Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Artist's Opinion, December 1, 2001
I was lucky enough to see this movie during the one week it spent here in New Orleans, and I knew to look for it because six months earlier a fellow art/music/film/eccentric lifestyles maven had alerted me to it. What I know about the life of Alma, I know from the film, so I cannot judge its veracity with historical accuracy-- although I am familiar with all of her lovers and husbands' work. I thought it was thoroughly enchanting-- here is why: It is set in one of my favorite periods of European history, the fin-du-siecle up to post WWI, and the costumes and settings alone are truly gorgeous. Gustave Klimt makes an extended supporting appearance here; the immersion of the intelligentsia and high society in the aesthetic and cultural ideas of each period are ubiquitous. The art direction and research were masterfully undertaken; the light that appears in this film, both outdoor and indoor, contributes effectively in every scene. It is rare indeed that I am so aware of the light itself in a film as a primary "actor". From scenes set in elegant halls, to a sanatorium, to boulevards, to Oscar Kokoschka's wonderful studio, the sets alone inspire my admiration. But of course that is not enough to sustain a movie-- the story here is a basic one: Alma Mahler was a woman of intelligence and artistic gifts who was continually put in the position of aesthetic concubinage because of her beauty and skill at the "feminine" role. The notion of a woman being needed to be "The Muse', the inspiratrix of Art, has not only been historically popular with (male) artists but has by definition precluded the active expression of said woman's talents. There are women (and men) who even today suborn their inner "genius" in order to serve as the helpmeet to someone else's ability and career, while the inner creator within them becomes stifled from lack of expression. Alma did this with three men in succession, all of whom, while acknowledging her abilities, felt that her talents were only in evidence to be of service to them. Only her fourth husband, Franz Werfel, appears to have been secure enough both in his masculinity and his position as an artist to have encouraged her to revive her efforts on her own behalf. The movie closes with one of Alma's pieces debuting (soprano Renee Fleming sings) for the first time.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A brief summary of her love life, January 2, 2004
This is a very enjoyable movie. It doesn't delve deeply into Alma's life and there are a few historical inaccuracies. For example, the movie shows Gustav Mahler conducting his Symphony No. 8 and inserts text saying it was in 1910 at Carnegie Hall in New York City -- that is incorrect; Mahler gave the premier performance of his Symphony No. 8 in Munich, not New York City. So, the historical research behind this movie, while generally okay, is superficial. But it is a movie and much of what it says about her relatioships with these geniuses is accurate. I would have preferred the sound track to more accurately convey Mahler's music rather than the serious editing and watering down that was done here to supposedly fit more as background sound. But I did very much like the way Mahler's Adagietto from his 5th Symphony was used as background to the Mahler/Gropius/Alma scene where Alma was forced to choose between Gustav and Gropius -- very poignant. I recommend this movie, though keeping in mind that some of what is presented is not that accurate.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Untitled, June 27, 2003
I stumbled upon this film knowing that it was based on Alma Mahler, the woman who was married to classical composer Gustav Mahler. Since Mahler is a huge fascination of mine, I was compelled to watch this film. While Gustav Mahler seemed to be the central focus of the story in the first half, Alma Mahler gets more of the spotlight during the second, which makes this seem like two different films.Like another reviewer stated, if you're a history/research buff, you may notice some loopholes or inaccuracies within the story. However, I'm guessing that this wasn't really intended to be epic material. Other than that, the film is quite artistic, beautiful and seductive. In the first half of the movie, it was nice to see Mahler (played by Jonathan Pryce) conducting parts of his 5th symphony, and some of his other pieces, while gaining a little bit of insight into the personality and thought-processes of the composer, however accurate they were. Some of those scenes were painful to watch (especially when Mahler found out he had heart problems, and he was going to die.) Elsewhere, like the critic said on the page, Sarah Wynter as Alma, had a seductive air about her, as she portrays a woman with talent, lust, passion and heartache. Some of the love scenes in here were quite steamy as well. Overall, if you have interest in Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler or any of the other historical figures involved in the story, I'd recommend that you view this. Despite not being the most serious or epic of documentaries, there's more than enough ear and eye candy to keep you fascinated.
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