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Wagner & Me

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United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia · 2010
1h 29m
Director Patrick McGrady
Starring Stephen Fry
Genre Documentary, Music

Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores his passion for one of the world's most controversial composers, Richard Wagner. As a life-long fan, Stephen, who is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust, attempts to salvage Wagner's music from its dark associations with anti-Semitism and Hitler.

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What are critics saying?

40

Time Out by

While the documentary offers some insights into the pervertion of art for ideological purposes, too much of it simply finds Fry standing in dumbfounded awe of the holy sites that populate his journey.

60

The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck

Patrick McGrady's documentary strains to reconcile its conflicting moods, but Fry's gushing enthusiasm for the subject is ultimately if sometimes queasily infectious.

60

Variety by Ronnie Scheib

For Fry, the music's complexity, ambiguity, innovation and humanity far surpass Wagner's personal limitations. He may not convince his viewers of the rightness of his conclusions, but he certainly makes a fervent case for the triumph of art over biography.

50

Boston Globe by Ty Burr

To truly appreciate Wagner & Me, a BBC documentary getting a spotty theatrical release in this country, you have to cherish the music of Richard Wagner with the same quivering intensity as host Stephen Fry.

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