Song Without End - The Story of Franz Liszt

Song Without End is A Memorable Musical Biography ****

The film does injustice to Liszt who is portrayed both as a prima donna and a Lothario.

Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, and Bobby Darin in Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)

Romy Schneider and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)

Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, and Wanda Hendrix in Prince of Foxes (1949)

Tyrone Power, Lee J. Cobb, Cesar Romero, Jean Peters, and John Sutton in Captain from Castile (1947)

Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)

Dirk Bogarde, Donald Houston, Kenneth More, and Donald Sinden in Doctor in the House (1954)

Capucine, Dirk Bogarde, and Geneviève Page in Song Without End (1960)

I met Franz at a musical party. I remember he played a ballade in A-flat major by Chopin. I thought I'd never seen anything as beautiful as Franz looked when he sat at the piano. I... I wanted to cry. He watched me as he played; Franz never fails to notice a pretty woman in his audience. Afterward, he followed me into the hall. I remember he said, "May I escort you somewhere, madame?" And I said, "Yes." And he said, "Where?" And I said, "Paradise." He didn't smile - he said, "I'll call a carriage."

Capucine and Dirk Bogarde in Song Without End (1960)

Dirk Bogarde

Capucine

Geneviève Page

Oscar Millard

Leola Wendorff

The romantic story of Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt (Sir Dirk Bogarde), whose scandalous love affair forced him to abandon his adoring audiences.

Charles Vidor

George Cukor

Song Without End

Biopic of Franz Liszt

&quot;Song Without End&quot; has a low score here on IMDb. I&apos;m not sure why. It is superior, in my opinion, in every way to &quot;A Song to Remember&quot; which is a nearly totally fictionalized story of Chopin. &quot;Song without End&quot; has the basic facts right, not to mention 40 absolutely gorgeous musical interludes. Jorge Bolet, who plays all of the piano pieces, captures the technical pyrotechnics, the richness of tone, and the passion for which Liszt was known as a performer.

The film only covers part of Liszt&apos;s life and concentrates (naturally) on the turmoil in his love affairs, which leads to his attempt to marry the already married Princess Carolyne Wittgenstein; he left his married girlfriend, Countess Marie D&apos;Agoult, the mother of his children for her. (One of his daughters, Cosima, married Richard Wagner, who features in this film.) I disagree with a previous comment complaining about the way Liszt is portrayed. While it&apos;s not emphasized, it is obvious that he was a man of great charity, donating many of his fees to various organizations, and playing many benefit concerts. Later on, he concentrated on composing, at which he was very successful. As a performer, Liszt was a bona fide rock star in his day, complete with hysterical fans. He was most certainly attractive to women and religiously conflicted.

Dirk Bogarde does a sensational job as Liszt. This and &quot;The Angel Wore Red&quot; were his only Hollywood films. Even if they had been successful, it&apos;s doubtful Bogarde would have stayed in the states, as he probably wouldn&apos;t have been cast in the kinds of films he wanted to make and/or the kinds of parts he wanted to play. He makes a very romantic, intense Liszt, and his fingerings are nothing short of amazing. Capucine is good, if a little wooden, as Carolyne. The supporting cast is very good.

The production and costumes are opulent, but they are dwarfed by the music. Definitely some of the most brilliantly performed classical music in film.

Highly recommended for classical music lovers.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2QyYTAwODYtN2I4OC00NjFiLWE4NTctNDkyY2I5NmZhYzgyXkEyXkFqcGdeQVRoaXJkUGFydHlJbmdlc3Rpb25Xb3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_.jpg

"Song Without End" has a low score here on IMDb. I'm not sure why. It is superior, in my opinion, in every way to "A Song to Remember" which is a nearly totally fictionalized story of Chopin. "Song without End" has the basic facts right, not to mention 40 absolutely gorgeous musical interludes. Jorge Bolet, who plays all of the piano pieces, captures the technical pyrotechnics, the richness of tone, and the passion for which Liszt was known as a performer.

The film only covers part of Liszt's life and concentrates (naturally) on the turmoil in his love affairs, which leads to his attempt to marry the already married Princess Carolyne Wittgenstein; he left his married girlfriend, Countess Marie D'Agoult, the mother of his children for her. (One of his daughters, Cosima, married Richard Wagner, who features in this film.) I disagree with a previous comment complaining about the way Liszt is portrayed. While it's not emphasized, it is obvious that he was a man of great charity, donating many of his fees to various organizations, and playing many benefit concerts. Later on, he concentrated on composing, at which he was very successful. As a performer, Liszt was a bona fide rock star in his day, complete with hysterical fans. He was most certainly attractive to women and religiously conflicted.

Dirk Bogarde does a sensational job as Liszt. This and "The Angel Wore Red" were his only Hollywood films. Even if they had been successful, it's doubtful Bogarde would have stayed in the states, as he probably wouldn't have been cast in the kinds of films he wanted to make and/or the kinds of parts he wanted to play. He makes a very romantic, intense Liszt, and his fingerings are nothing short of amazing. Capucine is good, if a little wooden, as Carolyne. The supporting cast is very good.

The production and costumes are opulent, but they are dwarfed by the music. Definitely some of the most brilliantly performed classical music in film.

Highly recommended for classical music lovers.

bappamtv

Song Without End

🎭 Top Cast

🎬 Technical Specs

🏷️ Keywords

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

💡 Did You Know?

🎬 More Like This

📖 Synopsis