It Was a Lovely Night at the Ball

Tchaikovsky would have been both amused and relieved to know he was the subject of a movie about a love affair between himself and a woman, played here by Zarah Leander. Amused, because his interest in women was close to zero; relieved, because he was deeply closeted and did everything possible to keep his secret hidden from Russian society. That aside, if you like high drama with divas -- and what movie with Zarah Leander doesn't fall into that category? -- then this film is a brilliant example, with Zarah singing one of her most famous and touching songs of the time, "Nur nicht aus Liebe weinen" (good advice when dating gay composers). There are also some superb ball and high society scenes set in Imperial Russia.