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In honor or Mozart's birthday I'd like to propose a sort of quiz, or game. Mozart's great piano concerto in C will be forever linked, for no good reason, to a fluffy bit of forgotten soft-porn called Elvira Madigan. I saw it when it came out in the mid 60's but I wonder if anyone here has ever seen it. Certainly nobody today rents or orders the movie, any more than they rent John Lennon in 'How I Won the War', which is also long forgotten, and came out more or less the same time.

There was even a popular 'Theme from Elvira Madigan' that was played on the radio. No mention of Mozart.

If that trashy bit of brainless fluff could illegitimately ascend to an undeserved fame on the helium of Mozart's music, then perhaps we can turn this around and create a 'Movie from a Mozart Concerto' in revenge.

No fair looking up 'Elvira Madigan' on Google or Wiki. If you saw if please add what you can below. If you did not - improvise - it hardly matters with a movie like that.

Movie from a Concerto by Mozart

Once there was a very pretty blond girl whose name was Elvira Madigan, even though she was from France. She was a circus tight rope walker - improbably - and sadly she had no mother or father - she was a sad sad orphan all alone in the world. Except she was so pretty that everyone fell in love with her and wanted to help her.

She stood for Nature, Unconventionality (if there is such a thing), and Pacifism.

One day Elvira was practicing her tight rope walking out in the woods, when an even prettier blond Lieutenant rode by. He was English/German/Swedish - take your pick. They immediately fell in love.

They decided to play a game - every time they heard a theme from the Mozart C major piano concerto K467 they had to take off a piece of clothing. Pretty soon they weren't wearing any clothing at all.

And then the Lieutenant had to go back to join his group, but Elvira made him stay so he would not be a slave to Society, Rigidity, and War. She cuts all the buttons off his discarded military jacket - for some reason.

Next thing you know he is court marshallad, and shot for being such a sap. When Elvira hears the news she falls off her tightrope - even with her frilly french parisol - and dies.


Add to it as you like. See if you can remember anything else from that effort.
Happy birthday Wolfgang - Composer of the famous Theme to Elvira Madigan.

Although I saw the movie, I don't remember a scene/word from it, it was that forgettable, but I do bristle when I see CD covers featuring the "Elvira Madigan Concerto."

Something tells me there was a scene with a pretty young couple in some indeterminate period costumes walking/dancing/running/floating(?) - in slow motion, most likely - in a field of tall grasses/wheat/flax/barley/corn - now corn would be appropriate! - gently waving in the sun-lit summer breeze while the slow movement of the Mozart concerto was heard in the background .... (Gag!)

I bet my run-on sentence is no worse than the dialogue of the movie, either, but, fortunately, I don't remember ...

Cheers!

Yes! They had to run away and hide in the woods and eat nuts and berries so that the Lieutenant would not get caught and they could go on partying. Try to remember. I know the brain tries to shield itself from painful memories by making us forget - but in the interest of this thread - try to remember.

I'd like to think that there was a kindly old peasant woman out in those woods who took pity on the pretty people and brought them pies and jam - and let them party on the old feather bed when it rained - does that sound plausible?

Bruce - bristle no more! Here's your chance to get even.

It doesn't matter if you can't remember - make something up! Make something horrible up! So that every time someone thinks of Elvira Madigan they get sick - maybe the name will eventually detach itself from the concerto if enough people learn to hate it (the name, not the concerto)

I saw the movie once, about 12 years ago. A friend found it at an "alternative" video rental place and we watched it with him out of curiosity. I remember most the extraordinary beauty of the main actress, and the deep sadness of the last part of the movie.

*** MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ***

Elvira walks into a bakery early one morning and with a sinking feeling you realize what she is doing: she is gathering ingredients for one final special meal with her lover. The two speak very little during breakfast, each word and glance speaking volumes, then they head out to the field where they spent some of their happiest times. Sixten pulls out his gun but he hesitates. "You must!" Elvira urges. "I can't!" he replies, weeping. She gets to her feet and runs to catch a butterfly nearby. Sitting back down next to Sixten, she releases the butterfly, with a childlike expression of joy. The image freezes on her smile and a moment later you hear two gunshots in quick succession, followed by some amazingly beautiful unaccompanied singing (nothing to do with Mozart, I have no idea who wrote it) along with the credits.

I don't remember any "soft-porn" aspect to the movie so I'm guessing that's part of your sneaky "revenge"! I do remember wanting to find fault with the use of the Mozart but coming to the conclusion that it was inspired. [Gulp] [Ducking virtual tomatoes] It is mostly heard when the fated lovers are outdoors together, including the notorious and often-imitated sequence when they run towards each other in slow motion before embracing. It is a shame if the movement and concerto have become "typecast", and I can understand why people would hold this against the movie. I can also understand why the minimalist approach to storytelling is not to everyone's taste.

What? That's where Concerto 21 got it's nickname?

!!!!!!

I am not generally opposed to minimalism at the movies - even tho I think that term is over-used and often not accurate. E M was not a 'minimalist' approach - it was just a bad movie with a very thin plot. Sorry. Maybe I am interpolating the soft pron - but the butterfly thing is coming back to me. That about says it all, I think.

Mozart's music is inspired - that's the problem - the movie 'borrowed' Mozart's entrancing music to fluff up its otherwise empty banality. It was a bad bad movie - oh: IMHO. Without Mozart you would not have found it anywhere to rent - just like How I Won the War - has anyone seen that? Heard of it? No. Why? Bad movie - even though it had move substance than E M. Maybe they should have played the Ode the Joy during the battle scenes.

I doubt that EM originated the slo mo love scene thing - or rather - I would hate to give it that much credit. But if it did - all the more reason to hate it.

I used to have a Deutsche Grammophon recording of the 'Elvira Madigan' Concerto - with the beautiful actress (so why can't we remember her name?) on the cover biting her lip, I think - that was a very 60s thing to do if you were a beautiful girl - beautiful blond girls were always biting their lips in publicity photos. Lip biting, butterfly chasing, button cutting, tight rope walking - all very 60s stuff, the only thing missing was joint-smoking.

Pianists of the Pianist Corner! This is no time for weakness! We must band together and drive out the Evil One! Elvira has got to go! No more sympathy for 'sad' endings, beautiful actresses, or butterflies! Pull yourselves together! Do it for Mozart!

I first saw it when I was about 19 and thought it was the most wonderfully romantic thing I had ever seen. Saw it again in my mid-30s and thought "What a load of crap". Have been avoiding it whenever it has appeared on the late show ever since.

And the best - and only - way to "do" it, is to forget it!

Cheers!

I remember seeing the movie as a teenager and loving it. The cinematography was absolutely ravishing and the actors were ridiculously beautiful. And Mozart's glorious music captivated an entire generation, and what's so wrong with that? If I remember it was based on actual events and so appropriate to what was happening at that time: hippies, free love, anti-war sentiment.

what on Earth, one wonders, you are all talking about?
I follow not..