Puccini - La Boheme
by Herbert von Karajan, Franco Zeffirelli
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adriana Martino, Gianni Maffeo, Gianni Raimondi, Mirella Freni, Rolando PaneraiDirector: Franco Zeffirelli, Herbert von Karajan
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), PCM Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language), PCM Stereo; English (Original Language), PCM Stereo; German (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language); Mandarin Chinese (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of Puccini - La Boheme
Movie Review: The best video "Boheme"
Summary: 5 Stars
Of all the available videos of "La Boheme' this one is by far the best. Mirella Freni is nearly perfect as Mimi and all the other singers are excellent as well. This film was made before Luciano Pavarotti achieved world fame, so another tenor, Gianni Raimondi, was selected. He doesn't have quite the vocal allure that Pavarotti could have brought to the role, but he's an excellent and stylish singer. Karajan's conducting is not bested on any other video of this work, and Zeffirelli has never made a better opera film (he has made several far worse ones). There are no visual excesses or contradictions of music or text. The evocation of nineteenth century Paris is entirely convincing. NOTE: A Freni/Pavarotti video of Boheme (San Francisco Opera) is available on DVD but the performance is far inferior to this one, primarily because of uninspired conducting but also because the two leading singers (then in their fifties) take the downward transpositions in Act I. There is a Metropolitan Opera telecast available that might seem promising, but in spite of great conducting by James Levine and a visually arresting production (also by Zeffirelli), the performance suffers from the out-of-condition singing of Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras (both fine artists but just not at their best on the occasion) and the miscasting of Renata Scotto, at that time in the worst voice of her career, as Musetta. No other Boheme video comes close to this film, certainly not the Australian Opera performance which has routine playing and conducting, and singing that ranges from mediocre to really bad. So, if you're looking for a "Boheme" DVD, Karajan/Zeffirelli/Freni is the one to get.
Summary of Puccini - La Boheme
Franco Zeffirelli's 1963 Milan production of La Bohème, preserved in this 1965 film, provides a richly satisfying take on Puccini's much-loved romantic tragedy. The staging is opulent, not least in the way Zeffirelli opens up the Café Momus and turns it into a warm, vibrant haven for the bohemians and their followers. But it's the relationships that really matter here. Puccini's score--conducted with restrained passion by Herbert von Karajan--develops in a wonderfully linear way, with some of his most intensely moving arias and duets underpinning the evolution of the bohemian artists, particularly Rodolfo and Marcello, from immature egotists to rounded human beings, touched by tragedy.The film does look dated now--Mirella Freni's Mimi, sung with moving clarity, has the doe-eyed look of a 1960s pop star and the camera work is a tad unsophisticated--but the singing still puts the listener through the wringer. Gianni Raimondi's Rodolfo ("Che gelida manina") struggles manfully to come to terms with his emotional shortcomings, and Adriana Martino (Musetta) has some fine comic moments before playing her vital part in the overwhelming sadness of the final scenes. Soul food for the tragically inclined. --Piers Ford
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