Magic Fire
| Magic Fire | |
|---|---|
Film poster
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| Directed by | William Dieterle |
| Produced by | William Dieterle |
| Written by | Bertita Harding (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Bertita Harding, Ewald André Dupont, David T. Chantler |
| Starring |
Alan Badel Yvonne De Carlo Rita Gam Valentina Cortese |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
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Release date
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1955 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Magic Fire is a 1955 biographical film about the life of composer Richard Wagner, released by Republic Pictures.
Directed by William Dieterle, the film made extensive use of Wagner's music, which was arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Dieterle worked with Korngold on several Warner Bros. films, including A Midsummer Night's Dream and Juarez. It was one of the final films Republic made in the two-strip color process known as Trucolor.
Although many details about Wagner's life were accurately portrayed, the film often distorted some facts, apparently for dramatic purposes. One high point was the accurate depiction of the riot at the Paris Opera House for the premiere of the revised version of Tannhäuser. The film depicted King Ludwig II's patronage of Wagner, without going into much detail about the king's controversial personality.
The film used a very large cast, opulent sets, and lavish costumes. Since Republic was known primarily for westerns and adventure serials, Magic Fire was one of the rare "prestige" films to be produced by studio chief Herbert Yates. Nevertheless, critical response was mixed and box office receipts in the U.S. were disappointing.
The film was shot in Italy and Germany over 12 weeks.
It was released in the United Kingdom on July 15, 1955, and in the United States on March 29, 1956. Other European releases were in Denmark on November 21, 1956, and in Finland on October 18, 1957.
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Wikipedia