Passion (2001)
Starring: Barbara Hershey, Richard Roxburgh, Emily Woof
Studio: TVR Films 05069T
Video: 2.35:1 anamorphic/enchanced for 16:9 color (Technicolor)
Audio: English, DD surround 2.0
Extras: Trailer
Length: 102 minutes
Rating: ****
One of the Amazon online reviewers titled his contribution “Walking Tune This Ain’t!” Sorry this is not exactly a new DVD release; I think I was attracted to this Australian film after seeing and reviewing some of the BBC films on composers directed by Ken Russell.
There are definite similarities to the all-stops-out, sometimes shocking elements of Russell’s filmic bios. Passion covers a year in the life of the famous Australian composer – 1914 – and was based on either a book or play by John Bird. Barbara Hershey plays his mother, with whom Percy – in his early 30s – has far too close a relationship. She has carefully brought him up as a talented musical genius, but is disturbed by one of the stimuli to his creativity being self-flagellation. She also struggles with symptoms of syphilis, which she had contracted from Percy’s long-separated father. She encourages Percy to fall in love with a young and talented Danish piano student but is upset when she discovers Percy has recruited his pupil into flagellation as well. (Later – not in the film – she commits suicide over an allegation of incest with her son.)
The love triangle is a different one than usually found in movies. Both actresses look great and the cinematography – mostly in the Bath region of England – is lovely. Also a tortured genius, Grainger is shown as a blond and athletic young concert pianist who wows the ladies and is full of unconventional life – partially similar to the way Mozart was depicted in Amadeus. There is plenty of his music, and a focus on his interest in folk materials – recording pub singers on his Edison cylinder phonograph for inclusion later in his compositions.
Things seem to rather fall apart for the director near the end of the film, but I think most listeners will find this generally a fascinating and probably fairly accurate look into the life of this important composer.
– John Sunier
