Guided throughout by the swells and dips of tchaikovsky’s music, ken russell’s the music lovers examines the tragedies of tchaikovsky’s life through opulent and fantastic musical sequences running alongside a narrative of the composer’s life between 1875 and 1881'. '.strtoupper('t')ouching on his disastrous marriage with antonina miliukova, his relationship with his patroness nadezhda von meck, and his repressed homosexuality, the music lovers is anchored by magnetic central performances from glenda jackson following her academy award for women in love, coupled with richard chamberlain as a neurotic tchaikovsky'. '.strtoupper('f')orming part of ken russell’s collection of experimental composer biopics, the music lovers features plenty of his signature provocation and excess, but ultimately takes a sympathetic lens to tchaikovsky’s life in a repressive russian society'. '.strtoupper('e')xtras presented in high definition newly recorded audio commentary by film historian matthew melia interview with alexander verney elliott 2024, 20 mins ken russell's son looks back upon his father's work, and remembers his own appearance in the music lovers charlotte bronte enters the big brother house 2007, 16 mins ken russell staged, directed and filmed this 'radical bronte' ballet for young people, illustrating jane eyre the guardian interview melvyn bragg 1988, 76mins ten years after the inception of the south bank show, melvyn bragg discusses his career in television and film writer ronald harwood, at the national film theatre in london'. '.strtoupper('g')alina ulanova in swan lake 1940, 6 mins one of the greatest ballerinas of all time is seen performing a dance from swan lake, in this rare film held by the bfi national archive musical highlights from ussr today 10 mins edited highlights from three editions of the soviet newsreel, gathering items about tchaikovsky and russian musical arts costume designs 2024, 2 mins original sketches by shirley russell original trailer first pressing only illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by matthew melia, a new essay by caroline langhorst and contributions from alexander verney elliott and lisi russell