Not part of a collection.
The Tales of Hoffmann
You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!
A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
- Original title
- The Tales of Hoffmann
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- $2,470,000
CinemaSerf
Dec 28, 2022 · via TMDB
Though I really enjoyed watching this, it isn't really a film at all. Messrs. Powell and Pressburger have elicited the help of the supremely talented Christopher Challis and of the late Jacques Offenbach and basically filmed an augmented theatrical production of his eponymous, uncompleted, opera. They have assembled a curiously effective collection of gloriously clad acting talent - most of whom, aside from the narrator/composer himself in the form of Robert Rounseville, cannot actually sing - and proceeded to present us with something that is really quite beautiful to watch and listen to; but that is really not that different from that which we might see at Covent Garden. It features the landmark P&P colour schemes - vibrant, lively and bold with the use of light and the staging of this three part story all adding up to a delightful watch. If you know the libretto, then you will know this is about a rather down-in-the-dumps poet who is reflecting on his life and the choices his chosen career has forced him to make at the expense of his loves. The ballet dancer "Stella" (Moira Shearer) is his most recent love, but there have been others and all of them have, in some way, fallen foul of Robert Helpmann's excellent "Lindorf". There are some super puppetry effects and the sparing use of visual effects to remind us were are not in the grand circle, but for the most part this is a cleverly crafted and stylishly produced theatrical performance that I enjoyed, but would still have rather seen (and heard on a stage). It's still innovative and imaginative cinema that is well worth seeing, though.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Moira Shearer
Stella / Olympia
Ludmilla Tchérina
Giulietta
Pamela Brown
Niklaus
Léonide Massine
Spalanzani / Schlemil / Franz
Ann Ayars
Antonia
Robert Helpmann
Lindorf / Coppelius / Dapertutto / Dr. Miracle
Frederick Ashton
Kleinsach / Cochenille
Robert Rounseville
Hoffmann
Mogens Wieth
Crespel
Philip Leaver
Andrés
Hein Heckroth
Production Design
Freddie Francis
Camera Operator
Hein Heckroth
Costume Design
Frederick Ashton
Choreographer
Emeric Pressburger
Director
Michael Powell
Director
Emeric Pressburger
Producer
Michael Powell
Producer
Jacques Offenbach
Original Music Composer
Jules Barbier
Original Story
Michel Carré
Original Story
E. T. A. Hoffmann
Story
Emeric Pressburger
Writer
Michael Powell
Writer
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Coda
Apr 1, 1951
Metropolitan Opera House, New York City
Apr 4, 1951
New York City
