Rating: 
Summary: Brings My Friends to Tears Every Time
Review: Yes, I've shown this film to some very different women, with the same reaction every time--they become quite wrapped up in the tragic love story of Violetta and Alfreddo, to the point of tears!I first saw this movie when it was relatively new, and when I had never even seen a live opera yet. It was as extraordinary for me then as my friends continue to find it. From the moment I saw Placido Domingo in Violetta's hallway, I was hooked on him. But then, I have always been partial to extremely masculine foreign men like Rossano Brazzi. It's wonderfully filmed, with lush settings and beautiful costuming, especially for Teresa Stratas, our Violetta, the jaded courtesan dying of consumption but eager to grasp at a last chance for love and happiness. With her dark hair and eyes, she bewitches Alfreddo, who impetuously offers her all he has, his love. For a time, it seems that happiness and health is theirs in the country retreat they find, far from the excesses of Paris, but Alfreddo's father arrives and makes a request of Violetta put in terms that she cannot refuse. A misunderstanding between the lovers arises, and tragedy for all is the result. But the audience finds itself caring very much about these characters and wishing that things would turn out very differently. One scene which I particularly like is when Violetta, Alfreddo, and her lover the baron attend a sumptuous party at Flora's. Here we have dancing gypsy girls and extremely acrobatic matadors tearing up the scene and getting the blood boiling, before things really begin to heat up with the romantic triangle. But there are many other memorable moments, such as Violetta's opening party, where the famous drinking song masks the love proposals Alfreddo offers, and the frame scenes of the now-on-her-deathbed Violetta, bookending this flashback story of love found and lost, twice. If you really want to get a bunch of women to bond over their tears, break out "La Traviata". And even if you are all alone, you'll have a transcending evening just listening to the sweetness of this master score of Verdi's.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Beautiful
Review: This is a magnificent production; one to be enjoyed again and again. Not being a professional critic of films or musical performances, I do not look for, nor do I expect to find, flaws when I settle into my easy chair to enjoy a film. What I do expect is that I will be entertained, and that is something this film does wonderfully. It has everything. Verdi's score and Piave's libretto are beautiful beyond description. The visuals are candy to the eye, and the performances are heartbreakingly lovely. An inevitable result of watching and listening to this DVD are tears in my eyes and a catch in my throat. Buy this DVD for the please it provides. If you want something to criticize, buy a gangsta rap performance disk.
Rating:
Summary: Domingo and Stratas.. Perfect Traviata You Can Imagine!
Review: I'm personally a great fan of La Traviata, which was my first opera and my favorite ever since. But among various discs I have by various performers and conductors, this one is simply the best.
Let's put aside Zeffirelli's unforgettable scenes(I always think the most important thing is music), Domingo and Stratas give us silky, brilliant arias shining as jewels.
Compared with this film, the Kleiber version sounds a little bit too reserved. (Even same Domingo sounds less emotional),
and Solti/Georghiu one is too light. From the first time I saw this film, I became a fan of both Domingo and Stratas.
I'm so sorry I cannot get an OST of this film, so I just turn on DVD and listen to it even when I don't have time to watch it!
Rating: 
Summary: BEAUTIFUL FILM WITH SOMEWHAT AVERAGE VOICES...
Review: The direction and the sets of this film are perfection. Verdi's score is tried, true and beautiful, a great place to start if you've never been exposed to opera. The voices here are good enough; as in other films, however, one realizes that the singers were chosen for their visual presentation of their roles with a slight deficiency in the vocal. Domingo is, of course, an exception, but Stratas is occasionally shrill and MacNeil is flat and uninteresting. Levine deserves an A+++ for the conducting. The pace of the music brings out every ounce of beauty that the Maestro Verdi wrote into it. The initial party scene is lively and joyful, while the latter festivity, in which Alfredo insults Violetta, is rife with tension and anger. Brilliant! Because of the overall beauty of the music and the film itself, this is definitely worth viewing.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not really all that bad.
Review: There are two ways of looking at this film: as an opera, or as a movie. As an opera, it isn't that great. This is mainly because of Teresa Stratas screeching and moaning and I'm sure she belches once or twice too. What do you expect from a character whose most dramatic aria occurs in a drunken stupor (he intones with implied sarcasm)? Domingo is good, as is Cornell MacNeill as Germont-Pere. The two men are brilliant singers and not bad at acting either. However, Stratas overacts. A lot. Eh, sopranos. However, the movie itself is well done. Zeffirelli has an eye for beauty and eye-pleasing scenery. The visual part of the film leaves you with the warm fuzzies, and the actual direction of Domingo really makes you like the character. However, I felt nothing at the death of Violetta. Except maybe a little bit of relief, but let's not let that get around. All in all, it's a good attempt at cinematizing Verdi's masterpiece, and I agree with some of the other reviewers that it is probably a better buy for opera newcomers.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended, but be aware of a posssible annoyance....
Review: The subtitled VHS version of this film was a great introduction for me years ago when I was learning about opera. Despite the valid criticisms about some of Zeffirelli's cuts and embellishments, I still think it's a beautiful film, both visually and musically. It's great to have it finally available on DVD, in widescreen format. I do have a major criticism of the DVD however. Although there are regular subtitles in French, the English titles are actually "Captions for the hearing impaired." This is the only option for English titles, so there are sometimes distracting descriptive captions on screen: eg. "[Music Starts]....[Laughing]....[People Singing]....[Finale}" One would think that Universal, an American company, would have provided standard English subtitles as well. (There were standard subtitles on the VHS version and, I would assume, on the American theatrical release.) The nice thing about subtitles on opera DVDs is that they can be used when one is learning about a new opera, but then turned off when they become intrusive. The English captions are adequate for this purpose and I would still highly recommend this disc for newcomers and opera fans alike.
Rating:
Summary: ^_^
Review: I honestly have to say that this was quite a good version of La Traviata. I'm new to Opera, having been in instrumental music all my life, and this DVD held my attention throughout. The sets were wonderful, and the acting superb. I would recommend this, if not for the serious Opera buff, then definately for the newer Opera fan. ^_^
Rating:
Summary: Zeffirelli brings his magic touch to Verdi's tragic opera
Review: Franco Zeffirelli has repeatedly proved his affinity for opera on the stage of the Metropolitan. The tableau at the end of the opening scene of "Tosca" and the split level second act of "La Boheme" with the street scene above and the restaurant below come to mind. In this 1982 film he takes Verdi's tragic opera and trims it down to a brisk 105 minutes that retains all of the emotional highlights. Zeffirelli proves his mastery before the first note of music is even played. The overture to Verdi's opera is quite atypical. At the time operas began with a loud rush of music, but in "La Traviata" Verdi saves that for the first act. Verdi's overture begins with the strings playing as softly as possible, seducing the restless audience into quiet and communicating quite clearly that what they are about to see is a tragedy. The first part of the overture is Violetta's death motif, which reappears again before the final scene. The second half repeats a theme several times with the hope that the audience will remember it when it shows up as one of the shortest arias in opera when Violetta leaves Alfredo. Zeffirelli does two things to enhance this overture. First, he does all of the opening credits, done over shots of the Paris locale, before the music starts. Second, Zeffirelli sets the scene of the overture right BEFORE the final scene. Violetta's apartment is dark and shadowy figures move about, removing items. A young man is removing a lamp and just as the second part of the overture begins he looks up--and there is a portrait of Violetta. Entranced by her beauty he sees the doctor leaving and heads down the hallway and tentatively opens the door to Violetta bedroom. But what he sees is a woman dying from consumption. The director continues this conceit, having Violetta startled by the rushing music of the first Act and suddenly seeing light and party guests down the hall. On stage the appearance of the characters in an opera is of minimal importance. If Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti are pretending to be youngsters in love we go along with the game because of the pure joy of listening to their voices. Certainly Zeffirelli pays some attention to how his singers look in this film. Teresa Stratas is a relatively delicate soprano, whose physical frailty is well exploited in the final scenes. Placido Domingo is a robust Alfredo and while the pair are obviously older than their characters, we could not seriously expect Zeffirelli to do what he did in his classic "Romeo & Juliet" and find young singers to carry the film. Cornell MacNeil is also in fine voice as Giorgio Germont, Alfredo's father who successfully beseeches Violetta to give my Alfredo so as not to ruin the marital prospects of his daughter. The cinematography is consistent with the director's best films and my only real complaint is that the subtitles do not cover all of the male chorus' big number about the matador, which offers a rather ironic counterpart to what is about to happen at that point in the story. For years I have been showing this film to students who had never seen an opera and their almost universal opinion is that it was actually more enjoyable than they expected. Imagine your response if you are actually incline to like opera.
Rating:
Summary: Total enchantment and marvellous performance
Review: This video which is a movie, sung and performed by wellknown opera singers taken at luxurious homes and country side scenery as background is really a marvellous combination of the usual opera performance and natural movie shooting.
Placido Domingo as the young and romantic Alfredo sung so perfectly, so that he enlivened the tragic story of the young man falling in love to the wayward lady, Violetta. While Teresa Stratas, with her clear full voice, matching Domingo in her superb singing and performance, emphasized the tragic nuance of the music itself. Also Cornell MacNeil as Alfredo's father, Giorgio sung as beautifully as the others in his deep bass baritone voice and made the whole performance more than perfect.
We are especially moved by the magnificent romantic duets of Alfredo and Violetta and also the tragic duets of Violetta and Alfredo's father, Giorgio. Meanwhile we also adore the beautiful scenery in the luxurious rooms and country side, which cannot be viewed if perform on stage.
In overall this video is totally so enchanting with magnificent music and singing with excellent and beautiful background scenery from beginning to the end.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Traviata
Review: This is a great version of La Traviata. As it is a film and not just a stage production, there is no annoyingly loud audience sound, no curtains between acts, and wonderful scenery. Teresa Stratas used her wonderful voice and great acting skills well in this video. Domingo is great as Alfredo, too. MacNeil did a good job as germont, and the choruses were fabulous. As it's not a stage version, the party scenes were very fancy and believable, and the final scene was very moving. It's a great film.
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