Ken Russell jumped from the success of Tommy to this biopic of the life of Liszt, so it's a genre very much in his wheelhouse. He takes the idea of Liszt being the first pop star and really runs with it... so much so the film loses any grounding in reality. It's set in this never never land... it never feels remotely nineteenth century. It loses bearings of time and place.
Other Russell biopics had their flourishes but were grounded in some sort of reality - they used lots of music. This has a little Liszt but a lot more Rick Wakeman pop songs which Daltrey sings. I wasn't sure what year it was set in or what country.
It might have more impact if you're super familiar with Liszt's career and get all the references but I wasn't and didn't. The stuff I enjoyed the most was where I had a little bit of knowledge, like his relationship with Wagner, and the Wagner character wearing a Nazi helmet But for the rest I had to google it on wikipedia to then get the references which is so way to enjoy a film.
There are some full one excesses here - the massive dildo at a concert for example. That's not the real problem though.
Roger Daltrey tries and I get why he was cast being a real rock star but he doesn't crack it. Part of it is inexperience but may for me it's also that Daltrey was a front man not a composer whereas Liszt was both... maybe a singer songwriter would have worked... maybe not Elton John but someone like him, a solo act.
Sarah Kestleman is perfect in the Russell world. Little Nell is in it too. And Ringo Star.
I wonder if Russell's heart wasn't more in the Wagner character. Maybe he should have done a Wagner biopic.There are some striking images and it's always different. But it's a mess.
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