From my favorite movies..

best movie i've ever seen.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

When I look at the movie as a pure work of fiction, the movie had been good, or may be a bit better than good. But when you work with historical characters, a bit of facts had to be there, at least there should not be glaring inconsistencies. Duvivier should have done a bit better research, after all it was not even 100 years old happening. Marischka in his Sissy, Willy Jurek or even Victoria movies had kept better historical accuracys, even though there too he had included fictional romantic characters (except in Sissies, where the romantic two really existed). Since the introduction itself tells that except Strauss and Kaiser Franz Josef I, all other characters are fictional, I too would neglect those, except salient happenings. Interestingly, if I combine Luise Rainer (Poldi) and Miliza Korjus (Carla) together that would probably be Johann's real wife, Henrietta Treffz (who was a soprano) plus may be Marianne Preindlsberger - probably only a muse, without any real affair (in addition 30 years younger, and Johann's first wife still alive).But major inconsistencies are a) During this period, the illustrious father and namesake Johann Strauss I was still alive, so there was no reason that people would be so ignorant of the name. Least of all, Hofbauer, the famous music publisher. Though it was a fact that Junior, going against his father's wishes, struggled by himself, but still his father's name had helped him a bit. b) Kaiser Franz Josef was five years younger than Strauss, but in the movie it looks opposite, in fact even more than minus five. In fact when Kaiser Josef has reached the age/ looks as shown, most probably Strauss was dead. c) The purpose of revolution of '48 is completely misplaced. d) During the revolution, Strauss II did join the revolutionaries, this much is fact. Though reason unknown, since definitely he couldn't have the same demand as these. In fact. probably he got off easily thanks to his father, Strauss I, who was still alive, and in the Kaiser's camp. Since the romance is fictionalized, I won't go for the 15 years difference in marriage dates (1848 vs actual 1862) or the song dedications, for example the farewell song - 'one day when we were young', could have been his famous Blue Danube waltz (that was dedicated to above Frln. Marianne Preindlsberger)It is my personal opinion, that when you make historical movies with actual characters, you may introduce fictional characters, create fictional romance, but that should never contradict with the facts. On that score, I have to mark the movie down, than what it would have got, had been purely fiction with other fictional names. ,

It was a great experience when I got the chance to watch this film when I was still a teenager, and now, I'm too old to remember a lot of things. This film also opened my eyes to see a brand new world of classic music. It was like a door suddenly opened and pushed me into an unworldly world and since then I never looked back and never could have accepted other forms of music. This film ushered me later to all the other great European musicians from A to Z, it also made me spend thousands of dollars buying albums. I've also lost lot of sleepless nights listening to the classic music; symphonies, operas, piano and violin concertos....and later fell into the charm of Mario Lanza's passionate songs and his movies. I finally have the pleasure and opportunity to watch this film again and still loved it so much like the first time I saw it.The world has changed into a very pathetic and absurd culture mixture since 1938. What we got now are endless horror movies, rap music, hip-hops, graffiti all over the place in every city of every country, tattoos, body piercing, drugs, porn, murders mysteries by most female writers, Marvel's superhero comic books adapted into computerized CGI special effect absurd films, Cold War, war against terrorists, trade wars, nuclear threats, global warming, devalued dollars, high price gasoline, battery powered auto pilot cars, a POTUS having affairs with porn star and lot of other high price prostitutes, iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Android smart phones....Garmin and TomTom GPS navigator devices phased out Thomas Guide maps...Are all of these showing us a better world? And how many movies in colors is really better than this elegant B&W film?

'The Great Waltz' had me intrigued from the get go, with any biopic about Johann "The Waltz King" Strauss II being enough to intrigue anybody into seeing it if they like Strauss' music. Do so very much myself, especially 'Die Fledermaus' and his most famous waltzes and polkas, beautiful music but also so much fun to listen to.As a film on its own, 'The Great Waltz' does live up to its name, a visually gorgeous film with its best moments being absolutely splendid. True, it is a fictionalised account of Strauss with too many inaccuracies to list, enough to frustrate those with expertise on Strauss. However, in 'The Great Waltz's' defence, film biopics have never been known for historical accuracy, in fact there is the reputation of them straying from and stretching the truth.It is a film on its own though that 'The Great Waltz' is going to be judged in this review. On its own, to me, it was a great film and deserves to be seen more. Especially for the production values, 'The Great Waltz' has to be one of the most visually stunning films recently seen from any year or genre. Especially in the cinematography that dazzles one in its opulence and innovation. The settings are evocative and the very meaning of grand, and the costumes are as sumptuous as one can get. Tight editing too.Strauss' music is as to be expected outstanding. So many favourites here, from the likes of "On the Beautiful Blue Danube", "Tales from the Vienna Woods" and "Voices of Spring". They are arranged and performed in a way that's stirring and lusciously elegant, and the additional lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein II being credited as having done them, have wit and pathos.'The Great Waltz' is not quite at its best in the scripting department, which does have many parts that uplifts and moves but other parts are frothy and a bit on the hokey side. The story captures the time and place very well and is uplifting, funny and poignant. The two highlight scenes are the opulent but never overblown finale and particularly the charming and sometimes wonderfully bizarre "Tales from the Vienna Woods" scenes. The direction is very adroit.Fernand Gravey does a commendable job as Strauss, dashing, charming and with enough charisma. Just that he is overshadowed by a touching Luise Rainer and especially fiery and vocally incredible Miliza Korjus. It is the scenes with Gravey and Korjus that give the film's heart and other than those highlight scenes make the film.Lionel Atwill and Hugh Herbert (usually a take it or leave it performer for me) add spice and quirkiness to the proceedings.Overall, lives up to its name regardless of how it fares historically. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The New York Times has spoken long of Julien Duvivier. Does he deserve a retrospective? Yes, he indeed does. A good place for the English speaking world to begin is the 1938 'Great Waltz', with a grand cast of mainly European actors: Luise Reiner, Fernand Gravet, Miliza Korjus, Herman Bing, Sig Ruman, and the usual American character actors like Hugh Herbert and Leonid Kinsky and the British Lionel Atwill, who once played the lead opposite Marlene Dietrich in von Sternberg's 'The Devil is a Woman'. Is it too much to say in this sentimental, romanticized Hollywood rewriting of Strauss' life, with music and song and dancing and period costumes that it had something that we find in the UFA films Nazi Germany churned out with the likes of Zarah Leander. Grand fluff to distract the masses from the Great Depression and daily hardship and the gathering of war clouds in Asia and Europe. The year 1938 and the idealization of Vienna is an anachronism, for it was that very year that Hitler's troops annexed Austria to Germany. And the pogrom against Jews and leftists and anti Nazis began with the outcome we tragically came to know. It was Luise Reiner's first film, and she won the Oscar for best actress, which she well deserves as Poldi Strauss' wife. The contralto Korjus added great glamour and the argent clarity of her voice as the other woman. Gravat infused his Strauss with the fantasy of the musical genius he was, as the film had his inspiration say for Tales of the Vienna Woods and Blue Danube come into his mind as though they were generated spontaneously. And then Hollywood enlisted the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II to make sure our toes were tapping to the rhythm of the waltz...making everything so Gemutlich and coating the story with more sugar than necessary. Almost 78 years later, it's a grand, but silly film to watch.