Mahler on the Couch

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Mahler on the Couch

2010

1h 38m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

50%

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6 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Alma's affair with an architect forces her husband to seek advice from Sigmund Freud.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

The questions it doesn't quite ask linger when the lights come up.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 29, 2012

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David DeWitt

New York Times

The scenes with Karl Markovics, as Freud, are the lingering appeal of this artfully composed film, framed with aesthetic care and scored with Mahler's music...

Rated: 3/5

May 18, 2012

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Eric Hynes

Village Voice

[An] eccentric and expressionistic reverie on love, loss, and the birth of modern marriage.

May 15, 2012

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Jeffrey Gantz

Boston Phoenix

It's a decent addition to the modest list of films about the composer, but no substitute for Mahler, Ken Russell's 1974 comic-strip classic.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 29, 2012

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Ron Wilkinson

Monsters and Critics

A funny title for a film that is as serious as psychosis, but Mahler never sounded better.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 24, 2011

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Sapere A

To have Freud in the house and yet produce a movie that is only superficially related to the deeper mind of Mahler is disappointing. Still, it is well acted, the scenarios are relatively interesting, and the music is divine.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/03/25

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Audience Member

Cool, original, psycho-laden movie that resonates with musical hearts and romantic spirits.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

Disappointing film. It displays a simple caricature of Gustav Mahler and Sigmund Freud. The characters tend to be comical and superfluous. On the other hand, excellent photography, music and costumes.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Watching German films online. My German isn't great, so I don't get it all, but this one was ok. I'd lump it in as being on par with all those other classical musician movies. Kind of the same style as that "Immortal Beloved" film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

A beautiful movie, highlighting the very best of old and new film-making techniques as it tells one of the greatest stories I've ever seen at the cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

Plus: really good acting, the personalities of Mahler and his wife Alma are portrayed very well, the historic plot is afaik quite accurate. Great scenery and obviously brilliant music. Minus: The actual development of Mahler's personality due to the situation is almost not existent. Freud seems like quite clumsy and insensitive for a psychologist, was he really like that? Or was Mahler just such a difficult person to deal with? I don't really believe either... The music however fits well to the plot, especially the excerpt of his 10th, his very final piece, which tells us more about his lesson from this story than most of the movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Felix O. Adlon

Director

Percy Adlon

Director

Johannes Silberschneider

Gustav Mahler

Karl Markovics

Sigmund Freud

Eva Mattes

Anna Moll

Lena Stolze

Justine Mahler-Rose

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Synopsis

Alma's affair with an architect forces her husband to seek advice from Sigmund Freud.

Director: Felix O. Adlon, Percy Adlon
Producer: Eleonore Adlon, Burkhard W.R. Ernst, Konstantin Seitz
Screenwriter: Percy Adlon, Felix O. Adlon
Production Co: Pelemele Film, ORF, Bioskop Film, ARD Degeto Film, Bayerischer Rundfunk, CULT Film GmbH.
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: German
Runtime: 1h 38m

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