The Waltz King 1963

The city of Vienna has never looked more beautiful or the music of Johann Strauss, Jr. sounded more thrilling than they do in this filmed biography of The Waltz King. Johann Sr. (Brian Aherne), a successful composer, forbids his precocious son (nicknamed "Schani") to pursue a similar career in music. When Schani (Kerwin Mathews) sells his first composition to a beautiful opera singer (Senta Berger) and subsequently falls in love with the diva, the elder Strauss, angry and jealous, forces his son to leave home. Struggling to survive as a violin teacher in order to pursue his aspirations as a ...(more)

The city of Vienna has never looked more beautiful or the music of Johann Strauss, Jr. sounded more thrilling than they do in this filmed biography of The Waltz King. Johann Sr. (Brian Aherne), a successful composer, forbids his precocious son (nicknamed "Schani") to pursue a similar career in music. When Schani (Kerwin Mathews) sells his first composition to a beautiful opera singer (Senta Berger) and subsequently falls in love with the diva, the elder Strauss, angry and jealous, forces his son to leave home. Struggling to survive as a violin teacher in order to pursue his aspirations as a composer/conductor, the youth finds his artistic efforts sabotaged at every turn by his domineering father. But the elder Strauss greatly underestimates his son's talent, determination, and will to succeed. (less)