The Kreutzer Sonata

[first lines]

Title Card: In 1888 Leo Tolstoy heard a performance of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Opus 47 Duet for piano and violin in his house in Moscow. Also present were the distinguished painter Repin and the actor Andreyev-Burlak. / The music so impressed Tolstoy that he proposed that the three artists should create works inspired by the music to be presented together. / Only Tolstoy completed his part of the bargain. The tale he wrote scandalized society and was banned from publication. For many years it circulated in secret pirated copies. / This film is based on Tolstoy's tale, inspired by Beethoven's music dedicated to the violinist Rudolphe Kreutzer, but known as The Kreutzer Sonata.