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Giacomo Puccini's immortal opera is brought to life in a lavish new feature-film version directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Dornhelm (The Children of Theatre Street), produced by Jan Mojto's Unitel, one of the largest producers of audiovisual classical music films in the world, and starring the opera world's "dream team", soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon.
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra plays under Bertrand de Billy.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
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Two confessions at the outset! I am a huge fan of both Netrebko and Villazon. Secondly, I generally prefer live performances and for this reason I have been slow to make this purchase. Having watched this film once I am completely sold on the performance.
I am not one of those people who view opera as a static art form which should only be staged in the original format which existed at the time of composition. I personally think that most classical composers would be blown away by the technological innovations which allow their masterpieces to be viewed in such a way that they could have only have dreamt to be possible.
Of course it is swings and roundabouts with the advantages and disadvantages of film over theatre. The former does allow the actors/singers greater movement and ability to interpret their roles in a more realistic manner. They are not so constrained in having to position themselves so as to suit a theatre audience. The sets are also more elaborate and taken together the whole performance becomes more believable and the viewer becomes more absorbed in the story.
As with the majority of modern films the voices and singing are added later in the studio. The lip synch is generally quite good and this is not a big distraction. Two sound mixes are offered - stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. Both mixes tend to give prominence to the orchestra - more so with the latter.
This production does contain some modern cinematography features, such as picture within pictures and changes from colour to black and white and vice versa. If this is likely to bother you then you should give this film a miss. Personally, I found no problem with any of these issues. They are relatively few in number and from my perspective I did not find them to be obtrusive. Similarly, there are a few shots in the final act where Mimi is dying where the lead singers no longer mime their roles. I think that this is entirely logical in the way that it is done. I especially liked the way that the cinematography portrayed the quartet in the final section of Act 3 - something that another reviewer thoroughly disliked! We all have different tastes!
In conclusion I think that this is a very satisfying performance which most people will enjoy. The picture quality on Blu-ray is generally very good although not demonstration quality. Some of the night scenes were a little soft and not quite as sharp as they could have been. I have one minor criticism regarding the orchestral ending of Act 3. Why oh why did they omit the two final chords at the end of the Act? The chords last a mere second but for me there will always be something missing in not hearing them. Check it out and you will see what I mean!
I am not one of those people who view opera as a static art form which should only be staged in the original format which existed at the time of composition. I personally think that most classical composers would be blown away by the technological innovations which allow their masterpieces to be viewed in such a way that they could have only have dreamt to be possible.
Of course it is swings and roundabouts with the advantages and disadvantages of film over theatre. The former does allow the actors/singers greater movement and ability to interpret their roles in a more realistic manner. They are not so constrained in having to position themselves so as to suit a theatre audience. The sets are also more elaborate and taken together the whole performance becomes more believable and the viewer becomes more absorbed in the story.
As with the majority of modern films the voices and singing are added later in the studio. The lip synch is generally quite good and this is not a big distraction. Two sound mixes are offered - stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. Both mixes tend to give prominence to the orchestra - more so with the latter.
This production does contain some modern cinematography features, such as picture within pictures and changes from colour to black and white and vice versa. If this is likely to bother you then you should give this film a miss. Personally, I found no problem with any of these issues. They are relatively few in number and from my perspective I did not find them to be obtrusive. Similarly, there are a few shots in the final act where Mimi is dying where the lead singers no longer mime their roles. I think that this is entirely logical in the way that it is done. I especially liked the way that the cinematography portrayed the quartet in the final section of Act 3 - something that another reviewer thoroughly disliked! We all have different tastes!
In conclusion I think that this is a very satisfying performance which most people will enjoy. The picture quality on Blu-ray is generally very good although not demonstration quality. Some of the night scenes were a little soft and not quite as sharp as they could have been. I have one minor criticism regarding the orchestral ending of Act 3. Why oh why did they omit the two final chords at the end of the Act? The chords last a mere second but for me there will always be something missing in not hearing them. Check it out and you will see what I mean!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Excellent performances all round. Difficult most of the time to see they are not actually singing. But as a film it succeeds largely due to the sheer acting ability of Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon. One can see why they are the dream couple!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
The beautiful project! It's the real example how can be united the power of opera & cinema.As for quality of blu-ray (picture & sound)- it's very good.Don't think a lot,buy this disk and enjoy!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Published 10 months ago by Mr. Mark R. Irving
Puccini: La Boheme Blu Ray 2009
First class production all round - great singing and acting from all the cast with Ronaldo Villazon leading the way. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Peter Hallam
Fabulous Performances
This is simply one of the best productions I have ever seen. There are some fine performances from all the cast, the cinematography is superb - a real treat. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Melita E. Wheeler
Memorable
Sensitively filmed. Mimi is a quieter part than the usual parts which Anna Netrebko takes. She does not dominate, but plays Mimi sensitively. Read more
Published on 22 May 2010 by Mr. John C. Hawthorn
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