Yawn!!! How can one do that when faced with the beauty of Venice and the palaces of Germany and France? Easy, when you're dozing through two tape-fulls of Richard Burton's phone-in recitation of drivel!! Is it because we can't stand Minna's resigned acceptance of Wagner's continual infidelities flaunted in her face? Maybe, except that you soon almost don't blame him, as she is characterized so dully.
The music is gorgeous of course, and you get the picture real fast of what a hypocrite, lech, arrogant and generally disgusting guy this Wagner was. (Could anyone be so yukky?) If so, why were so many people willing to support him and buy into his overinflated opinion of himself? It must have been the music, which is played over the gorgeous scenery of Venice, Lake Geneva and the mountains of Bavaria. As a travelogue accompanied by splendid music, I can well recommend it.
We will have to wait for a more objective, better written life of Wagner. I can't help but believe that our revulsion toward Nazism and knowledge of his music being Hitler's favorite had something to do with this film's slant. One example is Wagner's spoken words of hatred of royalty and protestations of not taking money from kings, which he then contradicts by doing exactly that--silken gowns, gorgeous dwelling, etc. from the young king Ludwig. He hates Jews, but then sells various items to the Jewish lender. He is continually running from his creditors, overbuying on others' money. There was not ONE good thing about this jerk, other than his splendiferous music. How can that be?
A waste of time for Vanessa Redgrave, Lawrence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Richard Burton and the rest. They must have had bills to pay.
The music is gorgeous of course, and you get the picture real fast of what a hypocrite, lech, arrogant and generally disgusting guy this Wagner was. (Could anyone be so yukky?) If so, why were so many people willing to support him and buy into his overinflated opinion of himself? It must have been the music, which is played over the gorgeous scenery of Venice, Lake Geneva and the mountains of Bavaria. As a travelogue accompanied by splendid music, I can well recommend it.
We will have to wait for a more objective, better written life of Wagner. I can't help but believe that our revulsion toward Nazism and knowledge of his music being Hitler's favorite had something to do with this film's slant. One example is Wagner's spoken words of hatred of royalty and protestations of not taking money from kings, which he then contradicts by doing exactly that--silken gowns, gorgeous dwelling, etc. from the young king Ludwig. He hates Jews, but then sells various items to the Jewish lender. He is continually running from his creditors, overbuying on others' money. There was not ONE good thing about this jerk, other than his splendiferous music. How can that be?
A waste of time for Vanessa Redgrave, Lawrence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Richard Burton and the rest. They must have had bills to pay.