Director Ken Russell created this unconventional and daring biopic about Gustav Mahler, one of the most important composers and conductors of his time. The film presents the famous Jewish composer as a man devoured by anxiety and obsessed with his wife, Alma, whom he cannot satisfy, and his Jewish identity. All of this is presented through a series of flashbacks Mahler experiences after returning to Europe from his first tour as a conductor in the United States. The Mahlers are not the only ones on the train; Alma’s lover, who constantly tries to get her to leave her husband, is there as well.
Russell presents a journey into the depths of Mahler’s troubled being, and as usual he pushes boundaries – including the boundaries of good taste – in his relentless attempt to penetrate the composer’s soul and understand the origins of Mahler’s genius (Don’t miss the provocative conversion scene).