” (1963) – Oliver Reed plays Debussy in Ken Russel´s biopic.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/495009/index.html

Richard Wagner :

“Magic Fire” (1955)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Fire

“Wagner” (1983) – TV miniseries with Richard Burton as Wagner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_(mini-series)

Gustav Mahler:

“Mahler” (1974) Ken Russel´s hallucinatory movie.
https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9903EFD91E3CE334BC4D53DFB266838D669EDE

“Bride of the Wind” (2001) – Really about Mahler´s wife, Alma.
https://www.ravinia.org/onescore/2008/movies.html

Richard Strauss:

“Dance of the Seven veils” (1970) Another Ken Russel biopic of a composer.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1030584/

Vaughan Williams

“Vaugham Williams” (1984) – Another Ken Russel´s biopic of a famous classical composer.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1026050/index.html

Arnold Bax:

“The Secret Life of Arnold Bax” (1992) – Ken Russel´s biopic

P. I. Tchaikovsky:

“The Music Lovers” (1972) - Tchaikovsky is given the Ken Russell treatment.
https://www.fandango.com/themusiclovers_v33903/summary

Frederick Delius

“Song of Summer” (1968) Ken Russel biopic of Delius. Arguably the best amongst Russel´s biopics of classical composers. Watch Percy Grainger steal the scene!
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/482807/index.html

Elgar

“Elgar” (1962) – Another biopic by Ken Russel.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/482790/index.html

Sergei Prokofiev

“Prokofiev” (1961) – Ken Russel´s biopic of the Russian composer.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/907277/index.html

Gordon Jacob

“Gordon Jacob” (1959) – The first of the many Ken Russel´s biopics of classical composers.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/929027/index.html

Bela Bartok:

“Bela Bartok” (1964) Another Ken Russel biopic.
https://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/907445/index.html

Percy Grainger

“Passion” - A great movie about weird Australian composer Percy Grainger (he also appears in Ken Russel´s Delius movie)
https://www.preview-online.com/may_june/feature_articles/passion/passion_pg1.html

Heitor Villa-Lobos

“Villa Lobos – Uma vida de paixão” (2000) - Brazilian movie director Zelito Viana made a biopic of Heitor Villa Lobos, which stays pretty close to the facts.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245547/

Perhaps the best music inspired movie ever made is “Tous les matins du monde” about the life and relationship of Marin Marais and his teacher Saint Coulombe, both “viol” (the precursor of the violin) virtuosi.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103110/

Have a look here as well:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,1816.msg13689.html#msg13689
(movies featuring pianists)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,3454.msg30662.html#msg30662
(pianos in movies)

These should get you going for a while .

Best wishes,
Bernhard

[communist]

if documentaries are OK than there is a wonderful one about Rachmaninoff called
"The Harvest of Sorrow" you can actually watch it one youtube but make sure you do not watch the one that is in English and Japanese at the same time.

[thalbergmad]

How about "The Magic Bow" with Stewart Grainger as Paganini.

Worst film ever?

Thal

[thalbergmad]

“Spring Symphony” (1983) – a more accurate biopic than the 1947 Hollywood version (and Nastassia Kinsky looks better as Clara than Katherine Hepburn).
https://www.geneva.edu/~dksmith/clara/clarafilms.html#Spring

I remember watching that and thinking she is never going to get her clothes off in this.

Wrong again Thal.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Lisztomania is absolutely hilarious. Gotta love the scene where Wagner turns into a vampire and attacks Liszt (it's subtle symbolism  ) , to say nothing of the opening scene with, um, the metronome. You wouldn't expect anything less from a film with Ringo Starr as the Pope.

[force]

wow thats enough material for the first time

ty xD

[aslanov]

if documentaries are OK than there is a wonderful one about Rachmaninoff called
"The Harvest of Sorrow" you can actually watch it one youtube but make sure you do not watch the one that is in English and Japanese at the same time.

link? cant find it.
thanks

[communist]

it is misnamed so it probably be hard to find but i should have mentioned that


by the way it begins a little boring

[mikey6]

There was a strange one I saw on Brahms about his relationship with women 'but for women' I think it was called or something like that.  Copious amounts of nudity.....

[csharp_minor]

Hey did anyone ( in the UK or anywere else ) see that Mozart documentary called Mozart Balls? it was on BBC 4

I could only find the trailer to it:   

Did anyone see that lady in it who thinks she is Mozart reincarnated!?  Shes in the trailer shes the middle aged lady! lol

Is there anywhere I could watch this documentary again online?

[beckey707]

i was just wondring wether anyone has a link were you could watch england my england online... I absolutly adore purcells music. I am from the netherlands, but don't yet have a credit ard so ordering the movie is potentially problametic.. perhaps someone know were i can find it here?


much greetings

Beckey

[minor9th]

There's also that Beethoven movie a few years back with Ed Harris but I didn't really like the looks of the preview. It sounded like a pink love story movie.
I stayed clear of it.

It's called Copying Beethoven , and it is not a "pink love story movie"! Give it a chance. Harris is superb.

[rabbity baxter]

I remember watching that and thinking she is never going to get her clothes off in this.

Wrong again Thal.

But does she get her clothes off?
Nastia kinskaya not hepburn that is ...

[rabbity baxter]

Lisztomania is absolutely hilarious. Gotta love the scene where Wagner turns into a vampire and attacks Liszt (it's subtle symbolism  ) , to say nothing of the opening scene with, um, the metronome. You wouldn't expect anything less from a film with Ringo Starr as the Pope.

this film sounds *** hilarious. What is it called?

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Lisztomania - there are extracts on youtube.

[gupiano]

There is also the BBC series The genius of Mozart and also The genius of Beethoven.