| Director | Ken Russell |
|---|---|
| Genre | LGBT-related film, biographical film, drama film |
| Runtime | 123 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Budget | $2 million |
Much of the film is without dialogue and the story is presented in flashbacks, nightmares, and fantasy sequences set to Tchaikovsky's music. As a child, the composer sees his mother die horribly, forcibly immersed in scalding water as a supposed cure for cholera, and is haunted by the scene throughout his musical career. Despite his difficulty in establishing his reputation, he attracts Madame Nadezhda von Meck as his patron.
Over time, Tchaikovsky's marriage to the allegedly nymphomaniacal Antonina Miliukova is plagued by his homosexual urges and lustful desire for Count Anton Chiluvsky. The dynamics of Tchaikovsky's life lead to his deteriorating mental health and the loss of von Meck's patronage, and he dies of cholera after deliberately drinking contaminated water, while his wife ends up in an insane asylum.