Lisztomania

Lisztomania

Year: 1975

Runtime: 103 mins

Language: English

Director: Ken Russell

MusicHistoryComedy

A flamboyant, psychedelic rock fantasy that satirically dramatizes the 19th‑century life of Romantic composer‑pianist Franz Liszt. Determined to abandon his hedonistic habits, Liszt repeatedly falls under the spell of the charismatic and seductive fellow composer Richard Wagner, leading to a wild, erotic and exotic musical romp.

Whimsical
Mixed feelings
Moderately emotional
High intensity
Fast pacing
Complex story

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Lisztomania (1975)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Lisztomania (1975). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

19th century

The narrative is rooted in the Romantic era, tracing Liszt's career through the mid-1800s, including political upheavals like the May Uprising of 1849. The era is marked by grand concerts, aristocratic salons, and evolving ideas about art, faith, and nationalism. The film shifts between real historical moments and fantastical reinterpretations, maintaining a 19th-century sensibility amid surreal sequences.

Location

Backstage and concert venues across Europe, including Dresden, Vatican City, and St. Petersburg

The film unfolds across historic European locales, moving from Dresden during the May Uprising to the Vatican and performances in St. Petersburg. It blends opulent concert halls with backstage chaos and surreal dreamlike sequences, reflecting Liszt's public spectacle and private turmoil. The locations anchor a surreal narrative in a recognizable musical-romantic world.

🎭 European setting 🎶 Musical milieu 🗺️ Historic European cities

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:17

Main Characters – Lisztomania (1975)

Meet the key characters of Lisztomania (1975), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt is depicted as a dazzling 19th-century virtuoso whose public persona eclipses his private life. The film frames his genius as both a gift and a peril, entangled with romantic exploits and a craving for creative vitality. His interactions with Carolyn reflect a dangerous bargain between artistic brilliance and personal liberty. The serialized, surreal portrayal emphasizes the tension between showmanship and soulful composition.

🎼 Virtuoso 💫 Fame 💔 Inner turmoil

Marie d'Agoult

Marie is Liszt's partner and mother to Cosima, whose jealousy and desire for control intensify the couple's conflicts. Her presence drives power struggles and shapes Liszt's personal decisions. She pushes for influence over his life, complicating both romance and artistry. Her character embodies passion, manipulation, and the costs of devotion.

💋 Affair 🔒 Control 💔 Jealousy

Cosima

Cosima is Liszt's eldest daughter, a figure who embodies family ties amid romantic and ideological upheaval. She expresses piety and concern for her father, even as she becomes a participant in the family's dramatic saga. Her presence anchors the domestic stakes and hints at the generational consequences of Liszt's choices.

🕊️ Family 🙏 Piety 👧 Daughter

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is portrayed as a charismatic yet dangerous figure with nationalist ambitions. He exerts influence over Liszt through manipulation and a vampiric metaphor, using music to advance a political vision. The character embodies artistic ambition fused with ideological extremism, challenging Liszt's moral and artistic stance.

🧛 Vampire 🎭 Art 🗡️ Power

Princess Carolyn

Princess Carolyn is a powerful figure who seduces Liszt, offering him inspiration and brilliance in exchange for control over his life. She represents the allure of fame and the lure of autonomy over the artist's hand. Her presence adds a seductive, manipulative dynamic to Liszt's creative journey.

👑 Power 🎨 Creativity 💃 Seduction

Count d'Agoult

Count d'Agoult is Marie's husband, whose jealousy and authority propel the narrative's darker turns. His influence culminates in a dramatic moment where Liszt and Marie are entrapped in the body of a piano, symbolizing control and confinement. He embodies the social forces that constrain personal freedom and artistic impulse.

⚖️ Jealousy 🗝️ Sabotage 🕰️ Power

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:17

Major Themes – Lisztomania (1975)

Explore the central themes of Lisztomania (1975), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Genius and Price

Franz Liszt's extraordinary talent draws mass adulation and dramatic attention. The film portrays his life as a continuous performance, where public glory clashes with private freedoms. A bargain with Carolyn hints that artistic brilliance may come at the cost of personal liberty and hedonistic impulses. This theme presents genius as both luminous and costly, shaping his music and fate.

⚔️ Love and Jealousy

Marie d'Agoult's affair and Carolyn's manipulations spark intense jealousy and power struggles within Liszt's domestic life. The couple's fragility and Liszt's infidelities are shown as forces that threaten creativity and stability. The characters maneuver for influence over Liszt's choices, turning romance into a battleground of control. The turmoil fuels the film's emotional and dramatic energy.

⛪️ Religion and Nationalism

The Pope's authority and Wagner's nationalist ambitions pull Liszt into conflicts between faith, art, and power. Surreal rituals and a Nazi-like vision use music to probe questions of identity and political destiny. The narrative frames religion and nationalism as forces that instrumentalize art, challenging Liszt to reckon with the spiritual stakes of his work. The climax suggests a struggle between artistic integrity and ideological manipulation.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:17

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Anachronistic Historical Fantasies like Lisztomania

Historical stories reimagined with a surreal, psychedelic, and modern energy.If you loved the irreverent, rock-and-roll energy of Lisztomania, explore more movies that violently and joyfully smash history. These films use surrealism, anachronism, and psychedelic style to create wild biographical satires and historical fantasies, offering a chaotic and exhilarating alternative to traditional period dramas.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread often follow a biographical or historical framework but deliberately fracture it with surreal digressions, fantastical elements, and modern cultural references. The journey is less about factual progression and more about a manic, thematic exploration of the subject's life and legacy through a distorted, contemporary lens.

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Movies about Excess and Artistic Torment like Lisztomania

Flamboyant stories of creative genius consumed by hedonism and madness.Fans of Lisztomania's portrayal of a genius seduced by his own desires will enjoy these films about artistic torment. They feature flamboyant characters, surreal narratives, and a mix of eroticism and darkness, capturing the manic energy of creation collapsing into hedonistic chaos.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a talented artist or visionary whose life becomes a whirlwind of creative output and personal indulgence. The story charts their struggle with external seductions and internal demons, often escalating into surreal or supernatural conflicts that mirror their artistic and psychological turmoil, leading to a mixed or tragic resolution.

Why These Movies?

This thread unites films through their focus on the archetype of the tormented genius, a high-intensity and fast-paced exploration of artistic struggle. The shared elements include a flamboyant visual style, a complex blend of dark and whimsical tones, and themes of hedonism, temptation, and the corrupting nature of genius.

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Lisztomania Summary

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Lisztomania Timeline

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Lisztomania Spoiler-Free Summary

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