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It's really tricky to make a musical biopic interesting. Movies about singers are easy, but audiences often struggle to keep up with the life of a classical musician. Young Toscanini focuses on a brief period of time in Arturo Toscanini's life, when he was, well, young. He starts out as a cello player, and when he visits Brazil during an orchestral tour, his life changes.

Franco Zeffirelli directed the film, and he certainly knows how to make a realistic period piece! Everything, from the lighting to the costumes, from the sets to the colors and textures of Elizabeth Taylor's makeup looks authentically late-1800s. I really felt immersed in the time period. The only part of the movie that wasn't realistic was the idea of Liz Taylor being an opera singer. Anyone who saw her in A Little Night Music knows that's ridiculous.

But, besides that, it's a really interesting and well-made film. It's not just a movie full of classical music. There's romance, friendship, and a moral argument. Toscanini and his sweetie-pie take a public stand against slavery, and the movie shows this without any graphic upsets for the audience.

If you don't like music at all, you probably won't like Young Toscanini, but if you are interested in this time period, or the musician himself, give it a try. I liked this movie far better than Amadeus. You might, too.

The story behind the making and breaking of this film probably deserves close scrutiny. The whole things, at least at first, seems to be a giant mystery. Franco Zeferelli directed (yes, he was capable of doing poor work e.g. Endless Love despite its cast) but this one is not a bad job. C. Thomas Howell, as Young Toscanini, gives a fine performance and one that should have propelled his busy career into a leading man category. His work is excellent. Elizabeth Taylor likewise performs with the professionalism that is often overlooked. She is every inch the operatic diva the story requires. True, the ending scenes involve sloppy, how-do-I-finish-this-one moments. BUT the remainder of the work features excellence in acting, set and art decoration, cinematography, etc. The script has its lapses, but the rest of the film, despite its easy ending, may not be true to Toscanini but makes for splendid film-making. Why did this one slip by in the middle of the night?

This film is the great Franco Zeffirelli's most obscure film and one of his most underrated. C Thomas Howell gives a very good performance as Toscanini. It has beautiful photography, great sets, locations and costumes. The film's only weakness is the script. Some parts are a bit too melodramatic. Although not his best, this film is better than Zeffirelli's ENDLESS LOVE and his latest film CALLAS FOREVER. A good film overall and worth seeing if you're a Zeffirelli or Toscanini fan. An 8 out of 10.