In a confused welter of artistic licence, this is the classical music biopic which makes #39;Song to Remember#39;look like a masterpiece Bogarde succeeds in diminishing the reputation of the musical colossus who spanned European music for most of the 19th Century The absurdities of the plot, the sequoialike quality of the acting and the prevalence of historical,musical and linguistic anachronisms combine to elevate this offering to the status of an A1 turkeyHow a pianist of the stature of Bolet came to be mixed up in this fiasco can only be guessed at The characterisation of Liszt fails to convey even a minute impression of his magnetic personality and the overwhelming effect that he had on not only his audiences, but also his pianistic rivalsClara Schumann herself said that #39;we toil over that which Liszt reads at sight#39; Whilst the emphasis seems to focus on his romantic prowess,rather than his status as the greatest pianist of the century or,arguably, of all time, one feels,nevertheless, that this was an opportunity lost
