Rating: 
Summary: Opera paradise
Review: Perhaps the most authoritative voice (in English at least) The Penguin Guide to Recordings of Classical Music judges Herbert von Karajan "second to none" as an interpreter of Puccini. However with an opera like Madama Butterfly that focuses on one character the lead singer must assume prime importance. Mirella Freni has recorded this opera three times and it is no coincidence that The Penguin Guide crowns her recordings as the three best. "Sweeter of voice than any on record" (their words), Freni effloresces as Butterfly, bringing into bloom her rich bouquet of tonal colors to flush the role to life with compelling urgency while "consistently growing in stature from the young girl to the tragic heroine." In uncharacteristic harmony, The Gramophone agrees that Freni is indeed the finest Butterfly while Fred Plotkin, former director of New York's Metropolitan Opera, in his book, "Opera 101", takes a step further and adorns her "almost unrivaled" in the sphere of Romantic Italian opera.
Following its disastrous opening Puccini withdrew Madama Butterfly from performance and, along with the librettists, set to work on it for three months. The decision to mitigate the villainy of Pinkerton and invest him with some redeeming qualities proved pivotal for without such improvement the dynamic degenerates into melodrama and Butterfly lapses into a silly young woman who closes her eyes to reality and gets crushed by it. Pinkerton--though careless (hence the chewing gum, t-shirt, tossing the Ottoke, the mutinous collar, etc.), irresponsible, and callously ethnocentric--is never consciously evil and the distinction becomes crucial to establishing Butterfly as a tragic heroine. Neither blind nor stupid, she retains a vision of humanity (based on the kind of person she is) that is nobler and finer than what we actually are and this is her hamartia (tragic flaw). Ponelle illuminates this for us by positioning his camera at ground level looking up so she emerges as a towering, heroic figure braced against the sky as she clenches her fists, throws her head back, and sings with passionate puissance, "Tutto questo avverrà, te lo prometto. Tienti la tua paura, io con sicura fede l'aspetto." (All this will happen I promise you. Keep your fears to yourself, I shall await him with unshakeable faith.)
The most enchanting voice ever to record the role of Butterfly, the most august baton of the second half of the twentieth century supported by two of its most beloved legends (Domingo and Ludwig), all captured working in concert to grace us with Puccini's opus magnum--for the true aficionado this is opera paradise. My fellow reviewers besmirch the page with whining over lip-synching, video quality, camera angles, the distension of Domingo's epigastrium, and (of all the inane twaddle) the alignment of Freni's incisors. Excuse me, but what does any of this have to do with music? Silence, ye film critics! This is the ethereal art of opera, not mere cinema.
One caveat: claims to the contrary notwithstanding, the Brazilian release offers no English subtitles.
Rating: 
Summary: riduculous direction and pessimistic production
Review: Despite the reputation of the director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, I didn't like this production at all. I found it was even an insult to the masterpiece of Puccini. It's completely wrongfully directed from the beginning to the end. Freni's Cio-Cio san sounds excellent, but, Ponnelle made her to be a weak girl (she should be a strong girl and must have much of self-confidence and discipline). Her father killed himself in order to die with honor rather than living with dishonor and she is very proud of him. That's her philosophy, too. Freni's acting when she says her father is "morto" doesn't represent Cio-cio san's personality.
It's like Madama Butterfly in the production of Mikado. Cio-Cio san presents her mother, who is not only very poor (as it's written to be) but impossibly comic and ugly at the same time. So is the Consul. He looks like a comedian popped out from a cartoon. Goro isn't Japanese but a clown.
The finest "Flower duet" is turned into their love scene. I mean, apparently they are having sex on the field. Pinkerton is on the top of Cio-cio san moving up and down and say "Come! Come!". This is ridiculous. When Suzuki is pessimistic about Pinkerton's return, Cio-cio san is supposed to convince her that none of the rumors is true and he would be back soon. Here, Cio-cio san is already so despaired and obviously she's lost all her hope. How could she convince her maid to keep faith and wait! Humming chorus is merged into Cio-cio san's dream. This scene is so confusingly done. As for me, I don't need to see what she dreams because it's so obvious.
The decor is only one house and the field of grass in the deep fog.
Good thing about this production, though, is Domingo. He is handsome and extraordinary. But his T-shirt looks pretty much from this century.
What was Ponnelle thinking? Wasn't Karajan around when he directed? It's all wrong!
Rating: 
Summary: not bad
Review: Here we have a great recording with the essencial Butterly herself. The music and singing is superb. Unfortunately as the singers are lipsinking rather badly with silly costumes, and rather bland acting.. you have to wonder if you shouldnt just buy the CD. there are a few nice moments.. un bel di.. che tua madre... and of course the finale.. but overall.. I'd much rather have freni on DVD in operas where she's actually singing and acting.. like Adrianna.. which is fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Mostly disappointed...
Review: I've always thought Madama Butterfly was one of the most moving and enjoyable operas I've ever seen. So, after stumbling upon the DVD here at Amazon, I thought these DVDs might make wonderful Christmas presents for others and myself -- especially after noticing that Mirella Freni was singing the role of Butterfly (and I can't complain about the rest of the cast either).However, after watching this DVD, I'm not really sure how to characterize my disappointment. The soundtrack is certainly wonderful -- if only I could listen to just the singing and music alone and imagine everything else. Since this is a movie and not a taped performance, the actors are actually lip-synching (and doing an absolutely terrible job of it). Furthermore, the acting, lighting, scenery, and makeup is pretty bad as well. And, unfortunately, as much as I enjoy Mirella Freni's singing, she just can't come close to pulling off a sweet and innocent 15 year old -- obviously not, but the lack of this believability (especially in all the close up shots) kind of ruins it for me. Perhaps I should be more realistic in what to expect from a movie version and what the actors can and cannot do etc., but all of these flaws still detract greatly from the overall experience. Lastly, and maybe I'm mistaken, but everytime I see this opera live, the ending has always made Butterfly seem much more honorable, stoic, and as a result all the more pitiable and sad. My impression is that this version kind of takes a different path. Overall, I would recommend getting the wonderful Pavoratti and Freni CD available here at Amazon and supplementing that with tickets to see a live performance. Again, maybe it's just me, but so far I have yet to find an opera DVD that has been half as enjoyable as seeing it in person.
Rating: 
Summary: great singing; lousy presentation
Review: If I'm not mistaken, this should be the same production as the video with the same actors and director, even though they aren't linked in this site? It was the Freni/ Domingo VIDEO I saw. While this production does have possibly some of the best singing of any, I had to wonder whether the director purposely intended to make some sort of comic parody or caricature of Puccini's opera. If this was his intention, then he perhaps succeeded. A number of unfortunate choices in staging, costuming, and characterization made it all but impossible (for me, anyway) to take the characters or their tragic situation seriously. Goro looked like some great buffoonish clown, and Cio-Cio-San's mother like a vacant-minded old hag; not one of the characters seemed remotely Japanese to me. Then, there are the American and Japanese puppets Freni toys with, the child who is shown well before the dramatic revelation to Sharpless, and faithful Susuki actually ASSISTING Butterfly with the suicide! The overall effect seemed closer to farce, or mockery, than high drama and serious tragedy appropriate to the story. Worst of all, for me, the consul Sharpless, presumably the moral backbone or conscience of the piece, manages to come off nearly as spinelessly degenerate as Pinkerton himself. When Goro offers to show him his selection of mail-order brides, so far from "laughingly declining"- as the script indicates- he puts on his spectacles; he asks Butterfly about whether she "has any sisters", with a grin and a twinkle that would have had me wanting to lock my own baby sister away somewhere safe (one rather wonders why he bothers to warn Pinkerton against toying with his marriage and his bride, at all); he puffs distractedly away at a cigarette while trying to read Pinkerton's letter. One of the more affecting incidental details of the 1996 film version by Mitterand (Troxell and Huang) is toward the end when Sharpless takes away a bottle from Pinkerton with which he, Pinkerton, has been dosing himself when he realizes what he's done; here, however, it is the consul who is seen fortifying himself in the crisis with the contents of a similar bottle. All in all, I could not find anything in this film to recommend it- beyond, again, some excellent singing, which its negative points for me far outweighed. I found it an embarrassing travesty of Puccini's masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A most beautiful musical and cinematographic experience
Review: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's and Herbert von Karajan's talents were at their height when this film was made. First of all, the overall atmosphere obtained by Ponnelle is admirable - with its subtle and pale colours it looks like watercolour. There are many endearing details, such as the love duet being sung outdoors with the plants forming what seems to be a "love nest", or Cio Cio San's dream scenes - everything is sensitively and beautifuly done. Moreover, the acting in this film is really convincing in the limits of operatic acting. Mirella Freni is lovely as Butterfly - she also looks young and is tenderness itself in act I. From act II on, she acquires a more intense attitude which never looks exaggerated and is always convincing for a young character. Plácido Domingo acts also beautifully as Pinkerton, with his debonair behaviour well portraid in act I and his regret also nicely shown in the end of the opera. Robert Kerns also acts subtly and, even if Christa Ludwig definitely doesn't look like her role, she is characterful and funny in the beginning of the opera and succeeds in bearing a tired sad expression in the end of it. The secondary roles are splendidly taken and I was very impressed by the hard stern face of Mrs.Pinkerton in the end of the opera. She doesn't look as if she was going to be a sweet stepmother to Butterfly's son... The soundtrack is supposed to be Karajan's Decca recorded with Domingo singing over previously recorded material (in the CD, it is Pavarotti). I think that this is exquisite music making. Mirella Freni is in young warm and delicate voice which, however, stands up to the dramatic demands made on it during the opera. Her naturality and freshness of expression make her to be convincing throughout and I think that her pianissimo in her entrance scene is the most gorgeous sound ever produced by the human throat. Christa Ludwig is glamourous casting as Suzuki and Robert Kerns is in firm voice and phrases with sensitivity. Plácido Domingo is in his youthful best and is very charming too. Karajan's conducting is intense and delicate according to the dramatic situations and he benefits from wonderful orchestral sounds from the Vienna Philharmonic.
I have seen this video many times with friends and NEVER met someone who didn't cry hid eyes out while watching this! So, get your handkerchief...
Rating:
Summary: Please pass me the tissues!
Review: Puccini's Madama Butterfly conducted by Von Karajan and the sublime voices of Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni are a combination that, in my mind, is unbeatable. It should be kept in mind that when this film was made Freni and Domingo were not yet 40 - a time in their lives and careers when their voices were at their peaks. Being able to see and hear them as they were then makes this film historic. When it comes to acting, I'll grant you that Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni are not in the same league with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, but they nonetheless committed themselves admirably in this project. I was especially smitten with Mirella Freni's portrayal of Cio Cio San. I see Cio Cio San as a very young (15?) girl who is painfully shy and oh so sensitive and naïve. A girl who fell in love with love with Pinkerton (the bum!) at the center of this tragedy - a girl who later became a textbook case of denial in the 2nd act that was finally driven to end her own life. That's what Freni conveyed to me and no matter how many times I watch this production, I am driven literally to tears. The film and directing had a few rough spots - camera angles in particular - I'm sure Ponnelle would have some second thoughts. However, those details notwithstanding, the soft monotones he used throughout created an aura that was perfect background for the drama that unfolded within it. I feel obliged to say something here about lip synching - one of the curses of this sort of filmmaking. I've watched this film countless times (I'm addicted!) and the characters mouths work along with lyrics most convincingly. Were they to be singing it live there would be some not very attractive facial contortions involved in vowel production and high notes requiring some visible "reaching" on the part of the singer that would certainly not be in keeping with Freni's fragile beauty or Domingo's handsome countenance. So, with this in mind, I say bravo to lip-synching here. The rest of the supporting cast did their respective jobs most admirably - Senechal as oily "wasp - toad" Goro, Kerns as the counsel, Sharpless, in the middle, and Ludwig as loyal Suziki were perfect. If you're looking for historic and heart wrenching opera video, you've found it here.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful singing but questionable acting
Review: The advent of opera on DVD has been a real boon to neophytes and aficionados of opera alike, as it presents the medium in a way that can only be superseded by a trip to the opera house itself. This Madama Butterfly is a film version of Puccini's beloved opera, and as such it takes certain liberties (obvious lip-synching, and singing when the actors are clearly not singing--the music represents thoughts "in their heads"). While all of this can be somewhat of a distraction, it is the poor acting, especially of Domingo, that hinders my being able to suspend reality while watching this production--in spite of some outstanding singing from Freni, Ludwig AND Domingo. Evidence of poor acting begin early on when the viewer actually witnesses Domingo's Pinkerton CHEWING GUM (!) over a stretch of several minutes--very strange indeed, and HIGHLY annoying. Was this a conscious decision or was it a gross oversight? My guess is the latter, for I find nothing artistic or symbolic in it; but it is such inexcusable distractions that ruin portions of this opera for me. It is as if Domingo is trying too hard to make us loath his character. This is most unfortunate, as Domingo sings AND acts brilliantly in Rosi's film version of Carmen, which he did about a decade after Butterfly. While Freni certainly does not look 15, few Butterflys do, and who cares when they sing so ravishingly as she? Freni gives a beautifully convincing performance, and her scenes are the most thrilling by far. The sets and backgrounds are acceptable although for a flim version, they fail to evoke an intense "Japanese" flavor the way those in Rosi's film version of Carmen do for AndalucÃa. In conclusion, opera on DVD places more demands on a production: to be truly outstanding, the VISUAL (acting/sets/backgrounds) component must be equal to the singing. This opera film fails in the first department, but is saved by the singing--which one can get on a CD!
Rating:
Summary: Avoid this like the Plague
Review: The DVD arrived. I assembled the young family. I sent them away in shame, as viewing this disk would strangle appreciation for opera forever. The critical issue is the date, 1974. To current eyes, this production is laughable, idiotic, the equivalent of elephants dancing ballet--even by our all-forgiving opera standards. It appears to be a stupendously dated "movie-ization" which has subsequently been pan and scanned into claustrophic closeups. The cast lip-synchs--they barely simulate singing! It's all appallingly unflattering to Freni, whose teeth were not designed for closeups. Good God, did von Karajan ever see this? This whole production is simply unbearable--even in l974, a disaster of bad ideas and a total misunderstanding of the film medium.
Rating:
Summary: An awful production
Review: The singing is very good and the Dolby 5.0 sound track is excellent. However, the performance, stage design and lighting are not as good as in another movie from Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Verdi's "Rigoletto". I'd rather turn the TV off or watch the weather network while playing the sound tracks on this DVD, just because of the artificial acting, fake smiling and the make-up of Freni. I am expecting another Madama Butterfly on DVD from Columbia TriStar with Ying Huang singing Cio-cio-san, although her voice was not as amazing as Freni's.
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