Song Without End (1960)(dvd)

Synopsis: Rank matinée idol Dirk Bogarde made his Hollywood debut playing Franz Liszt in this ultra-glamorous Columbia biopic, turning down the role of Gaston Lachaille in MGM's Gigi in the process. Bogarde swiftly returned to European film-making, and no wonder, for excellent though he is, this is preposterous tosh, redeemed only by Jorge Bolet's off-screen piano and the panache of veteran cameraman James Wong Howe.

Alas, the soul went out of the project when the original director, Charles Vidor, became ill and subsequently died. George Cukor took over, but flamboyance was what it needed, not taste. Capucine and Genevieve Page are stunning to watch as Liszt's women and there's a rare screen appearance from Patricia Morison playing George Sand.

The international supporting cast is also impressive, if lifeless. Still, the music is superb, and that's really what matters most in a film about Liszt.

Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Capucine.
Runtime: 141 min