Chinese film director Chen Kaige (“Farewell My Concubine,” “The Emperor and the Assassin,” “The Battle at Lake Changjin”) is poised to film the historical epic “Swan Song” as his next feature.
The project is essentially a biopic of 18th-century Russian classical music composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky – creator of ballets such as “Swan Lake,” “The Nutcracker” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” along with iconic pieces of music such as the “1812 Overture” and “Piano Concerto No. 1”.
The film will follow his journey through critical failure, persecution for his sexuality and a mysterious death during the strife of a crumbling Russian Empire.
Shahar Stroh penned and will produce the film for Moonstone Entertainment and Strohberry Films. Pre-sales will take place at Cannes later this month with filming to begin late 2024/early 2025 in the Baltics. Chen says in a statement:
“The story of ‘Swan Song’ goes beyond the music of one man. It is about the perpetual struggle of beauty and love against darkness and hate, and I am excited to be bringing it to a global audience. Creating a visually stunning and compelling story, paired with Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, is an extraordinary opportunity to combine art forms and produce something truly magical.”
The project will mark only the second English-language feature for Kaige, the first being the widely-panned 2002 Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes-led mountain climbing meets erotic thriller “Killing Me Softly”.
Infamous filmmaker Ken Russell directed a Richard Chamberlin-led Tchaikovsky film titled “The Music Lovers” in 1971, which was just panned but widely reviled by critics at the time.
Source: Variety
