Story Outline The sad tale of Putzi is the story of Maria Anna Mahler (nickname Putzi), Composer Gustav Mahler’s eldest daughter, the film looks at the last months of her life to the music of Mahler’s Symphony number 1. Maria was born in 1902 to Gustav and his wife Alma Schindler. Apart from Mahler’s ten symphonies he also wrote various song cycles, one person who he admired was nineteenth century poet Friedrich Rückert, and used some of his poems in his music. After the death of two of Rückert’s children from Scarlett fever he wrote a series of never to be published poems on the theme of the death of children, to help with his grieving process, against Ruckert’s wishes the poems were published after his death, Mahler seized on these and in 1904 much to the disapproval of Alma who had just given birth to their second child Anna, Mahler set five of the poems to music called Kindertotenlieder (Death of a Child). In 1907, both of Mahler’s children contracted Scarlett Fever, the youngest Anna made a full recovery, but Maria succumbed and passed away in July 1907. Mahler’s 1st symphony is in four movements, this film will have very little dialogue, using the Symphony as the main driving force showing family life of Alma and the children, (Mahler will only be seen conducting the symphony generally in the background of scenes) at the time from 1906 to 1907. Movement 1 – Autmn, Winter and Spring Movement 2 – Summer Movement 3 – contracting Scarlett Fever Movement 4 – The death of Maria and ascent to Heaven. The film will need a cast of four, see casting for more details.
