Rating: 
Summary: The Supreme La Traviata: A Masterpiece
Review: This is without a doubt the greatest version of La Traviata ever produced.On DVD, it's unbelievably gorgeous and features production notes and cast bios as well as a trailer. The forces behind this masterpiece are responsible for its greatness- Italian director and designer Franco Zefferelli, tenor Placido Domingo, soprano Teresa Stratas and baritone Cornell McNeil. The singers are at the top of their game, Domingo is a young, sexy Alfredo and Teresa Stratas IS Violetta Valery in a performance that even Maria Callas would envy. Zefferelli had Maria Callas in mind when he cast Teresa Stratas. Like Callas, Stratas has a Greek background through her parents though she was Canadian born, she has the same type of voice and she is in Zefferelli's own words "an electrifying actress and soprano of the lyric entertainment". The Callas connection is most obvious when Stratas appears in a black veiled gown in Act 2 at Flora's party where even her hair is similar to Callas' infamous 50's performances.
Released in 1982, Zefferelli sought to "convert" people into opera lovers through the lush visual seduction of the cinema. This is exactly what he did. The cinematography of this film kills you with excessive beauty. The opening credits roll as we see scenes of Paris in the Notre Dame Cathedral area and surrounding residential district by the Seine river. The interior of Violetta Valery's mansion, where she hosts the Act 1 party, is luxurious and Zefferelli allows us to be dizzied with the sheer opulence of the house- gilded mirrors, portraits of Violetta, curtains, chandeliers etc. Visually on film we are able to tell things about the characters that stage performances do not, for example as the guests depart from Act 1's party, an old woman steals a silver box from Violetta proving to us that Violetta is not among real friends, these are only fair-weathered friends and bad ones at that. They were not even there for her when she was dying in the finale. The beginning of the film has Violetta reminiscing about the better days as a desirable and wealthy courtesan who partied all the time. She is deathly ill and already her house is sold and men are moving her things out. The country scenes are incredibly beautiful as Violetta and Alfredo live happily in seclusion. Alfredo rides his horse and Violetta picks flowers for her greenhouse and feeds her white doves in their big cage. Cornell McNeil's bombastic but fatherly Giorgio Germont is a great support to the refined performances of Domingo and Stratas. The Flora's party scene is exceptional with even more visual beauty as Gypsies and bullfighters dance seductively and professional gamblers enjoy themselves. The closing ensemble is not to be missed and neither is the melancholy and tragic ending. Conductor James Levine leads the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Once again, this is the greatest and ultimate version of La Traviata ever made. It is a must have for opera fans and for curious non-opera lovers. Other films Domingo made after this film are Carmen in '84 and Verdi's Othello in 86. Teresa Stratas is the greatest Violetta and she will win your heart with her convincing performance as the sickly, passionate and self-sacrificing courtesan whose love for Alfredo redeems her and gives her happiness even if she dies at the end.
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Summary: A Review from an Obsessive Opera Fan
Review: I think opera, as a tradition, tends to stagnate in, well...tradition. It's good that opera is also being expanded to the media of today. This for-film movie production takes all advantage that the video medium has to grant, without the limitations of a traditional filmed stage production. The acting is perfect (Domingo gets better every time I see him, and this performance tops the cake). The casting is very appropriate (Stratas is indeed the sickly prima donna!). Also, the cinematography and camera-work are the work one might expect from Hollywood, not from opera: superb!
All in all, buy it for its creativity.
Rating:
Summary: another Zeffirelli grand production
Review: "La Traviata" is undoubtedly Verdi's loveliest and most romantic opera, with no subplots to detract from the ill-fated love of Violetta and Alfredo, and the melodies are sublime and plentiful.
Though as a rule I prefer a stage production to an "opera film", because the vocals usually have less passion to them, and the lip-synching is often noticeable, "La Traviata" is ideally suited to director Zeffirelli's lavish style of sumptuous ornate sets and beautiful outdoor settings, making this an opera that would be enjoyed by those who are either unfamiliar with, or don't particularly like opera, as well as the aficionados.
Teresa Stratas is a delicate, wonderful Violetta, with her huge eyes and petite stature assets for the part of the ailing heroine, and Placido Domingo, with beard and tousled hair, is fabulous as Alfredo, a part that is surely one of the most naïve and foolish of heroes, but blessed with marvelous music to sing.
James Levine conducts with good pacing, and Cornell MacNeil makes an excellent Papa Germont.
A special treat for ballet fans is the performance by the exquisite Russian ballerina Ekaterina Maximova, and her husband, the great Vladimir Vasiliev, as the Spanish matador dancers; The choreography is by Alberto Testa, and includes Gabriella Borni as the gypsy dancer. This Second Act scene, with the "Noi siamo zingarelle" and "Di Madride noi siam mattadori" is some of the most delightful music in the opera, and it is marvelous to see it danced so well.
The DVD extras are supposed to be: Production notes, Cast/filmmakers' bios, Film highlights, Theatrical trailer, and web links, but my disc did not display options, so was obviously defective; I would have loved to have removed the captions and subtitles, which is also an option, as well as being able to have subtitles in French.
A sublime opera with a terrific cast, this is very satisfying viewing and listening, even for "stage production" fanatics like me. Total playing time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.
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Summary: ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS EVER MADE
Review: LA TRAVIATA is truly a movie-masterpiece. Brilliantly designed and flawlessly directed, this sumptuous production beautifully captures the grandeur of Romantic opera. Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo are perfect casting as Violetta and Alfredo. Highlights include "Libiamo" ("The Drinking Song"), "Sempre Libera" and "Di Provenza". As is the case with many great films, LA TRAVIATA seems to improve with each viwing.
PLEASE NOTE: The chapter menu on the DVD edition of this film breaks the opera into four acts, when there are actually three.
"Act Four" should be Act III, and "Act Three" is really Act II Scene 2.
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Summary: I loved it
Review: I'm not well versed in opera and am not a pro, but I have always loved the sound of operatic voices and the beautiful orchestrations behind them. "La Traviata" is, in my own opinion, beautifully done. This movie has gorgeous scenery. The voices and music were pre recorded and the actors lipsinc, which is often done in musical movies like "Cats" and "Grease," so that is not unusual. The performances, in my opinion, are wonderful, and the orchestrations perfect. The scenery, as I said, is very beautiful, with scenes in Paris and in a forest and in a garden. There is plenty of eye candy here! Teresa Statas has a wonderful and powerful voice. Her performance, to me, is flawless, but as I said I am no expert in opera- some other reviewers were not impressed. Placido Domingo is of course wonderful, and so is Cornell Macneil. I highly recommend this DVD to everyone, even if you don't like opera, because it is breathtaking! I was disappointed by the bonus materials because I always like to see interviews with the producers and actors, but these materials seem to be rare on DVDs for some reason. There are production notes, which you read on the screen, cast abd fuknnajers; bios, which you read on the screen, film highlights (I have not yet looked at this), Theatrical Trailer, and web links. Wonderful movie!
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: I loved this film. Only about 20 minutes were excised from the score, it was nearly complete. At greater length in the other reviews can be read descriptions of the ballet, breathtakingly beautiful scenery, particularly effective arias. Domingo and Stratas were wonderful. I have Stratas in Boheme on DVD (to replace my original VHS), it made me cry. Traviata made me cry. Can you call anything so painful beautiful? The music was of course glorious. The principals acted and sang to perfection, and of course frail diminutive Stratas looked the part. The movie began interesting, then became wonderful at the first party with the drinking song, then lost interest for me for some time, then picked up again and never let up. The camera-work and crowd scenes were brilliantly done. (I don't like to use the word "brilliant" because it sounds so affected, but I will.) I resent the reviews that call this a good introduction to opera, as though it were somehow inferior to "real opera," I find it condescending, supercilious, pompous and demeaning. However, I gave a copy of the movie to a close friend of mine who also cried, watched it twice and loved it, and this was I think her first opera. It is very beautiful music, well-acted, well-directed, well-sung and with scenery beyond belief.
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Summary: For the Extremely Passionate Romantic
Review: I am going to buy this movie so I can watch it 100 times. It is my third favorite movie in the world. I was not an opera fan but 20+ years ago had a thing for Placido Domingo after he did the Perhaps Love duet with John Denver. So when this movie came to an obsure theater in my town I rushed to see it. Went back the next night, and the next, etc., until they stopped showing it. I dragged anyone and everyone with me who was willing to go. Even played hookey from dance company rehersal and dragged by partner. By that time I had seen it so many times and had told him the story in such depth that he was amazed I hadn't missed one detail. That is how much this movie meant to me. You don't have to like opera or musicals but you must be very passionate and romantic to watch this film.
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