No matter how miserable his actual life, the classical composer tends to suffer in a new way on film.

Although Tchaikovsky died of cholera, for which a hot bath was prescribed, the implication of "The Music Lovers" is that he was simply boiled to death, which is what the movie does to his genius.

Vulgar, excessive, melodramatic and self-indulgent: Tchaikovsky's music is indeed all of these things, yet gloriously so, and the same goes for Ken Russell at his freewheeling best.

…Ken Russell’s flamboyant work generally divided critics and audiences, but if you’re a fan of his strident, attention-grabbing style, this amped-up version of The Music Lovers is enough to make pearl-clutchers go wild…