Biopics of Classical Composers
by ursulahemard | created - 05 Jun 2011 | updated - 05 May 2023 | Publicbiographical movies about the lives of composers of classical music ... research started in 2007 ... work in progress ... any suggestions welcome
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1. Strauss' Great Waltz (1934)
Approved | 80 min | Biography, Music, Romance
The story of Johann Strauss the elder and younger.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Edmund Gwenn, Esmond Knight, Jessie Matthews, Fay Compton
Votes: 1,712
Johann Strauss I (German: Johann Baptist Strauß, Johann Strauss (Vater); also Johann Baptist Strauss, Johann Strauss, Sr., the Elder, the Father; March 14, 1804 – September 25, 1849) was an Austrian Romantic composer. Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, the Son (German: Sohn), Johann Baptist Strauss, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas.
2. The Life and Loves of Beethoven (1936)
116 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Lyrical biography of the classical composer, depicted as a romantical hero, an accursed artist.
Director: Abel Gance | Stars: Harry Baur, Annie Ducaux, Jany Holt, Jean-Louis Barrault
Votes: 316
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827) was a German composer.
3. The Great Waltz (1938)
Passed | 104 min | Biography, Drama, Music
In 1845 Vienna, Johann Strauss II (Fernand Gravey) - 'Jonahi' to his friends - would rather write and perform waltzes than anything else, this at a time when a waltz is not considered ... See full summary »
Directors: Julien Duvivier, Victor Fleming, Josef von Sternberg | Stars: Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravey, Miliza Korjus, Hugh Herbert
Votes: 1,306
Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, the Son (German: Sohn), Johann Baptist Strauss, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas.
4. New Wine (1941)
Passed | 87 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The romantic story of Franz Schubert 's fight for recognition of his music. Fleeing Austria, he arouses passion strongly akin to mother love in a beautiful bucolic girl, who loves him to much to sacrifice genius on the altar of marriage.
Director: Reinhold Schünzel | Stars: Alan Curtis, Ilona Massey, Billy Gilbert, Binnie Barnes
Votes: 42
Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer.
5. La symphonie fantastique (1942)
90 min | Biography, Drama
Biographical romance about the great composer Hector Berlioz, someone whom the French, during their WWII occupation by the Nazis, could look back proudly on.
Director: Christian-Jaque | Stars: Renée Saint-Cyr, Lise Delamare, Jean-Louis Barrault, Jules Berry
Votes: 156
Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts (Requiem).
6. The Great Mr. Handel (1942)
Not Rated | 89 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A lavish period drama produced in 1942 by Lord Rank's G.H.W. Productions Ltd.
Director: Norman Walker | Stars: Wilfrid Lawson, Elizabeth Allan, Malcolm Keen, Michael Shepley
Votes: 94
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German, later British Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos.
7. A Song to Remember (1945)
Approved | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biography of Frederic Chopin.
Director: Charles Vidor | Stars: Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde, Nina Foch
Votes: 1,618
Frédéric François Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849), born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, was a Polish composer and a virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano.
8. The Magic Bow (1946)
Approved | 106 min | Biography, Musical, Romance
Biography of the famous--and notorious--Italian violinist Nicolo Paganini.
Director: Bernard Knowles | Stars: Stewart Granger, Phyllis Calvert, Jean Kent, Dennis Price
Votes: 238
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique.
9. Song of Love (1947)
Approved | 119 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Composer Robert Schumann struggles to compose his symphonies while his loving wife Clara offers her support. Also helping the Schumanns is their lifelong friend, composer Johannes Brahms.
Director: Clarence Brown | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Paul Henreid, Robert Walker, Henry Daniell
Votes: 1,150
Clara Schumann (née Clara Josephine Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897)
10. Young Chopin (1952)
Approved | 98 min | Biography, Drama, History
A story of the formative years in Chopin's life between 1825 and 1831, a time of social unrest throughout Europe, of rising nationalism, and of cries for reform. Chopin, an outstanding ... See full summary »
Director: Aleksander Ford | Stars: Czeslaw Wollejko, Zbigniew Lobodzinski, Józef Nieweglowski, Jerzy Duszynski
Votes: 82
Frédéric François Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849), born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, was a Polish composer and a virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano.
11. Puccini (1953)
119 min | Biography, Drama, Music
This biographical story of Puccini (Gabriele Ferzetti) spans his creative life from early student days to the height of success, including his early flop Madame Butterfly and his incomplete... See full summary »
Director: Carmine Gallone | Stars: Gabriele Ferzetti, Märta Torén, Nadia Gray, Myriam Bru
Votes: 76
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas are among the important operas played as standards.
12. Magic Fire (1956)
Approved | 95 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life and career of German composer Richard Wagner.
Director: William Dieterle | Stars: Yvonne De Carlo, Carlos Thompson, Rita Gam, Valentina Cortese
Votes: 182
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas").
13. Das Dreimäderlhaus (1958)
102 min | Romance, Drama
The young composer Franz Schubert tries to gain a foothold in Vienna.
Director: Ernst Marischka | Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Rudolf Schock, Magda Schneider, Gustav Knuth
Votes: 122
Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer.
14. Song Without End (1960)
Not Rated | 141 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The romantic story of Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt (Sir Dirk Bogarde), whose scandalous love affair forced him to abandon his adoring audiences.
Directors: Charles Vidor, George Cukor | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, Geneviève Page, Patricia Morison
Votes: 954
Franz Liszt (Hungarian Liszt Ferencz, in modern usage Liszt Ferenc (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, philanthropist and Franciscan tertiary.
15. Motsart i Salieri (1962)
47 min | Drama, History
Film version of the Rimsky Korsakov opera from the Pushkin story.
Director: Vladimir Gorikker | Stars: Pyotr Glebov, Sergei Lemeshev, Aleksandr Pirogov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy
Votes: 37
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
16.
Omnibus (1967–2003)
Episode:
Song of Summer
(1968)
Not Rated | 74 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Traces last 5 years of the life of Frederick Delius through the eyes of the young composer Eric Fenby
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Max Adrian, Maureen Pryor, Christopher Gable, David Collings
Votes: 399
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius, CH (29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer.
17. The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968)
94 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach as presented by his wife, Anna.
Directors: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Gustav Leonhardt, Christiane Lang, Paolo Carlini, Ernst Castelli
Votes: 1,586 | Gross: $0.02M
Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.
18. The Music Lovers (1971)
R | 123 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Piano teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexuality by marrying, but unfortunately he chooses a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Glenda Jackson, Max Adrian, Christopher Gable
Votes: 3,025 | Gross: $0.20M
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25 April/7 May 1840 – 25 October/6 November 1893), often anglicized as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire
19. Tchaikovsky (1970)
Not Rated | 157 min | Biography, Drama
The life and work of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky is shown through his relationship with aristocratic art connoisseur Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck.
Director: Igor Talankin | Stars: Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Antonina Shuranova, Kirill Lavrov, Vladislav Strzhelchik
Votes: 487
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25 April/7 May 1840 – 25 October/6 November 1893), often anglicized as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire
20. Song of Norway (1970)
G | 138 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
Based on the life of Norway's greatest composer Edvard Grieg, and filmed in Norway where he lived. The soundtrack is all Edvard Grieg's music with added lyrics.
Director: Andrew L. Stone | Stars: Florence Henderson, Toralv Maurstad, Christina Schollin, Frank Porretta
Votes: 510 | Gross: $3.72M
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist.
21. The Strauss Family (1972)
60 min | Drama, Romance
A seven-part mini-series produced in England about Vienna's Strauss family in the 19th-century. Members of the London Symphony Orchestra provided the music.
Stars: Stuart Wilson, Anne Stallybrass, Barbara Ferris, Christopher Benjamin
Votes: 122
Johann Strauss I Sr., the Elder, the Father; (March 14, 1804 – September 25, 1849) Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, the Son (German: Sohn) Eduard Strauss (15 March 1835 – 28 December 1916) Josef Strauss (20 August 1827 – 22 July 1870)
22. Mahler (1974)
PG | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Composer Gustav Mahler's (Robert Powell) life, told in a series of flashbacks as he and his wife (Georgina Hale) discuss their failing marriage during a train journey.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Robert Powell, Georgina Hale, Lee Montague, Miriam Karlin
Votes: 3,064
Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation.
23. Lisztomania (1975)
R | 103 min | Biography, Comedy, Music
Composer and pianist Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) attempts to overcome his hedonistic life-style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas).
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Roger Daltrey, Sara Kestelman, Paul Nicholas, Ringo Starr
Votes: 3,121
Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, philanthropist and Franciscan tertiary.
24. Verdi (1982– )
Not Rated | 70 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 and lived until 1901, his life spanning nearly a century of political turmoil and considerable personal turmoil. This 1982 biographical television miniseries... See full summary »
Stars: Ronald Pickup, Carla Fracci, Giampiero Albertini, Omero Antonutti
Votes: 312
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer of operas.
25. Wagner (1983)
300 min | Biography, Drama, History
A huge panorama of Richard Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848 revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to the final ... See full summary »
Stars: Richard Burton, Vanessa Redgrave, Miguel Herz-Kestranek, László Gálffi
Votes: 616
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas").
26. Spring Symphony (1983)
PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Music
Chronicles the illustrious 19th-century love affair between composer Robert Schumann and pianist Clara Wieck.
Director: Peter Schamoni | Stars: Nastassja Kinski, Herbert Grönemeyer, Rolf Hoppe, Anja-Christine Preussler
Votes: 369
Clara Schumann (née Clara Josephine Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897)
27. Amadeus (1984)
R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice
Votes: 428,419 | Gross: $51.97M
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
28. Puccini (1984 TV Movie)
113 min | Biography, Drama
When Italian composer Giacomo Puccini is accused of sleeping with his maid, the scandal threatens to destroy his life and career. This biopic intercuts with director Tony Palmer's efforts to stage Puccini's last opera.
Director: Tony Palmer | Stars: Robert Stephens, Virginia McKenna, Judith Howarth, Robert Urquhart
Votes: 51
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas are among the important operas played as standards.
29. Honour, Profit & Pleasure (1985 TV Movie)
102 min | Drama, History, Musical
This film presents scenes from the life of German composer George Frideric Handel in the style of a baroque opera. After the success of his London debut, Handel settles in England. He ... See full summary »
Director: Anna Ambrose | Stars: Simon Callow, Alan Devlin, Jean Rigby, Christopher Benjamin
Votes: 27
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (23 February 1685 (O.S.) [(N.S.) 5 March] – 14 April 1759)
30. Vergeßt Mozart (1985)
92 min | Music, Mystery, Thriller
In the dead of night, a few hours after Mozart's death, the usual suspects (Konstanze, Salieri, van Swieten, etc.) are summoned to Mozart's room by Count Pergen, head of the secret police, ... See full summary »
Director: Miloslav Luther | Stars: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Max Tidof, Wolfgang Preiss, Catarina Raacke
Votes: 99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
31. God Rot Tunbridge Wells! (1985 TV Movie)
119 min | Biography, Drama, Music
At death's door, George Frederic Handel reflects, rages, and narrates his life. From his womanizing youthful days, to his rise in fame as a composer, God Rot Tunbridge Wells! pulls no punches in this wild romp of a biopic.
Director: Tony Palmer | Stars: Trevor Howard, Dave Griffiths, Christopher Bramwell, Ranald Neilson
Votes: 50
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (23 February 1685 (O.S.) [(N.S.) 5 March] – 14 April 1759)
32. Mit meinen heißen Tränen (1986)
285 min | Biography, Drama
Depicts the final years of the life of 19th century Austrian composer Franz Schubert.
Stars: Udo Samel, Daniel Olbrychski, Wojciech Pszoniak, Traugott Buhre
Votes: 119
Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer.
33. Wahnfried (1986)
112 min | Drama, Musical
Richard's Wagner and his wife Cosima.
Director: Peter Patzak | Stars: Otto Sander, Tatja Seibt, Fabienne Babe, Peter Matic
Votes: 64
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas").
34. Testimony (1987)
Not Rated | 157 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and his life and career during the rule of Stalin.
Director: Tony Palmer | Stars: Ben Kingsley, Sherry Baines, Magdalen Asquith, Mark Asquith
Votes: 287
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September[1] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Soviet composer and pianist, and a prominent figure of 20th-century music.
35. Paganini (1989)
81 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A biography of Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini.
Director: Klaus Kinski | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Debora Caprioglio, Nikolai Kinski, Dalila Di Lazzaro
Votes: 1,125
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer.
36. Impromptu (1991)
PG-13 | 107 min | Biography, Comedy, Music
In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.
Director: James Lapine | Stars: Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters
Votes: 5,519 | Gross: $4.08M
Frédéric François Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849),
37. Blue Note (1991)
135 min | Drama, Music, Romance
the film covers the last few days of fragile Chopin's professional life.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Marie-France Pisier, Janusz Olejniczak, Sophie Marceau, Noëmi Nadelmann
Votes: 733
Frédéric François Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849),
38. Tous les matins du monde (1991)
Not Rated | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe, fierce and somber man, grand master of the viola da gamba and professor of Marin Marais, prestigious musician in the court of Louis XIV.
Director: Alain Corneau | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Anne Brochet, Guillaume Depardieu
Votes: 7,948 | Gross: $3.09M
Marin Marais (31 May 1656, Paris – 15 August 1728, Paris) was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months. He was hired as a musician in 1676 to the royal court of Versailles.
39. Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1992 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 51 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A young boy learns to appreciate the music of his upstairs boarder, Ludwig Van Beethoven.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Neil Munro, Illya Woloshyn, Fiona Reid, Paul Soles
Votes: 484
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827)
40. Bizet's Dream (1994 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 53 min | Music, Drama, Family
A 12 year old Parisian girl takes piano lessons from composer Georges Bizet and becomes captivated by his story of the gypsy Carmen.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Maurice Godin, Brittany Madgett, Catherine Barroll, Yseult Lendvai
Votes: 51
Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875), registered at birth as Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer of the romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.
41. Immortal Beloved (1994)
R | 121 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Besides all the work he is known for, the composer once wrote a famous love letter to a nameless beloved, and the movie tries to ... See full summary »
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Isabella Rossellini, Johanna ter Steege
Votes: 26,228 | Gross: $9.91M
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827)
42. England, My England (1995)
153 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1960s, a British playwright attempts to reconstruct the life of real life 17th century English composer Henry Purcell even though little is known about him. Purcell's life is reenacted and his music performed.
Director: Tony Palmer | Stars: Simon Callow, Michael Ball, Rebecca Front, Lucy Speed
Votes: 193
Henry Purcell (c. 10 September 1659[Note 1] – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music.
43. Bruckners Entscheidung (1995)
80 min | Biography, Music
Director: Jan Schmidt-Garre | Stars: Joachim Bauer, Markus Ertelthalner, Joachim Kaiser, Michael Ponti
Votes: 14
Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets.
44. Rossini's Ghost (1996 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 52 min | Biography, Drama, Family
Nine-year old Reliana witnesses Rossini's efforts to salvage his seemingly cursed new opera, the Barber of Seville.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Joseph Di Mambro, Melissa Pirrera, Frances Bay, Margaret Illmann
Votes: 72
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces.
45. Liszt's Rhapsody (1996 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 49 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A dashing Franz Liszt appears to have it all - talent, success, wealth and adoring fans. Yet when he takes on a young street musician as a violin student, his own fork is transformed.
Director: Richard Mozer | Stars: Geordie Johnson, Drew Jurecka, Peter Keleghan, Ida Carnevali
Votes: 63
Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, philanthropist and Franciscan tertiary.
46. The Temptation of Franz Schubert (1997 TV Movie)
60 min | Drama
The darker side of the composer is explored when he stays in the hospital for syphilis.
Director: Peter Webber | Stars: Simon Russell Beale, Jason Flemyng, Emilia Fox, Richard Van Allan
Votes: 48
Franz Peter Schubert ( 31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer
47. Bride of the Wind (2001)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Music
This movie is a biopic of Alma Mahler, the wife of composer Gustav Mahler (as well as Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel), and the mistress of Oskar Kokoschka.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Sarah Wynter, Vincent Perez, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Verhoeven
Votes: 706 | Gross: $0.42M
Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation.
48. Chopin: Desire for Love (2002)
R | 134 min | Drama, Romance, Music
A tangled web of unruly passion lies at the center of this drama, chronicling the stormy affair between the great piano virtuoso Frédéric Chopin and the flamboyant feminist writer George Sand.
Director: Jerzy Antczak | Stars: Piotr Adamczyk, Danuta Stenka, Adam Woronowicz, Bozena Stachura
Votes: 810
Frédéric François Chopin (22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849)
49. Il était une fois Jean-Sébastien Bach (2003)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
J.S. BACH: THE MUSIC, THE LIFE, THE LEGEND is a dramatic look at the life of Johann Sebastian Bach, a man who dedicated his life to the service of music.
Director: Jean-Louis Guillermou | Stars: Christian Vadim, Elena Lenina, Frédérique Bel, Jean Rochefort
Votes: 92
Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.
50. Eroica (2003 TV Movie)
129 min | Drama, History, Music
On June 9, 1804, Ludwig van Beethoven and his pupil Ries assemble a group of musicians to give the first performance of his Third Symphony, 'Bonaparte', to his patron Prince Lobkowitz and ... See full summary »
Director: Simon Cellan Jones | Stars: Peter Hanson, Jack Davenport, Leo Bill, Ian Hart
Votes: 667
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827) was a German composer.
51. My Name Is Bach (2003)
97 min | Biography, Drama
Composer Johann Sebastian Bach is introduced to King Frederick II of Prussia in 1747. The aging composer and the young monarch clash and a battle of egos ensues.
Director: Dominique de Rivaz | Stars: Vadim Glowna, Jürgen Vogel, Karoline Herfurth, Anatole Taubman
Votes: 358
Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.
52. Sibelius (2003)
120 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life story of Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer.
Director: Timo Koivusalo | Stars: Martti Suosalo, Heikki Nousiainen, Miina Turunen, Seela Sella
Votes: 736
Jean Sibelius (born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957), was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped Finland to develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.
53. Copying Beethoven (2006)
PG-13 | 104 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A fictionalized account of the last year of Beethoven's life.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Matthew Goode, Ralph Riach
Votes: 14,123 | Gross: $0.35M
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770[1] – 26 March 1827) was a German composer.
54. Antonio Vivaldi, un prince à Venise (2006)
95 min | Drama
The life of Antonio Vivaldi, the great Italian composer and musician of the 17th century.
Director: Jean-Louis Guillermou | Stars: Stefano Dionisi, Michel Serrault, Michel Galabru, Annette Schreiber
Votes: 129
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and cleric.
55.
Tchaikovsky (2007)
Episode:
The Creation of Greatness
(2007)
Documentary, Drama
Director: Matthew Whiteman | Stars: Charles Hazlewood, Ed Stoppard, William Mannering, Gyuri Sarossy
Votes: 105
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25 April/7 May 1840 – 25 October/6 November 1893), often anglicized as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire
56. Beloved Clara (2008)
107 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A look at the lives of 19th-century composers Clara and Robert Schumann.
Director: Helma Sanders-Brahms | Stars: Martina Gedeck, Pascal Greggory, Malik Zidi, Aline Annessy
Votes: 303
Clara Schumann (née Clara Josephine Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897)
57. Io, Don Giovanni (2009)
127 min | Drama, History, Music
A drama based on the life of 18th century Italian lyricist Lorenzo da Ponte, who collaborated with Mozart on his "Don Giovanni" opera.
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Tobias Moretti, Eulàlia Ramon, Sergi Roca, Anna Saura Ramón
Votes: 628
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
58. Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009)
R | 119 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Paris 1913. Coco Chanel is infatuated with the rich and handsome Boy Capel, but she is also compelled by her work. Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is about to be performed. The ... See full summary »
Director: Jan Kounen | Stars: Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen, Elena Morozova, Natacha Lindinger
Votes: 7,042 | Gross: $1.72M
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (17 June [O.S. 5 June] 1882 – 6 April 1971) was a Russian (and later, a naturalized French and American) composer, pianist and conductor.
59. Mahler on the Couch (2010)
98 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Alma Mahler's affair with the young architect Walter Gropius sets in motion a marital drama that forces her husband Gustav Mahler to seek advice from Sigmund Freud.
Directors: Felix O. Adlon, Percy Adlon | Stars: Johannes Silberschneider, Barbara Romaner, Karl Markovics, Eva Mattes
Votes: 496
Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austrian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation.
60. Vivaldi (II)
Biography, Drama, History | Announced
A biography of Antonio Vivaldi's early life, when the young priest became the music teacher at a school for the illegitimate daughters of Venice's courtesans.
Director: Boris Damast
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and cleric.
61. The Child Prodigy (2010)
101 min | Drama
On the keyboard, the young hands fly rapidly and the melody rises. For the child, nothing is easier; he hears the sounds in his head. These hands belong to 6 years old André Mathieu. He won... See full summary »
Director: Luc Dionne | Stars: Patrick Drolet, Marc Labrèche, Macha Grenon, Karine Vanasse
Votes: 222
André Mathieu (18 February 1929 – 2 June 1968) was a Canadian pianist and composer.
62. A Mulatto Song (1996)
Short
One of a series on black and Asian music and culture: a dramatized account of the life of George Bridgetower (1780-1860), a Polish-born violin virtuoso of mixed race who live much of his life in England.
Director: Topher Campbell | Stars: Leon Maurice Jones, Colin McFarlane, Cole Mejas, Everton Nelson
George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (11 October 1778–29 February 1860) was an Afro-Polish-born virtuoso violinist who also composed.
63. Vivaldi, the Red Priest (2009)
120 min | Biography, Musical
The life of Antonio Vivaldi, called "the red priest", his relationship with the world and the Church, his spiritual battles, his love for a woman.
Director: Liana Marabini | Stars: Steven Cree, Clemency Burton-Hill, James Jagger, Tiffany Mulheron
Votes: 51
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and cleric.
64. Vetka sireni (2007)
97 min | Drama, Music
The life story of composer-pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Director: Pavel Lungin | Stars: Liya Akhedzhakova, Oleg Andreev, Igor Chernevich, Evdokiya Germanova
Votes: 133
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff ( 1 April 1873 – 28 March 1943),was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor.
"Lungin’s Lilacs examines the life of the renowned Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Jumping back and forth between Rachmaninoff’s later years as an émigré in the United States and his youth in pre-Revolutionary Russia, Lungin utilizes narrative techniques linked to the Hollywood biopic—most notably, detailed period-piece scenes of turn-of-the-century Russia and 1920s America that dramatize recognizable events from the composer’s life—to probe Rachmaninoff’s creative malaise in the U.S. as well as his earlier rise as a Romantic composer and pianist in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Throughout Lilacs, we encounter crucial events from Rachmaninoff’s biography, including the unsuccessful debut of his first symphony, his dabbling with psychotherapy under the guidance of renowned Russian physician Nikolai Dahl, his controversial and somewhat tumultuous marriage to his cousin Natalia, and his extensive touring of the U.S. in the 1920s, as arranged by Fred Steinway of the famous piano-producing family. But not so fast! Despite the familiar events from Rachmaninoff’s life and a soundtrack replete with Rachmaninoff’s music, Lungin concludesLilacs with a startling disclaimer: “The main hero and the events of the film constitute an artistic invention and have been used only for the creation of the film. They do not represent any particular person and do not reflect events from this person’s life.”
Reviewed by Tim Harte © 2009 in KinoKultura
65. The Life of Giuseppe Verdi (1938)
110 min | Biography, Drama, History
A biography of the opera composer, from his early struggles and wife's death to his later political involvement, a new relationship, final rejuvenation and acclaim.
Director: Carmine Gallone | Stars: Fosco Giachetti, Gaby Morlay, Germana Paolieri, Camillo Pilotto
Votes: 22
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer of operas.
66. The Life and Music of Giuseppe Verdi (1953)
G | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life and loves of great composer Giuseppe Verdi are played against a background of the great operas of the 19th Century. A tender love story of his successful and turbulent life, with more than 20 excerpts from his acclaimed operas.
Director: Raffaello Matarazzo | Stars: Pierre Cressoy, Anna Maria Ferrero, Gaby André, Sandro Ruffini
Votes: 124
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer of operas.
67. Satie and Suzanne (1994)
53 min | Music
As the waters of the river Seine overflow their banks and surround a Parisian café, composer Erik Satie nurtures bittersweet memories of his one-time lover Suzanne Valadon.
Director: Tim Southam | Stars: Nicholas Pennell, Veronica Tennant, René Bazinet, Nadine Binette
Votes: 20
ERIK SATIE Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (F17 May 1866 – 1 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist.
68. Mozart's Sister (2010)
Not Rated | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A reimagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang, and a musical prodigy in her own right.
Director: René Féret | Stars: Marie Féret, Marc Barbé, Delphine Chuillot, David Moreau
Votes: 1,616 | Gross: $0.71M
69. Beethoven (2005)
60 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
A dramatized documentary on the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Stars: Paul Rhys, Charles Hazlewood, David Bamber, Casper Harvey
Votes: 254
70. Ludwig (2016)
Short, Drama
Director: Pauline Moreau | Stars: Quentin Evrard, Sephora Foucher, Pascal Michel, Laurent Simonet
71. Beethoven's Nephew (1985)
R | 103 min | Drama
In an effort to provide a secure future for his nephew Karl, Beethoven is fighting his sister-in-law over the custody for the boy. The mother doesn't consider the ageing and irate composer ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Morrissey | Stars: Wolfgang Reichmann, Dietmar Prinz, Jane Birkin, Nathalie Baye
Votes: 156
72. Albéniz (1947)
125 min | Biography, Drama
The film is based on the life of Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz. In this story Albéniz is represented since he was a child prodigy, so talented that even comes to say that his ... See full summary »
Director: Luis César Amadori | Stars: Pedro López Lagar, Sabina Olmos, Marisa Regules, Pedro Aleandro
Votes: 22
73. Mozart (1936)
96 min | Drama
The story of Mozart and his wife Constance, set against a background of court intrigue and professional jealousy, with music conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.
Director: Basil Dean | Stars: Stephen Haggard, Victoria Hopper, John Loder, Liane Haid
Votes: 59
74. The Devil's Violinist (2013)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
19th Century violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini incurs the wrath of his diabolical manager while preparing for his debut performance in London, and falling for the daughter of an English impresario.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: David Garrett, Jared Harris, Joely Richardson, Christian McKay
Votes: 3,837
75. The Maestro (I) (2018)
94 min | Biography, Drama, History
After the Second World War, budding film composer Jerry Herst moves to Hollywood to study with infamous master teacher Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
Director: Adam Cushman | Stars: Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, Mackenzie Astin, Kristen Gutoskie
Votes: 312
76. Puccini (2009 TV Movie)
194 min | Biography
Giacomo Puccini, the son of a Tuscan organist, achieves world-wide recognition as a composer of operas and dies from throat cancer in the middle of an artistic crisis, at the age of just sixty-six.
Director: Giorgio Capitani | Stars: Alessio Boni, Sophie von Kessel, Andrea Giordana, Francesca Cavallin
Votes: 88
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