This is one of Russell's most beautiful film, maybe the best. The costumes and the landscapes are marvelous and the performances are superbs. At its time this film divided the opinions because of the symbolic use Russell gave to the Nazis symbols, associating them to the catholicism. If you watch this movie with an open mind and you can understand this symbolic aspect, those scenes won't be offensives.

Though this film shows the most significant moments in Mahler's life, it's not really biographical, there isn't any specific cronology and it's not so closer to his life but for the use of those events which are presented by flash-backs.

All the film happens in a train in which Gustav and Alma return to Austria, and that's how by the mean of many disputes Gustav will recognize that his music is the love he feels for Alma.