Rating: 
Summary: HIDEOUS.
Review: There are only two great things about this video: the horror of actually seeing Gilda's entrapment and murder, and Edita Gruberova's singing. She sings perhaps the best "Caro nome" one could ever hope to here, with stunning high pianissimi and delicate trills that float away. In the film medium, though, singing isn't everything: her appearance isn't flattered at all in this film, which emphasizes her fair skin to the point of pastiness (is someone trying to make a point about Gilda's virginity?).Ingvar Wixell gives a solid performance as Rigoletto, but his was never really a Verdian instrument. Ferruccio Furlanetto is costumed and made up as grotesquely as possible here, and under the camera's scrutiny that dubious stroke of genius loses its effect. Victoria Vergara is a sultry Maddalena. Fedora Barbieri as Giovanna IS the stern Italian woman, trying to shoo the Duke away from Gilda (unfortunately this slapstick clashes with the dazzling stretta "Addio addio, speranza ed anima", almost ruining it). Luciano Pavarotti's Duke gets worse with every passing decade. He doesn't really mug here, but the smiles he shows on camera don't reflect any such smile in his voice. I've never found anything spectacular in his singing of this role (apart from a high D at the end of "Possente amor" which got uglier with each passing year) - I've always preferred Alfredo Kraus. The costumes and scenery in the court scenes are overrich, project ripeness to the point of saturation. The courtiers themselves are practically Muppets - a stock group of characters who laugh, sing, and caper en masse. All this merriment obscures the many universal points of the drama: the tragedy caused by a capricious man who never assumes responsibility for his actions, a young woman who loses love and therefore gives up her life, and the force of an old man's curse. I could find NONE of these in the film. From such a renowned director as the late Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, one would have expected better.
Rating: 
Summary: Top Notch
Review: This is a dynamic and exciting show with the leads at the top of their game.
Rigoletto has never been more convincingly acted than in the hands of Ingvar Wixell. His voice is powerful and fulll of different colors to enjoy throuought the opera. His g# at the end of the 2nd act is extremely impressive. He radiates internal struggle and pain and earns his stars as not only a great baritone but a great actor.
Gilda gets a wonderful treatment by Gruderova, who can sing a pianissimo as well as you can hear. Her joy and pain is clearly visible throughout and she really does portray well the confused, miserable creature that Gilda becomes quite well. unlike pavarotti, she takes very few liberties from the score and sings within it well.
Pavarotti sounds great. This is the kind of role that is made for his voice. His duke is beautifully sounded in his mature but lyric voice. This is the kind of spinto singing that makes pavarotti one of the greatest tenors of all time. His acting, while entertaining, is unconvincing. He has a disturbing habit of never blinking his eyes during Aria's which can bug the viewer.
Overall this is a absolutley fabulous entertainment experience. The only reason I give it 4 stars is the lip synching. I think it takes away from the opera experience to have it recorded and dubbed into the scene. The singers expression and the excitement of the opera is increased when it is live. I think, however, it is a worthwhile buy for opera and non-opera fans alike. The story and presentation is wonderful and the singing doubly so.
Rating:
Summary: Top Notch
Review: This is a dynamic and exciting show with the leads at the top of their game.
Rigoletto has never been more convincingly acted than in the hands of Ingvar Wixell. His voice is powerful and fulll of different colors to enjoy throuought the opera. His g# at the end of the 2nd act is extremely impressive. He radiates internal struggle and pain and earns his stars as not only a great baritone but a great actor.
Gilda gets a wonderful treatment by Gruderova, who can sing a pianissimo as well as you can hear. Her joy and pain is clearly visible throughout and she really does portray well the confused, miserable creature that Gilda becomes quite well. unlike pavarotti, she takes very few liberties from the score and sings within it well.
Pavarotti sounds great. This is the kind of role that is made for his voice. His duke is beautifully sounded in his mature but lyric voice. This is the kind of spinto singing that makes pavarotti one of the greatest tenors of all time. His acting, while entertaining, is unconvincing. He has a disturbing habit of never blinking his eyes during Aria's which can bug the viewer.
Overall this is a absolutley fabulous entertainment experience. The only reason I give it 4 stars is the lip synching. I think it takes away from the opera experience to have it recorded and dubbed into the scene. The singers expression and the excitement of the opera is increased when it is live. I think, however, it is a worthwhile buy for opera and non-opera fans alike. The story and presentation is wonderful and the singing doubly so.
Rating:
Summary: can't ask for anything better than this!!
Review: This is a great DVD of Rigoletto, and I enjoy it very much. It's set right on location in Mantua. The opening scene is very well done, with Rigoletto encountering the body of Gilda, as if in a nightmere. Wixell plays both Rigoletto and Monterone (!) very well. Edita Gruberova may not look convinving as Gilda with her Goldilocks hair, but her diction is fabulous, and I would say her singing is, too. Pavarotti is wonderful as the Duke, and his attempts to act at times actually work. The reason I give this 4 Stars is that the high notes (quite a few of them) that are sung are off-sync, and that's annoying. Also, some of the director's ideas are a little strange, like having Giovanna try to pull away the Duke while he's saying farewell to Gilda, or not showing the heads of the courtiers during Rigoletto's aria. also annoying is at the end during the Rigoletto/Gilda duet, when it is shot several miles away instead of right next to them. One thing I love about this DVD is that it takes off like a shot and refuses to let up until the very end of the opera. This DVD is very enjoyable for Pavarotti fans and Rigoletto fans. A must-buy. I will surely purchase from Amazon.com again.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it before it goes out of print!
Review: This is a magnificent opera-movie version of Verdi's Rigoletto filmed on location. With Pavarotti as the lecherous Duke, Wixell as the hump-backed jester, and Gruberova as his pure and innocent daughter, this Rigoletto packs a punch. The singing is a delight throughout, as are the costumes, sets, and playing of the Wiener Philharmonker. If you're "opera curious" this would be an ideal place to start exploring this fascinating genre. While Pavarotti is known for his magnificent singing but stiff acting, in this production, he gives a terrific portrayal of the Duke. The ending with Rigoletto and his dying daughter is magnificent and beautifully and poignantly done. No matter how familiar you may be with this opera, it will seize your heart strings. The DVD visual and sound quality are superb. I hope more operatic works such as this will again see the light of day on DVD--this is the perfect medium for opera, the next best thing to being at the opera!
Rating:
Summary: Verdi's Adaptian of Hugo's Story
Review: This is an excellent performance of Verdi's "Rigoletto" based upon Vicor Hugo's "L'Roi S'Amuse (The King Amuses Himself) and is one of his finest operas. From start of finish this is a masterpiece. All the singers are well-polished and highly convincing. Ingvar Wixell's portrayal of the deformed court jester Rigoletto (renamed from Hugo's "Triboletto") in the court of Mantua was the best that I have ever seen. Pavarotti, who plays the Duke himself, is in top form as always (although such a pudgy Don Juan may seem slightly out-of-place, his acting is superb), and Edita Gruberova does as astounding job as Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter. The settings look genuine, the music is excellent and Wixell truly manages to capture the pain and humiliation of a man forced into being a fool by his deformities and social position. The history of the opera makes for an interesting study in censorship as well. Hugo himself preferred this opera to his own story that it was based on! The quartet at the end is partuclalry memorable and the murderer was so scuzzy and grungy looking that he was almost comical, although his deep bass was beautiful. Finely acted, visually appealing and great music. What more could one ask for?
Rating:
Summary: Verdi's Adaptian of Hugo's Story
Review: This is an excellent performance of Verdi's "Rigoletto" based upon Vicor Hugo's "L'Roi S'Amuse (The King Amuses Himself) and is one of his finest operas. From start of finish this is a masterpiece. All the singers are well-polished and highly convincing. Ingvar Wixell's portrayal of the deformed court jester Rigoletto (renamed from Hugo's "Triboletto") in the court of Mantua was the best that I have ever seen. Pavarotti, who plays the Duke himself, is in top form as always (although such a pudgy Don Juan may seem slightly out-of-place, his acting is superb), and Edita Gruberova does as astounding job as Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter. The settings look genuine, the music is excellent and Wixell truly manages to capture the pain and humiliation of a man forced into being a fool by his deformities and social position. The history of the opera makes for an interesting study in censorship as well. Hugo himself preferred this opera to his own story that it was based on! The quartet at the end is partuclalry memorable and the murderer was so scuzzy and grungy looking that he was almost comical, although his deep bass was beautiful. Finely acted, visually appealing and great music. What more could one ask for?
Rating:
Summary: A little gem of a DVD
Review: This is just about as good a production of Verdi's masterpiece as you will get. Of course, no production is absolutely perfect as it is only one persons vision of a piece - we all have our own individual ideas of how we would like it done. I would never, for example, have allowed Rigoletto to take his young daughter out into the wilderness surrounding Mantua in the middle of the night, during a manic storm, wearing only a nightdress! What was he thinking of by then sending her home unaccompanied (where incidentally only the night before he had run into a professional assassin) whilst he went and sat on his own in a boat in the middle of a lake!! Then how on earth he could mistake his daughter's body in the sack for one the size of The Duke of Mantua pales beyond belief .... but no matter, the merits of this production far outweigh the weaknesses. Although for the first time, with such brilliantly authentic surroundings and acting, I began to question the plausibilty of it all. I think this is because as it unfolds on your TV screen in such sharp clarity of picture and sound it makes you start to analsye it more. So that is a major plus for this disc to start with. Ingvar Wixell acts the central role with such committment and power that you never doubt for one moment that he is indeed a tortured soul with two separate lives. His shame at being uncovered as acourt jester as his daughter realises her own shame at being raped is just one of the many poignant and powerful moments in this excellent DVD. He is partnered wonderfully by Edita Gruberova, who I suspect has studied the great Renato Scotto's interpretation of Gilda. Just lap it all up - these are amazing performances. Sparafucile is perfectly sung and portrayed by a very young Ferruccio Furlanetto - and Victoria Vergara is as good as any Maddalena you are ever likely to come across in the opera house. Orchestration is superb and with a few quibbles it is directed brilliantly by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. And Luciano Pavarotti? This is one of his very best performances. Committed to the action, in perfect voice, just in fact the super star that he indeed is. Don't hesitate, just buy it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Only movie-opera of Rigoletto available.
Review: This is the only version I've ever seen of a movie version of Rigoletto and certainly one for Pavarotti fans. Since I'm a Domingo fan, I rarely appreciate Pav in an opera performance because he just stands, mugs and is incapable of acting and singing at the same time! However, that being said, this is one of the best performances of Pav on video, the production is traditional (which I like), costumes fine and the rest of the cast is credible. More importantly, if you want a Rigoletto, this is probably the best video version available. I can't stand French, Russion or Italian opera in English! It's the only one in my collection as I haven't found a better one yet. I've seen it on stage many times, like it, and enjoy watching this version at least once a year. I recommend buying as there are few available and this movie is certainly is worth the asking price. It's a good opera to learn from for newbies.
Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: This movie teaches you and others how to love one another, even if a person is ugly. It has good times and bad times. Nothing in the movie is predicable. Bonnie has a fantastic voice and the problems are real. Every time I see it I cry. If I could I would give it a 100 stars!!!!
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