Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- bawdy
- surreal
- campy
- camp movie night
- music film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually inventive and intermittently hilarious but excessively noisy, incoherent, and overwhelmed by relentless symbolism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Liszt's life is presented through vampire imagery, phallic symbolism, rock spectacle, and deliberately unreal episodes.
Liszt performs before shrieking teenage fans while pursuing the behavior and image of a modern rock idol.
The film repeatedly foregrounds phallic imagery, extravagant costumes, flashing lights, and theatrical sets.
Liszt's relationship with Richard Wagner drives much of the film's bawdy comic treatment of artistic friendship and competition.
Films like Lisztomania, and why
Tommy
shared flamboyant musical biography, surreal spectacle, sexual provocation, and theatrical rock energy
The Devils
shared Ken Russell maximalism, historical subject matter, operatic imagery, and psychological excess
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
shared irreverent treatment of a celebrated musician, comic spectacle, and rock-musical sensibility
The Elephant Man
shared stylized biographical fantasy, eccentric performance, and flamboyant visual invention
Movie Details
- Director
- Ken Russell
- Release Date
- 1975-10-01
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (41)
Cast
- Roger Daltrey
- Sara Kestelman
- Paul Nicholas
- Ringo Starr
- Rick Wakeman
- John Justin
- Fiona Lewis
- Veronica Quilligan
- Nell Campbell
- Andrew Reilly
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lisztomania about?
- Ken Russell turns Franz Liszt’s scandalous celebrity and artistic entanglements into a flamboyant, sexually charged rock fantasia.
- What is Lisztomania like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lisztomania as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Lisztomania violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Lisztomania as mild.
- What did critics think of Lisztomania?
- Critics broadly found the film visually inventive and intermittently hilarious but excessively noisy, incoherent, and overwhelmed by relentless symbolism.
- Which films are like Lisztomania?
- Films with a similar feel include Tommy, The Devils, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and The Elephant Man.
- How long is Lisztomania?
- Lisztomania runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lisztomania?
- In United States, Lisztomania is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
