Berg - Wozzeck
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Movie Reviews of Berg - Wozzeck
Movie Review: A Gripping, Beautifully Filmed and Performed 'Wozzeck'
Summary: 5 Stars
Rolf Liebermann, the legendary Intendant of the Hamburg Opera, filmed a number of operas but always said that this film of 'Wozzeck' was his favorite and I can see why. It is beautifully filmed in claustrophobic style in the grounds and buildings of a decrepit Bavarian castle, and sung gloriously. Of course, since it is a film, not a studio or stage production (although it was based on a stage production of the Hamburg Opera), the musical score was recorded in a studio and the singers lip-synched their parts while acting in the opened-out setting, much of it outdoors (as in the willow-cutting scene, or Marie's murder). The lip-synching is nigh perfect and the acting is really quite wonderful. I was especially impressed by the acting (as well as the singing) of Toni Blankenheim as Wozzeck. His face, often shot in close-up, is perfect for the part, with his hangdog, suffering look. He conveys Wozzeck's puzzlement and despair with graphic immediacy. Marie, played by a the ripe-figured and beautiful Sena Jurinac, is also extremely well-done. Richard Cassilly, a wonderful tenor but usually a so-so actor, is terrific as the strutting Drum Major. And possibly best of all, is Hans Sotin, still quite young in 1970, as the cruel and sardonic Doctor. And his singing is hors de concours.
Each scene, of course, is followed by an interlude; in the opera house each is often played with a closed curtain or a static tableau. In this production the interludes accompany silent scenes that add much to the development of the drama. For instance, after Wozzeck's murder of Marie is filmed from a distant vantage point looking through some sparse woods; in the interlude that connects it with the final scene -- the one with the children gossiping about Marie's murder and about finding her body on the path by the water -- we come closer and closer to Marie's corpse lying on that path. Visually this helps accentuate the almost unbearably tense music that accompanies it, thus heightening the horrific effect.
I have not seen the other two currently available DVDs of 'Wozzeck' but I can't imagine abandoning this one. Musically it is wonderful. Scenically it is spectacular. And though it was filmed in 1970, the sound is quite good, although in mono. Bruno Maderna, a thoroughgoing modernist if there ever was one, understands the score completely and the Hamburg Opera orchestra play brilliantly for him.
Sound: Mono; Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian; Picture format: 4:3; Region code: 0 (worldwide); TT=106mins; No extras
Strongly recommended.
Scott Morrison
Movie Review: Terrific filmed opera
Summary: 5 Stars
Berg's Wozzeck is quite possibly the greatest opera of the 20th century. This video is a film version made by artists connected with the Hamburg Opera during the period when composer Rolf Liebermann was the company's imaginative and effective Intendant (General Manager).
Generally I prefer to see a live performance when an opera gets filmed, but this version is an amazingly effective example of a film with the soundtrack pre-recorded and the singers lip-synching to it as they act. I've read (I don't remember where) that the film follows Berg's own prescriptions as to how he wanted the opera to be filmed if it should ever happen -- after all, he lived into the age of the "talkie". In practice this means that the orchestral interludes mostly seem to move between the locales of the scenes they connect, so that the production has a seamless quality as the tragedy unfolds.
The film was made in an old German fortress that looks like a seedy town of the mid-19th century in which the source drama takes place. The acting is extremely good and very naturalistic, which makes for wonderful and effective contrast with some other video versions that are far more expressionistic. (I've used both to contrast different approaches in a course I was teaching.)
I first saw this production about 35 years ago, when it was only available on film; the transfer to DVD is very well done, and though the sound may not be the absolute latest in fidelity, it is excellent for the period. I was delighted to find that it is now available on DVD.
This DVD is a first-rate version of "Wozzeck," and one that presents the opera very effectively and with excellent singing and acting.
Movie Review: extraordinary production
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this film in the 70's I thought it was wonderful and have long awaited its commercial availability. The singing acting is first rate overall. I am still impressed how the entire cast, especially Unger (the Captain) refrain from the exaggerations and histrionics that normally accompany these roles. For me, however, the real superstar of the performance is Bruno Maderna, a composer-conductor who consistantly projects a complete grasp of Berg's music and how it should be performed. Anyone who loves Berg should not hesitate to pick the audio CD of his Lulu. It's only the two Act version, but he EASILY beats out all recorded competition. One more thing: the Italian Wozzeck with Gobbi, Dow...etc is also incredibly good. Nino Sanzogno, a student of Hermann Scherchen, is nearly as good as Maderna! One CD manifestation contains as act from the BBC broadcast with Boult conducting from the mid-30's which Berg heard before he died and was very impressed by its quality.Movie Review: Wow, what a Wozzeck!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this as a film in the 1970s when it was shown here in Australia by the
Goethe-Institut and thought it magnificent. My opinion has not changed. This is a
dramatic masterpiece. Being freed from the confines of a stage production makes it
more than just an opera. Toni Blankenheim is superb in the title role and the close-up
shots of his hang-dog face just add to the overall impression of a downtrodden man.
Hans Sotin (then still young and slim) is perfect as the sinister Doctor and Richard Cassilly
impressive as the swaggering Drum-Major. Sena Jurinac is well cast as Marie.
There are one or two blemishes in the DVD but these are understandable since it has
been recreated from old film. The sound, although only mono, is really quite good.
I would recommend this to anybody. In a word - magnificent!
Movie Review: Wonderful Masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a fanatic of Alban Berg's music. His unique style of composing atonal music and his brilliant ideas for his operas made him one the most known avant-grade composers of modern music.
I can say this performance of Wozzeck is one of the best ever filmed.
This is an entirely different way of experiencing operas. you'll be transmited to the story in a such vivid way, is amazing.
But you may think this might not be a good perdomance because it was filmed in the 70's, or because it audio format is Mono. But this is nothing to do with the experience it grants. The sound is clear and deep.
The singers play and exellent role and the location is perfect for the dramatic story. You will not be dissapointed.
An applause for Arthaus Musik.
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