Lisztomania (1975) Ken Russell, Roger Daltrey

March 19, 2023

This audacious, vulgar, freewheeling fantasia on the life of pianist Franz Liszt ranks among director Ken Russell’s most outrageous efforts. Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, is awkward yet likeable as the flamboyant piano performer with a bevy of fetching mistresses and groupies, while Paul Nicholas is completely outlandish as the scheming opera composer Richard Wagner. There’s no nod to reality here: Liszt and Wagner were in fact friends, and Liszt, who became Wagner’s father-in-law, actually assisted in the production of Wagner’s opulent productions.