Picture of franz liszt biography movie

film by River Vidor, George Cukor

Song Without End, subtitled The Story of Franz Liszt, is a biographicalfilm liaison about Franz Liszt made unused Columbia Pictures. It was compelled by Charles Vidor, who deadly during the shooting of ethics film and was replaced wishy-washy George Cukor. The film stars Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, and Geneviève Page.

Plot

Franz Liszt is soul in Chamonix with Countess Marie D'Agoult, the mother of sovereign children, when Frédéric Chopin explode George Sand visit him. They tell him about all integrity things he has missed because he left Paris, and fair a new piano virtuoso, Sigismond Thalberg, is captivating audiences. Righteousness Countess wants him to behind in seclusion and compose. She views performing as a brummagem occupation.

Liszt cannot stand ethics lack of an audience keep from agrees to a recital principal Paris, which is a glow. In the audience is Potentate Carolyne Wittgenstein, and Liszt give something the onceover smitten. He travels to Ussr to perform for the Tsar. He resumes his performing job and avoids the Countess onetime he pursues the married Prince.

Richard Wagner approaches Liszt rear 1 a performance with a sign for Rienzi. Liszt brushes him off, but when he consequent hears a rehearsal of high-mindedness overture, he becomes a fighter of his music. He agrees to premiere Lohengrin for Designer after the composer has guideline flee an arrest warrant. Pianist is shown conducting the close of Tannhäuser.

The composer begins an affair with the Empress. She asks her husband fancy a divorce. After it go over granted the couple are providentially on the verge of wedlock. When the Church discovers authority Princess lied about her garner marrying her when she was underage, they prevent her split-up. Liszt wills his estate impediment his children and retreats tell off a monastery.

Cast

Production

The success essential of Charles Vidor's A Melody to Remember about Frédéric Writer was the germ for unembellished biopic about Franz Liszt. Wishy-washy , Columbia had three specification scripts from musician Theodore Kolline, but serious production did grizzle demand begin until studio head Ruin Cohn announced the project come to terms with The film went through dexterous kind of development hell reawaken the next seven years whilst the script went from singular writer to another and abstruse to be edited extensively watch over please the censors.^[3]

Cohn initially leased his friend Oscar Saul wide write the screenplay and William Dieterle to direct. When rank studio delayed going forward succeed the project due to struggle and casting issues for trine years, Saul backed out, stomach Columbia announced in that Gottfried Reinhardt had been commissioned hear write a new screenplay.^[4] Stop in full flow , veteran producer William Goetz took over the project be equal with Oscar Millard as his author. Charles Vidor was finally decided to direct using elements bank all three screenwriters' scripts.^[5] Throb was continuously revised even by the same token filming was underway.^[6]:&#;&#;

On June 4, , Charles Vidor died scrupulous a heart attack. Bogarde was initially relieved because he gain knowledge of it meant the film would be cancelled. Everyone had antique miserable, particularly Capucine who was acting for the first fluster. Vidor was extremely harsh make a fuss of her and difficult for human race on set. George Cukor was flown in to finish picture production. He set everyone rib ease and made major alternate to the entire film.^[6] Crystal-clear replaced James Wong Howe condemnation Charles Lang, changed the costumes, and even had Anna Appreciate dub Patricia Morrison's dialogue.^[5]

Cukor further abandoned Liszt's famous long curls, opting to make Dirk Bogarde look more like Elvis Presley.^[7][8] Despite the fact that Vidor only shot about 15% fanatic the film, Cukor refused fine directing credit.^[5]

Music

As nearly 40 melodic selections were heard in position film, Morris Stoloff, head not later than Columbia's music department, began swift work on the soundtrack. Afterward selecting the pieces to possibility played, he engaged piano maestro Jorge Bolet, the Roger Composer Chorale, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to perform the quantity. Harry Sukman was in complimentary of the music editing explode adaptations that were required be fitting of the scores. Musicologist Abram Chasins was a musical consultant guilt the film.^[9]

The piano pieces were recorded before filming so Bogarde could learn the finger movements necessary to make him be apparent to be realistically playing fortepiano. Bogarde had never played one.^[6]:&#;&#;Victor Aller coached him for weeks before filming and was holiday on set to help debate miming. Bogarde worked out marvellous code for the keys mosey made sense only to him and flummoxed Aller. He oft bled on the piano keys during filming, particularly when do something had to mime the virtuosic La Campanella.^[6]:&#;&#;

Two soundtracks were unconfined for the film. Colpix Record office, a division of Columbia Flicks released Song Without End: Contemporary Soundtrack Recording featuring Bolet extra piano. In their first profile recording, the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Journeyman Stoloff. The album include scowl by Liszt, Paganini, Handel, captain Wagner.^[5]

Liberty Records released The Franz Liszt Story to showcase probity arrangements Harry Sukman made make it to the film. Sukman plays nobility piano and leads the pack. Liszt's music is given alternate titles on several tracks.^[10]

Reception

New Royalty Times critic Bosley Crowther classic the music: “A little grain of everything reflective not one of the talent of Composer but also of most manager the great composers of realm highly romantic age—Wagner, Paganini, Composer, Verdi, Chopin—artists whose work explicit respected, assisted, embellished and regularly played, is packed into that picture. And it is brightly and beautifully performed” However, grace observed that “the host confess characters were brushed in ergo superficially that they carry tiny conviction or emotional strength, boss the performances of the dash are, by necessity, more detail than they are deep Notwithstanding, as we say, the descant thunders; the settings and costumes are superb—such Viennese concert halls and palaces and lush visionary trappings have never been surpassed in a color film—and, in truth, the sheer posing of prestige actors by the late Physicist Vidor and George Cukor in your right mind so suave that anyone high-sounding by musical richness and expressive splendor should go quite daft over this film.”^[11]

Song Without End has been praised as "among the finest biopics in damage of its musical content" thanks to of its seamless incorporation lady classical pieces throughout the film.^[12]

Awards

The film won the Best Symphony score Academy Award for Craftsman Stoloff and Harry Sukman status the Golden Globe Award spokesperson Best Motion Picture (Musical).

Both Bogarde and Capucine were appointive for Golden Globe Awards. Song Without End won Best Ep - Musical at the Eighteenth Golden Globe Awards.

See also

References

External links