I was surprised at how bad this movie was. I expected something frothy, but something that kept to the general outlines of the life of Strauss and the history of Austria. The movie outrightly disclaims any such truths. It is entirely a fantasy based on Strauss's life, with no connection to reality. As such, it's a silly story about a man who loses his job at the bank because he likes to write waltzes, marries the baker's daughter, starts up a band to play his waltzes, has instant success when he is discovered by the leading songbird of Vienna, is swept away by that songbird to neglect his wife, and is saved from the brink of running away with the singer when she finally sees how bad this would be for Strauss's career.
But what about the music? Even with such a gooey plot, the music should have made this a wonderful picture. But it is ruined, in my opinion, by the awful singing of Miliza Korjus. Maybe that high-pitched singing was once thought divine, but it gave me a headache. I would much rather have heard the waltzes played and the dances danced without that awful singing.
There is one scene, however, that saves this picture from the utter abyss. That is the "Tales of the Vienna Woods" scene, which is surrealistic, beautiful, melodic, rhapsodic, and tuneful. It is a magical scene that starts when Strauss and the songbird escape from being arrested in the revolution by hiring a hansom to take them to the Vienna Woods (the only road not roadblocked). They fall asleep. When they awake, they hear a variety of sounds and rhythms that lead Strauss to compose, on the spot, Tales of the Vienna Woods. It is a great creative way to explain the evolution of a piece of music. Of course, I'm sure it has nothing to do with reality, but what a fantasia!
But what about the music? Even with such a gooey plot, the music should have made this a wonderful picture. But it is ruined, in my opinion, by the awful singing of Miliza Korjus. Maybe that high-pitched singing was once thought divine, but it gave me a headache. I would much rather have heard the waltzes played and the dances danced without that awful singing.
There is one scene, however, that saves this picture from the utter abyss. That is the "Tales of the Vienna Woods" scene, which is surrealistic, beautiful, melodic, rhapsodic, and tuneful. It is a magical scene that starts when Strauss and the songbird escape from being arrested in the revolution by hiring a hansom to take them to the Vienna Woods (the only road not roadblocked). They fall asleep. When they awake, they hear a variety of sounds and rhythms that lead Strauss to compose, on the spot, Tales of the Vienna Woods. It is a great creative way to explain the evolution of a piece of music. Of course, I'm sure it has nothing to do with reality, but what a fantasia!