Music Lovers (1970)

Furious, violently bombastic, terribly unsettling, Ken Russell's 1970 biography of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (Richard Chamberlain) is a portrait of artistic brilliance beset by the Russian composer's mounting guilt over, well, everything: his homosexuality, his marriage to the increasingly miserable and mad Nina (Glenda Jackson), his hidden attraction to Count Anton Chiluvsky (Christopher Gable), and his suggestively incestuous relations with a sister while growing up. Consumed by his art to the point of explosiveness, Tchaikovsky has increasing difficulty coping with his life, finding some solace in the distant love proffered by his rich patroness (who refuses to meet him but communicates her feelings through letters). Russell intends the film to be a bumpy and harsh ride that descends into grotesque tragedy as Nina is confined to a monstrous asylum and Tchaikovsky becomes ill. Still, there are a few of the usual pop-surreal sequences of which the director is so fond, most memorably a loony visual accompaniment for the 1812 Overture. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

The Music Lovers

This is one of my favorite movies. The music is great. The acting is great. For me, everything is great except that it also has many sad scenes, however we have to understand that it is an interpretation of the life of Tchaikovsky. October 24, 2008

Acceptable for the great music, not the misinformed history

If you watch 1970's "Music Lovers", Ken Russell's badly misinformed portrait of the life of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, you may think people were as open about homosexuality in the 1870s and they were starting to become in the 1970s. Europeans have always been more open and accepting of lifestyle than Americans, but this film treatment still borders on the ridiculous.

The subject of Russell's dissertation, Tchaikovsky, was one of the half-dozen greatest classical music composers in history. He remains the greatest architect of ballet among all composers with "Swan Lake" -- some scenes of which are delightfully reenacted in this film -- holding steadfast to its reputation as the greatest of all ballet. Tchaikovsky also wrote six symphonies, three piano concertos, three operas that remain in the standard repertory, a violin concerto and the late romantic era's most endearing and beloved orchestral music on subjects ranging from Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, Francesa da Rimini) to travelogue (Capriccio Italian) to history (1812 Overture, March Slav).

Tchaikovsky, who died age 53 after composing his dynamic and depressing Symphony No. 6, was homosexual and was tormented by his homosexuality, which is the aspect of his life this film exploits. A remarkable early scene, where actor Ricahrd Chamberlain, playing Tchaikovsky, premieres his magnificent Piano Concerto No. 1 to the conservatory, is followed almost immediately by a scene of the composer in bed with a boyfriend. This is the exploitative nature of the film, which merges sensationalism with incorrect history to give viewers an incorrect thumbprint of the composer.

Just as "Amadeus" did not always accurately reflect Mozart and the abominable "Immortal Beloved" was essentially 100 percent wrong in its portrayal of Ludwig van Beethoven, so too does "Music Lovers" poorly portray the life and times of Tchaikovsy. However, the two musical scenes provide insight for novices into the range of expression the composer offered and the piano concerto's first movement is played in its entirety.

Fortunately, two subsequent films about Beethoven -- "Eroica: The Day That Changed Music" and "Copying Beethoven" -- are both somewhat frivolous but cast the composer in better film treatment than the earlier travesty. In addition, the PBS film "Impromptu" was very accurate in its depiction of composer Fredric Chopin and Franz Liszt, writer George Sand and French revolutionary artist Eugene Delacroix.

For this reason, there is hope that one day Tchaikovsky will be represented on the silver screen more appropriatley. Until that day arrives, this is it. Enjoy the music but beware the hype and sexual manipulation. August 4, 2007

Filmmaking of the highest order: Ken Russell's Tchaikowsky--Genius recognizing genius!

Peter Tchaikowsky (1840-1893) is arguably Russia's greatest composer/pianist/conductor.His life was filled with heartache,trauma,emotional instability,near madness,perfectionism and most of all the inability or unwillingness to accept his homosexual nature. His music IS all about emotion. His works triumphantly and tragically are mirror images of his life, and therefore to understand his life IS to understand his work. Tchaikowsky always searched for love. Upon the unsettling death of his mother from cholera when he was but a child,Tchaikowsky began a decent into melancholy and desperation that would remain and worsen for the rest of his life.Documents reveal his "incestuous affair" with his sister Sasha, his hasty/manic marriage to an absolute "loon" that was disastrous for both of them,an unsuccessful "suicide" attempt, a brother content to ride on Tchaikowsky's coattails for gain and comfort, and a long standing homosexual relationship with one Count Anton Chilusky in a time when to be homosexual was complete ruination. Through this all, one wealthy widow, Nadia Von Meck, insisted on being his benefactress so that he could devote all of his time to composition "for her pleasure." He rose from the bourgeois class. He even received a stipend for life from Czar Alexander.He died tragically and, as later documents uncovered eight years after this film was made revealed, from something far more sinister and disturbing.

Every bit of this is compelling enough for a film of grand scale, but how to capture the torture and immensity of it all is totally another thing. Ken Russell, as only Ken Russell could do, DID IT, and boy-oh-boy with what flare!!! Ken Russell tells Tchaikowsky's "bi-polar" and woefully
lamentable struggles by crafting a jolting collage of emotionally beguiling images tied expertly to the composer's music (Evgeny Onegin,The 5th and 6th Symphonies, 1812 Overture and Swan Lake Ballet) in order to ignite the screen in sound,color,pain,euphoria,disgust,triumph and despair.We feel every ounce of pathos; we are repelled by the sight of his wife's bare breasts as she tries to seduce her impotent husband; we are wooed into the forbidden world of his longing for his married sister Sasha;we are repulsed by Madame Von Meck's "orgasmic" reactions to Tchaikowsky's music;we are disgusted at Peter's "ne'er-do-well" brother Modeste in his attempt to rise along with Peter's fame,but not to share Peter's struggles and woes; and we are troubled by the spurn that Count Chiluvsky feels and his manipulative ways to convince Peter to come to terms with his own nature.In fact, everyone WANTS And needs Peter Tchaikowsky AND HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO WANT OR, NEED THEM!This is the true pain that cries out in Tchaikowsky's compositions and Ken Russell expertly makes us feel and comprehend each raw emotion -almost exhaustingly so!!! Though I try to express my opinions on this film, words,even though I have to use alot of them,STILL ARE TOTALLY INADEQUATE to express the magnitude and depth of this masterpiece!!!

The sheer breadth of what actors Richard Chamberlain and Glenda Jackson produce on screen as Tchaikowsky and his wife Antonina is almost beyond any human comprehension. They must have been totally spent after this film. Rarely is SO much emotion displayed in all of it's ugly rawness.Russell brings out everything that his actors have in order to tell this story so vividly. There is NOT ONE restrained performance in this film. It is an all-out blow-out that brings standing ovations and accolades to all involved.


Andre Previn conducts the London Symphony orchestra. The sound is crystal clear and booming.Chamberlain is a pianist himself, so the "finger syncs" are perfection!( As a musician,myself, this is always of critical importance!)

One DOES NOT need to know ANYTHING about Peter Tchaikowsky to "get" this film. To know his life and his music DOES though only enhance all of the nuances that Russell so accurately researched. In fact, this film is SO multi-layered that even over the 37 years since I first saw it there is always something more and something deeper that I understand and see. This is a film to be viewed over and over again for it's story,concept,execution,style and acting. Like Tchaikowsky himself, Ken Russell is a filmmaker's filmmaker. In this film, GENIUS RECOGNIZES GENIUS!!! The viewer is laid emotionally prostrate.

Andre Previn's TCHAIKOWSKY: THE STORY OF THE SYMPHONY is an outstanding documentarian approach to Tchaikowsky's life and artistry.Previn is an expert on Tchaikowsky and is well respected for his knowledge and interpretation of The Russian Master.


Other companion films that are at the top of their genre concerning classical composers are Ken Russell's MAHLER (Gustav Mahler),BRIDE OF THE WIND (Alma Mahler), AMADEUS (Mozart), IMMORTAL BELOVED (Beethoven), VOICES FROM A LOCKED ROOM (Peter Warlock), SPRING SYMPHONY (Clara and Robert Schumann), ALL THE MORNINGS OF THE WORLD (Colombe and Marais) and to a lesser degree CHOPIN:A DESIRE FOR LOVE (Chopin) and IMPROMPTU (Chopin and Liszt).

Films that discuss intelligently the plight and struggle of homosexuality would be MAURICE, TOTAL ECLIPSE and LOVE IS THE DEVIL.

For skillfully interpreted films that display piano virtuosity I recommend highly THE COMPETITION and SHINE. June 30, 2007

Why, oh why.....

is this film not on DVD? And, for the record, what about The Devils? Ken Russell was the most courageous and daring film-maker of his or any generation. His films were, and still are, waaay ahead of their time. There's no way anyone would touch that subject matter today. In an industry filled with formulaic scripts and passionless, bland, Winona Ryder-esque acting, his films were the jewel in the crown, the needle in the haystack. We desperately need more writers/directors/producers with his uncompromising vision and storytelling talent. December 9, 2006

NAZTROVJA!!!

That is really a somewhat americanization of my polish/baltic heritage...'to your good health'! Tip back your head and swallow down a nice fat shot of (w)vodka as you begin to drink in the absolute wonder of this mind blowing ride in Ken Russell's vision! I too,as so many others have said, am at a total loss as to why this has not yet made it to dvd! I have a pirated copy I taped from (I think it was either Cinemax or HBO) and am lucky I caught at least that! The tape is sealed in airtight plastic as are a few other gems I happened by that I'm also waiting for on dvd. DO NOT MISS! January 26, 2006

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