- [first lines]
- Title Card: In 1888 Leo Tolstoy heard a performance of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Opus 47 Duet for piano and violin in his house in Moscow. Also present were the distinguished painter Repin and the actor Andreyev-Burlak. / The music so impressed Tolstoy that he proposed that the three artists should create works inspired by the music to be presented together. / Only Tolstoy completed his part of the bargain. The tale he wrote scandalized society and was banned from publication. For many years it circulated in secret pirated copies. / This film is based on Tolstoy's tale, inspired by Beethoven's music dedicated to the violinist Rudolphe Kreutzer, but known as The Kreutzer Sonata.
- [first lines]
- Edgar: I think I hardly need to tell you that I was very vain. In a rich man's life our type leads. If a man's not vain, he doesn't have much to live for. So I went out of my way to make absolutely sure that the Benefit was organized with the maximum possible good taste.
- Edgar: I've read that music carries you directly to the state of conscientiousness that was experienced by the composer. How does anyone know what the fuck was on Beethoven's mind when he wrote this? I don't. Do you