"The Great Waltz" is a *very* loose adaption of the life of Johann Strauss II. It might be going too far to call it a "biopic," since most of it is made up. At best, you could call it a "musical soap opera," where one of the characters just happened to be a real person. (The opening credits include the disclaimer: "We have dramatized his spirit rather than the facts of his life, because it is his spirit that has lived – in his music." Riiiiiight.)
In 1844, Johann "Jonny" Strauss II (French actor Fernand Gravet) quits his job as a banker, and begins to write waltzes. He soon has all of Vienna twirling. Strauss marries Poldi Vogelhuber (Luise Rainer), the daughter of a Viennese baker, but falls in love with Carla Donner (Miliza Korjus), a flirtatious opera singer. Strauss must then choose between going back to Poldi, or sailing away with Carla down the Blue Danube.
The movie chucks the real details of Strauss's life out the window, in favor of a Hollywood drama. The real Strauss was married three times, but Poldi and Carla are both fictional characters. And the film makes no mention of the intense father/son rivalry that existed between Strauss I and II.
Overall, the plot is the standard "musical genius torn between two women" story that we've all seen before. Some scenes get ridiculous, i.e. the "musical inspiration" scene where Strauss is riding through the Vienna Woods in an open carriage. The birds singing in the trees are literally cheeping the tune from "Tales of Vienna Woods," giving him the music to write it, while the horse pulling the carriage is clip-clopping along in three-quarter time (which would be impossible, unless you have a three-legged horse).
One halfway-accurate scene shows Strauss leading protesters into the Emperor's palace during the 1848 Revolution. Although in real life, Strauss supported the revolution, he didn't march with the protesters. (Henry Hull, of "Werewolf of London" fame, plays the young Franz Joseph I.)
Fernand Gravat does okay in the main role as "Jonny" Strauss. But as usual with these "musical composer biopics," we get too many scenes of him conducting the orchestra, waving his baton wildly as the music soars.
Luise Rainer once again plays the jilted-but-loyal wife, all weepy and teary and doe-eyed, supporting her rotten husband, and thinking only of his happiness, even as he prepares to leave her for another woman. It's a role that Rainer had played (and won Oscars for) in "The Great Ziegfeld" and "The Good Earth." At this point, she was almost being typecast in these kinds of roles.
Although Rainer gets top billing, her "jilted wife" is really a supporting role. The main focus of the story is on the romance between Strauss and Carla. Rainer barely appears in the first hour of the movie; it's only in the second hour that her character has her moments. As usual, she handles the part well, but if these were the only kinds of roles that rat bastard Louis B. Mayer could give her, it's probably a good thing that she got out of Hollywood when she did.
Polish opera singer Miliza Korjus does well in her role as Carla Donner. The filmmakers hired Oscar Hammerstein II to write some dopey lyrics for Strauss's waltzes, so she would have something to sing. But her voice is magnificent, and she is very well trained as a singer. Korjus did the smart thing, and got out of Hollywood as well. (An auto accident prevented her from completing her next film, and after she recovered, she went on a South American singing tour and never looked back.)
The production values are all terrific. The Oscar-winning cinematography is innovative for its time, as is the quick-cut editing between teams of waltzing dancers. The art direction showing 19th century Vienna is magnificent. The costumes are great, especially Miliza Korjus' shimmering ball gown. The orchestrations of Strauss' music by Miklos Rozsa is handled with great panache, and the waltz dances are all expertly choreographed. Despite its flaws, the film does give some idea of the genius and impact of Strauss's waltzes.
The lack of bankable stars in this film made it one of MGM's biggest disappointments of 1938.
In 1844, Johann "Jonny" Strauss II (French actor Fernand Gravet) quits his job as a banker, and begins to write waltzes. He soon has all of Vienna twirling. Strauss marries Poldi Vogelhuber (Luise Rainer), the daughter of a Viennese baker, but falls in love with Carla Donner (Miliza Korjus), a flirtatious opera singer. Strauss must then choose between going back to Poldi, or sailing away with Carla down the Blue Danube.
The movie chucks the real details of Strauss's life out the window, in favor of a Hollywood drama. The real Strauss was married three times, but Poldi and Carla are both fictional characters. And the film makes no mention of the intense father/son rivalry that existed between Strauss I and II.
Overall, the plot is the standard "musical genius torn between two women" story that we've all seen before. Some scenes get ridiculous, i.e. the "musical inspiration" scene where Strauss is riding through the Vienna Woods in an open carriage. The birds singing in the trees are literally cheeping the tune from "Tales of Vienna Woods," giving him the music to write it, while the horse pulling the carriage is clip-clopping along in three-quarter time (which would be impossible, unless you have a three-legged horse).
One halfway-accurate scene shows Strauss leading protesters into the Emperor's palace during the 1848 Revolution. Although in real life, Strauss supported the revolution, he didn't march with the protesters. (Henry Hull, of "Werewolf of London" fame, plays the young Franz Joseph I.)
Fernand Gravat does okay in the main role as "Jonny" Strauss. But as usual with these "musical composer biopics," we get too many scenes of him conducting the orchestra, waving his baton wildly as the music soars.
Luise Rainer once again plays the jilted-but-loyal wife, all weepy and teary and doe-eyed, supporting her rotten husband, and thinking only of his happiness, even as he prepares to leave her for another woman. It's a role that Rainer had played (and won Oscars for) in "The Great Ziegfeld" and "The Good Earth." At this point, she was almost being typecast in these kinds of roles.
Although Rainer gets top billing, her "jilted wife" is really a supporting role. The main focus of the story is on the romance between Strauss and Carla. Rainer barely appears in the first hour of the movie; it's only in the second hour that her character has her moments. As usual, she handles the part well, but if these were the only kinds of roles that rat bastard Louis B. Mayer could give her, it's probably a good thing that she got out of Hollywood when she did.
Polish opera singer Miliza Korjus does well in her role as Carla Donner. The filmmakers hired Oscar Hammerstein II to write some dopey lyrics for Strauss's waltzes, so she would have something to sing. But her voice is magnificent, and she is very well trained as a singer. Korjus did the smart thing, and got out of Hollywood as well. (An auto accident prevented her from completing her next film, and after she recovered, she went on a South American singing tour and never looked back.)
The production values are all terrific. The Oscar-winning cinematography is innovative for its time, as is the quick-cut editing between teams of waltzing dancers. The art direction showing 19th century Vienna is magnificent. The costumes are great, especially Miliza Korjus' shimmering ball gown. The orchestrations of Strauss' music by Miklos Rozsa is handled with great panache, and the waltz dances are all expertly choreographed. Despite its flaws, the film does give some idea of the genius and impact of Strauss's waltzes.
The lack of bankable stars in this film made it one of MGM's biggest disappointments of 1938.