Rating: 
Summary: a winner for Wixell
Review: I usually do not care for "movie" versions of opera, preferring a filmed live performance, but this one is most enjoyable, and has some standout performances.
Released in 1983, it was made on location in Mantua, with good cinematography in a pallete of browns and dark greys.
Pavarotti is the Duke of Mantua, looking strong and robust, but I must confess I thought his performance very one-dimensional, continually loud, and as an actor is much the weakest in the cast.
Edita Gruberova's Gilda is extremely interesting; she gets stronger in each scene, and I found her performance to be quite touching and wonderful. Her "Caro Nome" is one that I truly loved, full of sweetness and vulnerability, and delicate trills.Ingvar Wixell's Rigoletto is superb, brilliantly portraying the many sides of the hunchbacked jester, from maliciously plotting revenge, to tenderly loving his daughter and the memory of his wife. His voice is rich and full, and he makes the most of Verdi's gorgeous score.
Victoria Vergara is a stunning and seductive Maddalena, and Ferruccio Fulanetto's Sparafucile is a creepy villain with very scary jagged teeth, and both are in fine vocal form.
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Vienna Choir and Philharmonic with great pacing, and this is a Rigoletto well worth watching, even for those who like me, are not "movie" opera fans.
Rating:
Summary: a winner for Wixell
Review: I usually do not care for "movie" versions of opera, preferring a filmed live performance, but this one is most enjoyable, and has some standout performances.
Released in 1983, it was made on location in Mantua, with good cinematography in a pallete of browns and dark greys.
Pavarotti is the Duke of Mantua, looking strong and robust, but I must confess I thought his performance very one-dimensional, continually loud, and as an actor is much the weakest in the cast.
Edita Gruberova's Gilda is extremely interesting; she gets stronger in each scene, and I found her performance to be quite touching and wonderful. Her "Caro Nome" is one that I truly loved, full of sweetness and vulnerability, and delicate trills. Ingvar Wixell's Rigoletto is superb, brilliantly portraying the many sides of the hunchbacked jester, from maliciously plotting revenge, to tenderly loving his daughter and the memory of his wife. His voice is rich and full, and he makes the most of Verdi's gorgeous score.
Victoria Vergara is a stunning and seductive Maddalena, and Ferruccio Fulanetto's Sparafucile is a creepy villain with very scary jagged teeth, and both are in fine vocal form.
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Vienna Choir and Philharmonic with great pacing, and this is a Rigoletto well worth watching, even for those who like me, are not "movie" opera fans.
Rating:
Summary: WOW, WOW and WOW again !
Review: It is awesome masterpiece. There are no words to be adequate of quality of this magnificent performance. I'm 35 old, and thanks to this one I've realizes some things about me. The actors, yes, the actors, because I cannot say that they're singers only are on their top form. The music quality and recording quality make you freezing and detaching out of everything. What can I say? I run on my lunch time to home (I work next to home), for only reason to watch again "Bella filia del amore" and Rigolleto's song!!!!
I even can't say that somebody here is better! All are better! I thing it is really pearl in opera's history.
If someone will capture like this in the future? First thing I will disagree with some cameraman who cut out Wixel's hands during his highly emotional song. As well in the same area, later they cut out heads of duke's court people. In the "bella filia" Pavarotti face is out of focus for Gilda's emotions, but Pavarotti's face at the moment is reach by emotions as well: both of them should appear sharp in my opinion.
Finally it is one of the glorious and exciting operas on DVD. Here is nothing mediocre about it: just story of perfection and talent.
Rating:
Summary: so impressed. . .
Review: Loved the imaginative interpretation from the foreboding dream-sequence introduction all way to the stark reality of watching Gilda's body be bundled by her murderers. Pavarotti is excellent as an impatient, eye-rolling self-centered duke and Ingvar Wixell was tremendous as the depressed and enraged buffone. The overdubbing slightly off from time to time, but that would be my ONLY complaint. I wish they were all this good.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor sound quality
Review: Okay, first off, it's a FILM version of the opera, so one can't quite judge it by the standards of a recorded live opera. After being a devoted opera fan for over 20 years, I need to mention that ANYONE, not only "newbies" will enjoy it. What I immediately noticed was the fact that the opera score is here without omissions, a problem that haunts many attempts of making a good opera film. "Otello" or "La Traviata", for instance, are superbly staged, but they suffer from many scene omissions, which can be upsetting to the fans. Not the case here, at least I could not find any without having to retrieve my copy of the score and compare it line by line.
The absolute revelation for me was Mr. Ingwar Wixell. I've heard his voice many times, particularly on early Verdi recordings brought to life by Lamberto Gardelli. Well, here he sounds even better, plus he proves himself as one of the best singing actors I've ever seen. At the first scene at Duke's palace, Rigoletto is plain disgusting, no wonder that Monterone curses him. By the way, Monterone is played by Wixell as well, and I was surprised by the sonority and great low register that his baritone is able to produce. Later, he's a obsessively loving father and a mischievous "vendicator". Loved Feruccio Furlanetto's Sparafucile! I could not believe it was he under all that makeup, but the pitch-black quality of his voice is unmistakable. Edita Gruberova has long been one of the world's leading high coloratura sopranos. Indeed, to be able to accurately negotiate Gilda's tessitura, one needs a spectacular high range. Sutherland also had that kind of high register, but Gruberova was a better choice cinematically, I suppose. Still, I wished for a subtler portrait of Gilda, but it had to do. Pavarotti's Duke is, of course, why most folks will buy this DVD. Well, he definitely gives a dashing Duke. He sings up a storm on a soundtrack (including the impossible high ending of "possente amor") and a tongue-in-chick "la donna e mobile", his signature aria. He overplays a bit, but he's a lot of fun to watch. Since he does not have to sing and move at the same time, he really bounces around quite a bit and looks very much at home throughout.
The film depicted the court of the Duke in the most accurate way. They're quite like vultures, and appropriately dressed in black. Marullo is sang by none other than Bernd Weikl, but played (wonderfully) by an actor. Even Giovanna is cast luxuriously - it's Fedora Barbieri who does not only provide a great voice, but also some much-needed comic relief in this fairly dark opera based on Hugo's "The King Amuses Himself". Riccardo Chailly conducts with gusto, but also with proper sensitivity.
Overall, it's a well thought-out film, I could not think of a way of making it any better. Even the often messed-up abduction scene is quite believable here. The subtitles are not bad, and the picture on DVD is a LOT better than on VHS or LaserDisc.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best opera on film ventures
Review: Okay, first off, it's a FILM version of the opera, so one can't quite judge it by the standards of a recorded live opera. After being a devoted opera fan for over 20 years, I need to mention that ANYONE, not only "newbies" will enjoy it. What I immediately noticed was the fact that the opera score is here without omissions, a problem that haunts many attempts of making a good opera film. "Otello" or "La Traviata", for instance, are superbly staged, but they suffer from many scene omissions, which can be upsetting to the fans. Not the case here, at least I could not find any without having to retrieve my copy of the score and compare it line by line.
The absolute revelation for me was Mr. Ingwar Wixell. I've heard his voice many times, particularly on early Verdi recordings brought to life by Lamberto Gardelli. Well, here he sounds even better, plus he proves himself as one of the best singing actors I've ever seen. At the first scene at Duke's palace, Rigoletto is plain disgusting, no wonder that Monterone curses him. By the way, Monterone is played by Wixell as well, and I was surprised by the sonority and great low register that his baritone is able to produce. Later, he's a obsessively loving father and a mischievous "vendicator". Loved Feruccio Furlanetto's Sparafucile! I could not believe it was he under all that makeup, but the pitch-black quality of his voice is unmistakable. Edita Gruberova has long been one of the world's leading high coloratura sopranos. Indeed, to be able to accurately negotiate Gilda's tessitura, one needs a spectacular high range. Sutherland also had that kind of high register, but Gruberova was a better choice cinematically, I suppose. Still, I wished for a subtler portrait of Gilda, but it had to do. Pavarotti's Duke is, of course, why most folks will buy this DVD. Well, he definitely gives a dashing Duke. He sings up a storm on a soundtrack (including the impossible high ending of "possente amor") and a tongue-in-chick "la donna e mobile", his signature aria. He overplays a bit, but he's a lot of fun to watch. Since he does not have to sing and move at the same time, he really bounces around quite a bit and looks very much at home throughout.
The film depicted the court of the Duke in the most accurate way. They're quite like vultures, and appropriately dressed in black. Marullo is sang by none other than Bernd Weikl, but played (wonderfully) by an actor. Even Giovanna is cast luxuriously - it's Fedora Barbieri who does not only provide a great voice, but also some much-needed comic relief in this fairly dark opera based on Hugo's "The King Amuses Himself". Riccardo Chailly conducts with gusto, but also with proper sensitivity.
Overall, it's a well thought-out film, I could not think of a way of making it any better. Even the often messed-up abduction scene is quite believable here. The subtitles are not bad, and the picture on DVD is a LOT better than on VHS or LaserDisc.
Rating:
Summary: It's music, music and music
Review: Opera is about music. Acting, staging, costumes et cetera add to the pleasure, but when all is said and done, the music is it. I bought this album just before my wife and I went to see an Australian Opera production, (wonderful, by the way), so that we could do our homework on the piece. I didn't particularly like all of the stagy, arty-farty special effects included on the DVD or the outlandish costumes or the primary school acting. But the music! Pavarotti is fine as the Duke and I have a couple of recordings by him. But here, the others all compete with him on equal terms. Even the bit parts are sung with world class voices and memorable artistry. And if you want to hear what Rigoletto should sound like then Wixell is the one. Buy it and weep.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss it!
Review: Rigoletto is one of my absolute favorite operas, and this DVD version made it even better!
The cast is perfect, at least when it comes to singing, but I just can't stop LAUGHING at Edita Gruberova's infernal gestures and behaviour... Maybe Gilda is supposed to be a bit stupid and naive, but Gruberova's playing is almost parodic.
But it's not any worse than that it makes you laugh.
I have no complains to the rest of the movie. Wixell is just as good as an actor as a singer, and I don't think Pavarotti acts too bad either. But anyway, you forget his bad acting when you can heare him sing!
Rating: 
Summary: Between 4 to 5 Stars
Review: The music is wonderful particularly the contrapuntal lines... the lyrics are profound too. Vixwell is superb and he simply eclipsed young Pavaratti: he alone is worthy of every cent of the price. This is an opera filmed with real settings and excellent acting as though it's a movie. It's so easy to follow the story. The picture is far from striking but is nonetheless acceptable, but don't expect too much from the recorded sound, albeit that it's good enough to carry the beauty of Vixwell's and Grunberova's singing. Credit should also be given to Vienna Philharmonic under Chailly which mixed every sound so well. This DVD is a whole rather impressing. It's a shame that EMI haven't remastered it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great singing, mediocre cinematography
Review: The voices are great, the relatively young Pavarotti is almost dashing in the role of the carefree Duke, and the locations are beautiful, but I came away feeling dissatisfied with the dramatic experience. Part of the problem is in the performances: Wixell somehow fails to convey Rigoletto's twisted nature, while Gruberova -- well, one can only wish she were more the physical type to justify the courtiers' cry of "Quant'e bella!" But the weakest point in the film is the staging and photography. Although locations are used, they end up feeling like stages, and many of the shots have a random feeling or are just plain clumsy -- for instance, sudden zoom-ins on one or another of the principals. The great quartet in the last act feels fragmented as the camera jumps from one singer to another, now inside the house, now outside; and in the middle of Gilda's last intimate moments with Rigoletto, for some reason we are placed several hundred feet away from the singers in a shot that goes on for far too long. If you're looking for a great "movie opera" this is not at all in the same league as something like Zeffirelli's La Traviata. The image and sound on the DVD are excellent; there are no extra features.
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