[1][2] In the words of one writer, the film "marks the debut of both a great and original visual stylist (Russell) and the first use of techniques that have since become almost commonplace in the realm of documentary filmmaking.
Though shot in black and white, the use of light and the brilliant blending of images and glorious music makes most of what we are used to seeing on the tube and (movie screen) seem flat and unimaginative.
Russell's training and previous work as a photographer is shown to great advantage in this exquisite film.
[3]Reviewing the production in 2011, The New Yorker commented: "most of it is glorious, with reënactment scenes that might easily have tipped into Monty Python territory redeemed by their intimate connection to the musical excerpts on the soundtrack.
This is because Russell, like no other filmmaker, has an essential insight into what goes into a composer’s life, strung between play and work, dreaming and drudgery.