Lisztomania (1975) review

Typically unorthodox biopic about the life of famed Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) by rowdy jokester Russell: as one of the first "rock stars," he pals around with Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas), beds married Marie d'Agoult (Fiona Lewis), becomes romantically involved with demonic Princess Carolyn (Sara Kestelman) ... and then sees Wagner's lost his mind as he runs off with Liszt's daughter Cosima (Veronica Quilligan), forms a fascist cult and creates Thor (Rick Wakeman, who provided the music).  It makes sense casting Daltrey as the lead - considering he's the long-time front man of The Who and no stranger to groupie love - but the "movie" is less about him as a virtuoso (who used to draw crowds of frenzied young ladies) and more about (a.) him as a sex object and (b.) Russell's own "creative input": it begins with Liszt kissin' boobies in time with a metronome and goes on to feature a room full of gassy tushies, an engorged phallus (that gets lopped off by a guillotine), a piano that doubles as a flamethrower and an undead Wagner, dressed up like Hitler, mowing Jews down with a hybrid guitar/machine gun.  You can't fault it for not trying to do something different, but it tries so hard to be manic it only derails itself in the process.