The Music Lovers

Ken Russell was a mad man. Long before he brought The Who’s rock opera Tommy to the big screen, the British director created this madcap film biography of Russian composer Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky and his struggles to create great music while battling against his homosexuality, a battle he all but loses when he marries a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy. The music is, of course, gorgeous, and the way Russell uses it to tell his story is brilliant. It is the acting, though, that will haunt you long after the soundtrack has left your mind. Richard Chamberlain is stunning as Tchaikovsky, as is Glenda Jackson as his wife, Nina. They are the kind of performances that will mark each actor forever in your imagination.