Intrigue

Composer and pianist Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) attempts to overcome his hedonistic life-style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas).

A send-up of the bawdy life of Romantic composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey), with ubiquitous phallic imagery and a good portion of the movie devoted to Liszt's "friendship" with fellow composer Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas). This movie begins during the time when Franz would give piano performance to a crowd of shrieking teenage fans while maintaining affairs with his mistresses. He eventually seeks Princess Carolyn of St. Petersburg (Sara Kestelman) (at her invitation), elopes, and, after their marriage is forbidden by the Pope (Sir Ringo Starr), he embraces the monastic life as an abbé.—Jonathan Dakss <dakss@columbia.edu>

Pianist Franz Liszt is treated like a rock star by his adoring fans, many young females who willingly throw themselves at him, he, in return in his hedonism, often indulging his and their sexual proclivities in the process. One such fan was his wife, Marie, whose, at the time of her and Liszt's meeting, wealthy husband, Count d'Agoult, hired him solely to give bored Marie piano lessons. While he plays the music of well known and successful composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, and purchases the music of aspiring composers, such as Richard Wagner - Liszt's bastardization of Wagner's compositions while performing in concert not sitting well with him - Liszt himself aspires to be a great composer. It is his relationship with another of his wealthy fans, married Princess Carolyn of Russia, which tests how much Liszt is willing to give up in his life to achieve that greatness as a composer. Meanwhile, Wagner becomes a more integral part of Liszt's life out of circumstance as Wagner's life takes a more political turn.—Huggo

This flamboyant extravaganza tells the scandalous tale of superstar composer Franz Liszts (Roger Daltry) hedonistic life of groupies, sex and music, as well as his rivalry with the scheming Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas). After enjoying the fruits of his celebrity, Liszt tries to find true love with one of his mistresses, Princess Caroline. The Pope (Ringo Starr) forbids their marriage and Liszt attempts to adopt a monastic lifestyle. The vampiric Wagner marries Liszts daughter, Cosima, and then battles for world domination by unleashing the Viking God, Thor (Rick Wakeman), and his troupe of robot Nazis. The only way to save the world is through Liszt and all of his mistresses in a rocket ship to destroy the resurrected Wagner who has now become the Nazi Antichrist. A freewheeling, outrageous and over-the-top look at the life of the worlds first pop superstar.