Lisztomania
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Lisztomania | |
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![]() Promotional poster for Lisztomania |
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Directed by | Ken Russell |
Produced by | Roy Baird David Puttnam |
Written by | Ken Russell |
Starring | Roger Daltrey |
Music by | Rick Wakeman Franz Liszt Richard Wagner |
Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
Editing by | Stuart Baird |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date(s) | 10 October 1975 |
Running time | 103 min. |
Country | U.K. |
Language | English |
All Movie Guide profile | |
IMDb profile |
Lisztomania is a 1975 film by Ken Russell, drawn from a biography of Franz Liszt.
Depicting the flamboyant Liszt as the first classical pop star, Lisztomania features then-contemporary rock star Roger Daltrey in the leading role. The film was released the same year as Tommy, also starring Daltrey and directed by Russell. The film is derived in part from an actual "kiss-and-tell" book, Nélida, by Marie d'Agoult, about her affair with Liszt.
The term "Lisztomania" was coined by the German romantic literary figure Heinrich Heine to describe the massive public response to Liszt's virtuosic piano performances. There were screaming women and concerts were often standing room only.
Rick Wakeman, from the progressive rock band Yes, composed the music for the movie, exposing new pieces and making arrangements of Liszt and Wagner's ones, showing his amazing playing skills. He also appears in the movie as Thor.
Other rock celebrities appear in the movie as The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr, who appears as the Pope.
This movie was first to use the relatively new Dolby Stereo noise reduction sound system.