 Anton Walbrook (qv)s character of Lermontov was generally thought  to be based on the real ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev (qv),  the man behind Vaslav Nijinsky (qv). Michael Powell and  Emeric Pressburger (qv), however, were more inclined to say that  he was a representation of their first main mentor,  Alexander Korda (qv).