"Lisztomania"

director ken russell's erotic phantasmagorias have enveloped yet another famous composer in an orgy of audio-visual extravagances

That there was something called a fact sheet for a Ken Russell film struck us as a contradiction in terms, yet when we opened the press kit for Lisztomania, there it was--seven pages of concise facts, plus credits, biographies of the director and the stars and a synopsis of the film. In short, almost as many pages as the original 57-page script for the movie. The material is intended to aid the Roger Eberts and Pauline Kaels who must come up with areview before deadline. (In the event of Panic, Press Kit.) There are items like: "Lisztomania is Ken Russell's second picture for Visual Programme Systems under his six-film contract about famous composers. The first was Mahler, released by V.P.S. last year. It was, in essence, a straight biography suggested by the life of Gustav Mahler, whereas Lisztomania has all the embellishments of brilliant visual fantasies on the Liszt-Wagner theme presented in the inimitable style which has made its director world renowned." The Liszt-Wagner theme, eh? Well, that clears up one worry: We thought Lisztomania was a film about the famous composer Frankie Lisztomania. The scenes shown on these pages confirm that bit about embellishments. We agree that Russell's style of visual chaos is inimitable--whether that is the result of good taste on the part of other directors or lack of inventiveness is another question. Russell has his own way with reality. In his new film, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner are depicted as the world's first two pop stars. "Their concert appearances...are greeted with an audience reaction similar to that experienced when Gary Glitter or Slade are onstage today. Women admirers scream, faint and stampede for articles of Liszt's clothing." So that's how it was--groupies gathered outside the concert hall: "Hey, let's drop some 'Ludes and do Liszt. We can puke in the aisles, pass out. It'll be real neat." Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who and star of Russell's extravagant version of Tommy, seemed a natural to play the lead in this investigation of celebrity sex, innocence, etc. "Liszt was, in essence, a 'pop' star," says Daltrey. "Women did scream and faint and chase after him....Liszt is a lot like Tommy spiritually, but you couldn't get a more opposite person physically. It's a more difficult part for me, because I have lots of dialog, which I didn't in Tommy, because the character was deaf, dumb and blind." Now, that makes sense. Russell, like Robert Altman and Richard Lester, tends to use the same actors from film to film. He obviously admires Daltrey. "Roger is a revelation," he says. "He acts as he sings and the results are magical." It should come as no surprise, then, that Daltrey acts at least four times in Lisztomania. Paul Nicholas as Wagner sings a fifth song composed especially for the movie and Rick Wakeman (of Journey to the Center of the Earth fame) electrifies and/or electrocutes several Liszt-Wagner themes. Pop goes the sound track. The new film will undoubtedly appeal to moviegoers who were converted by Tommy to the Russell creed of In Excess Deo. It will also satisfy the cravings of diehard Russellmaniacs. Without question, Russell has produced outrageous, forceful images. Anyone who casts Ringo Starr as the Pope deserves some credit, right? Provided Russell is not struck by lightning, we can expect more of the same. He is presently eying for film treatment the lives of George Gershwin, Hector Berlioz and Ralph Vaughan Williams and has plans for a fantasia of 100 Russian composers (and Deanna Durbin?). What's his secret? As the publicity release notes, "Again, ken Russell proved his flare for impressing studio executives by giving an epic gloss to Lisztomania while bringing in the picture on a budget which is moderate compared with modern moviemaking standards." We'll take two quarts of the epic gloss, a roller and a very large dropcloth.