<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: More Passion Needed
Review: "Goethe's tale of deepest passion...... a forbidden love.", written on the DVD cover, this line sums up accurately what Massanet's opera Werther pertains to, but, not a really true statement for this filmed version - "a forbidden love story", it is, "a tale of deepest passion", it may not. There are excellent examples of filmed opera that actually works, but this Werther has somewhat lost its focus, when the director was, seemingly, wavering between film and opera, trying to give full play of both. In its elaborate sceneries and camera work, the deep passion and brooding effect, which is what really matters in this opera, flags. Overall it flows slowly or even stagnantly at times, with maybe a few scenes stand out with the power of drama and wonderful singing. Peter Dvorsky sings a very good Werther, whose lovesickness and melancholy is well rendered, although a bit stiff in his acting. Brigitte Fassbaender sings and acts a convincing Charlotte. The scene of "Pourquoi me réveiller?", which is one of the few affecting scenes, showcased the two leading roles' magnificent singing. Had this film been focused more on its opera essence, it would fully merit the praise.
Rating: 
Summary: Werther: A Valentine's Day Opera
Review: Opera is a romantic medium. For Valentine's, why don't you attend a romantic opera or listen to one on you're sound system. Many operas of the 19th century were romantic tragedies (though there were the ocassional happy ending for the lovers) whose music and arias were stuffed with romance garaunteed to make you cry. Werther is one such opera. This DVD film stars Birgitte Fassbaender as Charlotte and Peter Dvorsky as Werther, the title hero. The opera is great to hear and is enjoyable watching the locations and scenery. Despite what one reviewer said it is passionate enough. The French composer Jules Massenet was quite good at composing this type of opera. The Romantic Movemement inspired literature and art. Suddenly, emotions, passions and feelings were all that mattered to artists and writers. Werther was drawn from the novel "The Sorrows Of Young Werther". It tells of the frustrated love of a young man Werther for Charlotte. I forget some of the plot but I believe it ends in some death. It's a great opera to hear, especially because the French style is very romantic and lyric. If you hear this opera and get into Jules Massenet, check out recordings or films of Manon and of Thais. The best interpretor of Manon is Beverly Sills. As for the singers in this film, they are so good they can come off as actors as well as singers. They are a lot like Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas in the Zefferelli La Traviata film. There is enough room for Peter Dvorsky to act as well as for Birgit Fassbaender. Fasbaender delivers a beautiful performance. She is both a mezzo soprano as well as soprano of higher vocal register. Her beauty and charm makes her the perfect heroine. Dvorsky is a lot like Domingo, too. Anyways, get this opera and enjoy it on the day dedicated to love, or any other day you feel romantic.
Rating: 
Summary: The film puts you in the period-appropriate mood
Review: People who have issues with opera-films, where a film is superimposed on a recording will find them here (from lip-synching to the issue of "realism"). I feel this film does justice to this work. The film can only improve so much on the opera itself, and it's no news that "French opera had a bad century". There is little action in this opera, the heroes are trapped in a passive existence. It's mainly about a mood, and as such it is boring to watch on stage. The film brings out the melancholic-yearning-pining-wasting-away-with-grief state of mind of its protagonists. The outdoor shots in Prague are very beautiful and help to whisk the viewer away to a different era, very slow in pace and full of pathos. Dvorsky's and Fassbaender's French diction is good. Dvorsky has the perfect voice for the role. He puts to shame all post-war rivals in his big act III aria, and stacks up nicely even with Gigli. His top is free, the voice is full bodied and projects the drama; he maintains a sensual quality worthy of Di Stefano. I never noticed how beautiful Fassbaender's mezzo is; she sings very intelligently, giving a character to what is a rather limited role. There isn't a weak link in the Czech cast, and the conductor Libor Pesek paces the work with the right balance between the lyric and the dramatic. Audio quality is excellent, the video quality is better than VHS but isn't the best (it's not as good as the Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk film, that was shot 7 years later). Overall, this is a good way to access this opera, which otherwise could have been delegated to the status of a dead relic of a genre that went permanently out of fashion as soon as Puccini's sun rose.
Rating: 
Summary: Highlights Disk
Review: The singing of the two principles (especially Fassbaender) is good and the film looks pretty. But the director compresses the performance to feature film length by deleting every scene that does not involve the two principle singers. This is not a performance of "Werther"; it is a disk of highlights.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Weigl production
Review: There is little I can add to the review by Noam Eitan regarding the artistic merits of this production. I have been an unabashed fan of Petr Weigl ever since I obtained his productions of "Eugene Onegin", "The Turn of the Screw", "A Village Romeo and Juliet" in VHS format (all, alas, delisted). Cinematic interpretations of operas are, I believe, another artistic approach to these works. Even the live performance recordings come close to this freedom with elaborate sets and camera play. Admittedly Weigl tends to abridge and perhaps offends the purists, but he does end up with a very tight production. (After all, even in live productions, cuts are often made -- sometimes for no greater reason than to avoid paying overtime.) Opera is theatre and Weigl brings it all to life. His actors all look the part, can really act, and do more than lip-synch -- they sing on the set, although their voices are not used. Most importantly, he has a great sense of setting, costumes, and camera angles. However, in this production of Werther, he uses Dvorsky and Fassbaender visually as well as vocally, and very marvellous they both are.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Weigl production
Review: There is little I can add to the review by Noam Eitan regarding the artistic merits of this production. I have been an unabashed fan of Petr Weigl ever since I obtained his productions of "Eugene Onegin", "The Turn of the Screw", "A Village Romeo and Juliet" in VHS format (all, alas, delisted). Cinematic interpretations of operas are, I believe, another artistic approach to these works. Even the live performance recordings come close to this freedom with elaborate sets and camera play. Admittedly Weigl tends to abridge and perhaps offends the purists, but he does end up with a very tight production. (After all, even in live productions, cuts are often made -- sometimes for no greater reason than to avoid paying overtime.) Opera is theatre and Weigl brings it all to life. His actors all look the part, can really act, and do more than lip-synch -- they sing on the set, although their voices are not used. Most importantly, he has a great sense of setting, costumes, and camera angles. However, in this production of Werther, he uses Dvorsky and Fassbaender visually as well as vocally, and very marvellous they both are.
Rating:
Summary: Hot Romantic Opera
Review: When I first saw this 1980's film it was as a short clip on the television channel Classic Arts Showcase, which runs 24 hrs a day and is free of charge on cable. I was breathtaken. The scene was Werther and Charlotte's encounter at the Covent (at least it looked like the interior of a convent). They sing a duet together and the music swells dramatically, as does their voices, ending climatically as they fall into each other's arms. Never before have I seen more passion in any opera, or in real life for that matter. This is a reason why lots of hopeless romantics flock to the opera. The opera is romantic. In the case of this DVD, we find the singers in top form and enough room in the film to act. They are reminiscent of the Rosi "Carmen" starring Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes Johnson as Don Jose and Carmen. Birgitte Fassbaender, formerly a mezzo soprano, takes on the lyric and dramatic role of Charlotte who struggles with feelings of love versus duty. Peter Dvorsky as the tenor hero Werther is absolutely the best. His voice and dramatic performance conveys the right depth and ardor. Jules Massenet drew this story from the novel "The Sorrows Of Young Werther" a quintessentially romantic plot in its day. Massenet knew that putting this story to opera would allow him to compose music that requires all the Romantic Era conventions- fate motifs, romantic melodies and idylls, dramatic conflict, crescendo, pumped-up orchestra and hushed pianissimo. Werther, madly in love with Charlotte, is driven to suicide because Charlotte decides to foresake his love. Suicide was a common theme in 19th century Romantic literature, plays and opera. Ophelia's Suicide in Hamlet was a darling of the day, as was the double suicides of Romeo and Juliet. Intense passions, romantic tragedy, thwarted love, beautiful scenery and excellent music makes this film one of the best.
<< 1 >>
|
