Magic Fire ( Wagner )

Magic Fire (DVD) (*)

$26.99

Alternate Title: Wagner
Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
103 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Biographies
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Booklet

Movie filmed in 1955 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
William Dieterle

Written By:
Bertita Harding
Ewald André Dupont

Actors:
Yvonne De Carlo ..... Minna Planer
Carlos Thompson ..... Franz Liszt
Rita Gam ..... Cosima Liszt
Valentina Cortese ..... Mathilde Wesendonk
Alan Badel ..... Richard Wagner
Peter Cushing ..... Otto Wesendonk
Frederick Valk ..... Minister von Moll
Gerhard Riedmann ..... King Ludwig II
Erik Schumann ..... Hans von Bulow
Robert Freitag ..... August Roeckel
Heinz Klingenberg ..... King of Saxonia
Charles Regnier ..... Giacomo Meyerbeer
Fritz Rasp ..... Pfistermeister
Kurt Großkurth ..... Magdeburg Theatre Manager
Hans Quest ..... Robert Hubner

Synopsis:

Filmed in Germany (where it was released in 1954), Republic's Magic Fire is the life story of controversial 19th century composer Richard Wagner. Alan Badel comes off more as villain than hero as Wagner, which though historically accurate makes it hard for the audience to pull for the central character. Wagner's bizarre relationship with Ludwig II (Gerhard Riedmann), the 'mad king' of Bavaria, is downplayed, while the composer's vitriolic anti-semitism is ignored altogther. The women in Wagner's life are played by Yvonne de Carlo, Valentine Cortese and Rita Gam, while Carlos Thompson does the 'best friend/severist critic' bit as fellow composer Franz Liszt. Dramatically uneven, Magic Fire is rescued by Erich Wolfgang Korngold's orchestrations of Wagner's most famous operatic and symphonic works.

Life of Wagner. Based on biography of Richard Wagner by Bertita Harding.

The life and career of German composer Richard Wagner.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 19 December, 2013.