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6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Dreams of Love remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you probably shouldn't go into Dreams of Love expecting a tight, modern script. If you’re a fan of mid-thirties melodrama or just want to see how they handled romantic stakes back then, you’ll find some charm here. Everyone else? You’ll likely find the pacing a bit sluggish and the stakes a little hard to swallow.
It’s not quite as punchy as something like The Vagabond King, but it has this weird, earnest energy. The whole premise—a countess just deciding to drop her wedding to follow Liszt—is so abrupt it’s almost funny.
The piano scenes are obviously the centerpiece, but they do linger. Sometimes I felt like the movie just wanted to show off the music instead of moving the plot forward. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a bit distracting when you’re waiting for the next dramatic confrontation.
There’s a moment where our main character is just staring off into space while a piano plays, and it goes on for, I don't know, maybe forty seconds too long? It feels less like a deep character study and more like they forgot to yell 'cut.' It’s that kind of imperfection that makes me like it a little bit, even if it's technically a bit of a disaster.
It lacks the sharp edge of Walls of Gold, where everything felt tighter. Here, things just sort of happen. The fiance shows up, gets mad, and suddenly swords are involved because of course they are. Classic.
If you like these kinds of old-world dramas, you’ve seen this before. It’s not reinventing the wheel. But if you’re looking for a Sunday afternoon watch where you can zone out and look at the costumes, it hits the spot. Just don't ask too many questions about why the countess thinks running away is the best way to learn music. It makes no sense, but that's part of the fun. 🎹