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A critical performing edition prepared by musicologist Michael Kaye has made it possible to come close to Offenbach's original intentions after more than a century of misunderstanding, and major companies have begun to use that edition, but so far no universally satisfying production of it has reached video. An Opera de Lyon production, using Kaye's research but with a radically untraditional staging, has won wholehearted approval from some fans but unequivocal rejection from more.
As adaptations go, this 1951 film is the best compromise currently available on video and will always be a classic in its own right, even when a more faithful treatment becomes available. It drops some of Offenbach's music and includes some that is spurious, and it changes the plot (Hoffman's beloved Stella is made a dancer--Moira Shearer--not a singer). But at least it treats the story with affection, imagination, and technical expertise. The music presents only highlights of the score, but it is in the hands of a great conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. The movie is essentially the work of the same team that produced The Red Shoes (directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger); it has the same kind of imaginative appeal and its technical resourcefulness is still exciting, still on the cutting edge despite its age. I expect eventually to add a more faithful Tales of Hoffmann to my video collection, but I will never stop enjoying this one. --Joe McLellan
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 13 June, 1952 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Criterion Collection |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Classical, Color, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC |
| TYPE: | Classical, Color, Drama, English, Fanciful, Fantasy, Feature, Film-Opera, Lavish, Looking For Love, Lyrical, Musical, Musical Fantasy, Mystery, Nothing Goes Right, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Performing Arts - Opera, Stylized, Suitable for Children, UK |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 037429126226 |
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Customer Reviews of The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection
I've never seen anything like it <
>"The Tales of Hoffmann" (1951) - a beautifully photographed film version of Jacques Offenbach's opera, his final masterpiece is a magic (and there is no other word to describe it) blend of Adventure / Romance / Fantasy / with an endless stream of gorgeous melodies, seductive and tender love scenes, bizarre characters - comic, romantic or villainous, and tragic climaxes. The film was a follow-up to "The Red Shoes" (1948) a fantasy/musical/romance/drama set in the world of ballet with the same directors, stars, and production designers. <
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>In "The Tales of Hoffmann", Robert Rounsevill stars as E.T.A. (Ernst Theodore Amadeus) Hoffmann, the poet and writer who tells three stories of his great but unhappy loves all ending tragically thanks to the meddling of his enemy, a supernatural villain (Robert Helpmann as quadruple evil, Lindorf, Coppelius, Dapertutto and Dr Miracle). Objects of Hoffmann's love and admiration include Olympia the wind-up doll (Moira Shearer who also plays Stella the dancer, the fourth and yet another Hoffmann's misadventure), Giulietta, the Venetian courtesan who sails away after trying to capture Hoffmann's soul (Ludmilla Tchérina -absolutely brilliant as the siren and the seductress who elegantly walks over the dead bodies, literally), and Antonia the beautiful opera-singer with the fatal voice and deadly illness. One of the greatest choreographers and dancers of the last century, Léonide Massine shines in three absolutely different roles demonstrating his talent as a dancer, strong emotions and tremendous humor. <
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>What makes "The Tales of Hoffmann" not just an ordinary screen adaptation but the stunning unforgettable event, the film which had inspired the future famous directors George Romero and Martin Scorsese to become the filmmakers is the perfect combination of fantasy, classical music, ballet, singing, stunning visual effects, imaginative and often bizarre and even disturbing images that would fit a horror movie (deconstructing Olympia -the doll is horrifying), incredible but calculated feast of colors, their mixture, the unique color palette to match each story, camera work that is so innovative and dynamic that even now, 56 years after the film was made, looks fresh and modern. The feast for eyes, ears, and feelings, "The Tales of Hoffmann" is the love child of incredibly talented people from different epochs and countries. The opera by Jacques Offenbach, the French composer is based on the dark romantic fairy tales by the German E.T. A. Hoffmann. The team of two directors known as "The Archers", the British Michael Powell and the Hungarian Jew Emeric Pressburger who had to flee his country before the WWII, and their international team of stars, color consultants, choreographers and production designers made this miracle happen. The last but not the least is legendary Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. <
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Total British post-WWII success
As Britain's film industry revived after WWII, the arts stablishment put its best into this lavish, spectacular, ravishing production that I fist saw on its 1951 release and have loved ever since, as a so-so tape and now a much improved DVD release. With its scenes in the traditional order, it has Sir Thomas Beecham conducting, the fine light tenor Robert Rounseville as Hoffmann, ballet greats Moira Shearer, Leonid Massine and Robert Helpman and extraordinary sets, all directed with panache and grace by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Only a grumpy fussbudget wouldn't like it.
good, but expensive
It is a good purchase, but if you add the cost of shipping, taxes, conversion to region 4 and the product itself, I payed about 100 dollars for it.