Mahler

Ken Russell was inspired to make his film about composer Gustav Mahler after greatly disliking Death in Venice (1971). In a segment of his autobiography about this film, Russell said that he thought that the other "so-called Mahler film," "Death in Venice," was rubbish. "People think it's about Mahler, all because his music is part of the soundtrack! The director, Luchino Visconti, never said it was about him, though." So he mocked the film in his movie. He had a satirical moment when Mahler looks out of the train and sees his dying lookalike. In Visconti's movie, the young actor playing Tadzio was 15, but in this film, as in Thomas Mann's book, the boy being ogled is only a child.

When Mahler's train leaves St. Pölten, a sign is visible identifying the town as "Saint Pölten". Yet, the German long script for the town is "Sankt Pölten".

Featured in A British Picture (1989)