Tchaikovsky: The Tragic Life Of A Musical Genius DVD Credits:

Region: 1

Tchaikovsky: The Tragic Life Of A Musical Genius DVD Release Date: 26th May 2008

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Tchaikovsky: The Tragic Life Of A Musical Genius DVD Review:

The life of the iconic Russian composer, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, was stereotypically Russian: melancholy and depressing. His hidden homosexuality and sorrow, created a guilt-ridden and stressful life for the composer. However, this documentary on the life of the great musician will not leave viewers feeling too gloomy. In fact, it is an energized, insightful look into Tchaikovsky’s life that will leave the viewers with a greater appreciation for his music.

There are two parts to the documentary: “The Creation of Greatness” and “Fortune and Tragedy”. The first part follows Tchaikovsky’s rise to greatness, from his solitude in childhood to his struggles to gain appreciation and acceptance from the Russian society with his avant-garde style. The second part focuses on Tchaikovsky’s rising popularity throughout Russia and the world, along with his short-lived marriage.

The film is done in a compilation style of documentary. It follows composer Charles Hazelwood as he travels around St. Petersburg researching Tchaikovsky. The film also includes live performances of Tchaikovsky’s music, along with reenactments of Tchaikovsky’s life. The reenactments play more like movie scenes. Ed Stoppard from The Pianist portrays the famous composer. Nothing his particularly memorable about his or any of the other actors’ performance, except that all the actors lack any semblance of a Russian accent. These reenactments do contain a great deal of attention to detail when it comes to composition and cinematography, as do the real-life scenes. Each shot is lit and composed to visually match a film. Even the editing is done to match the music and to add energy to the production.

It would be expected that a film about one of the greatest composers of all time would include a strong use of his music. The documentary not only provides actual performances of some of his most popular compositions, but also uses the music throughout the reenactments and other scenes of the documentary.

The disc contains another documentary: Who Killed Tchaikovsky. Historian Anthony Holden investigates the mysterious death of the composer, who died nine days after premiering his Sixth Symphony. Explanations for Tchaikovsky’s death range from cholera, suicide, and even to murder.

Though the DVD does contain subtitles, it lacks a play all mode. Instead of being able to watch the two parts back to back, you have to select each individual part, which then takes you to scene selection. You can, however, watch each scene in each part back to back.

For a musician, this documentary captures the heart of Tchaikovsky. The attention to detail during the performances really showcases the musicians and their talents. Overall, the quick pacing of the film prevents its sad story from overwhelming the audience. It is ironic that a man whose life was so tragic created such beautiful classics as “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Nutcracker” that have entertained and influenced so many.

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Tchaikovsky: The Tragic Life Of A Musical Genius DVD review written by: Lyz Reblin