Bride of the Wind (2001)

and, maybe, it is enough. because it is not real easy to define, in right manner, a period and its remarkable personalities. the only problem - the portrait of Alma Mahler. too simple, almost a sketch, unfair in many scenes, reduced at the status of hunter of men. and, if you accept that, it is honest to remark than it is one of the sides of her personality. because she is, in same measure, an artist. not at the level of her well known husbands/lover but a voice in a period which remains defined by the freedom of creation. and this aspect of Alma Mahler seems be ignored in the film. but this sin is far to be impressive. only common to many filmmakers looking only to impress and to give perfect versions for a public who, in many senses, remains unknown.

It is difficult to imagine that a movie that in any way pertains to Gustav Mahler could fall so flat. But of course this movie isn't about Gustav Mahler. You just want it to be. And you watch it hoping that it will be. It is instead about his pedestrian wife, Alma. Here are her notable achievements worthy of a movie about her life: she married Gustav Mahler. That's it. The marriage was routine. She gave up her "future" as a composer in her own right (that seems to have mostly been in her own mind) in order to be a wife and mother, resented it from time to time, had an affair, her husband (Mahler) died, she had another affair, then married for a second time, then married for a third time, then wrote a song cycle that no one performs. And that's the movie. There was nothing notable about her life. And nothing notable about this movie. Even Mahler's transcendent music doesn't get out of this mess in tact. The writing is VERY bad, and then it's just downhill from there. The scenes are constructed in the most un-imaginary way conceivable and the direction is flat, flat, flat. Bruce Beresford doesn't seem to know, or understand, or isn't interested in, anything about the films content. The actors are lost. There is an attempt to color the tone of the movie with dark lighting to convey something atmospheric, but with nothing in the soul of this film to parallel it it just comes off as muddy. Don't bother especially if you are a Mahler fan, or a movie fan.

As with many biographical narratives, Bride of the Wind meanders more than most stories do. Because of this, one may have to be in a mood to do a little of the work while watching this movie.I think the film has been very well executed. The acting, photography and directing are all beautifully and thoughtfully crafted. The subtle quality of the writing and acting enhances the force of human reality and delineates the truth of emotions in a way that no overly dramatic movie could.One might compare this movie to the French movie, Camille Claudel, in that it is the story of a frustrated female artist whose energies are at least partially consumed by their roles as muses to more famous male creatives. However, Alma Mahler's character is quite different than Camille's.I highly recommend this movie to anybody with an attention span, especially if you have any artistic leanings. 8/10

This film begins with very great promise. The opening credits are very involving. Unfortunately, the script is banal and not very engaging at all. So after the opening credits, it is all downhill. I just do not believe that the romantic liaisons of Alma Mahler were this shallow and trite. We are led to believe that Alma Mahler is nothing but an opportunistic loose woman. We are given no background to understand her actions. With the exception of her relationship with Gustav Mahler, we are not given any information so that we can understand why so many talented men were drawn to her. Perhaps a more formidable actress would have convinced us otherwise. Her relationships with most of these important historical figures are never really fleshed out so that we can become involved and feel something for these characters.The acting by Jonathan Pryce as Mahler is good. Vincent Perez is alluring as Kokoschka. However, the weakest acting is that of Simon Verhoeven as Walter Gropius. Ms. Wynter is obviously an excellent actress but she is destroyed by this awful script and she is not that sexually alluring. The music is, of course, wonderful. It is Mahler for the most part.I was drawn to this film because I wanted to be moved by a chapter in the life of Mahler and to perhaps experience some of the excitement of this period of creative activity in Vienna and Central Europe. The settings are enjoyable but the film is a great disappointment for anyone seeking to know more about the life of Alma Mahler.