Aria (1987) User Reviews (20)

Much better than I was lead to believe

[zetes · 7/10 · 20 July 2001]

Sure, it has its pretentious moments, it plays like art-house, live-action Fantasia, but it also has moments of deep beauty and humor. Omnibus films are always a problem, but I have always had a keen interest in them. I will now rate the segments individually.

Nicolas Roeg - "Un ballo in maschera" - This segment may very well spoil the film for some people, because it is absolutely the worst of the whole bunch. It is difficult to follow, mostly because it tries to adhere to a clear plot (a hackneyed one, at that). The photography is unaccomplished. The best thing about it is the bit of Lesbian homoerotica that it never does enough with. This segment made me VERY nervous about continuing. 2/10.

Charles Sturridge - "La virgine degli angeli" - an unclear segment, but it hardly matters. The film has the best cinematography of the bunch, mainly because it is in a stunning black and white. The segment is dreamlike and beautiful. 7/10.

Jean-Luc Godard - "Armide" - I chose to brave this much-maligned film for the Godard and Altman segments. With Godard, I was much more impressed than I thought I would be. I can't claim to have seen all that many of his films since he made so many that almost no one has seen, but, judging from what I have seen, this may be his best work since the 60s. It is the funniest segment in this film, and the most artistically accomplished. Bravo, Jean-Luc! 9/10.

Julien Temple - "Rigoletto" - a very funny segment, it is also quite predictable. Still, this story about a husband and wife who are cheating on each other at the same resort is wonderfully filmed with long, complex tracking shots that depend on precisely timed choreography from the actors. It also has a great self-referencing joke about omnibus films themselves. The final scene is very weak. 7/10.

Bruce Beresford - "Die tote Stadt" - this short segment involves too lovers in (I think) Venice. It is pretty, with some nice shots of doves flying about the city. It is slight, but nice. 7/10.

Robert Altman - "Les Boréades" - not one of the better segments, unfortunately, this is more of a music video than a concept short film. It involves the occupants of an insane asylum attending a theatrical performance. The music and images work well together, so at least I can give it credit for being a good music video. 7/10

Franc Roddam - "Liebestod" - somewhat unfortunate for Beresford's segment, this segment is very similar to it. As you might assume from my phrasing, this one struck me much more. It is about a young man and his girl going to Las Vegas on a fatalistic voyage. 8/10.

Ken Russell - "Nessun dorma" - maybe the most visually striking segment, it plays in a fantasy world more than in reality. It is a beautiful tale of a fallen angel. 8/10.

Derek Jarman - "Depuis le jour" - I have heard a lot about Jarman, and this is the first piece of filmmaking I have seen from him. Hopefully, I'll see more in the future. This one is also music-videoish, but it is better than Altman's segement. It mainly concerns an old woman remembering her younger days. The editing and the use of different film stocks to represent both time and emotion are very beautiful. 8/10.

Bill Bryden - "I pagliacci" - the sad clown, possibly one of the most famous arias (particularly memorable from an episode of Seinfeld), this serves as the material separating each segement and the finale. It is simple and effective. 7/10.

Overall, I give it a solid 7/10. It isn't anywhere near as bad as you've heard.

Art is always challenging!

[bbhlthph · 6/10 · 12 March 2006]

I have long wanted to comment on this film but have found doing so extremely difficult. When released it was promoted as a major work of art, whereas in practice it is a hodge podge of short sequences, unrelated in either style or content, so why bother with it? By its nature it could never have been a great film. Think of any film that you personally regard as a great work of art and imagine what it would have been like if it had been divided into ten segments, each created by a different Director commissioned to portray a different but fundamental aspect of human existence................

Aria "bombed" badly when it was first released - I left the cinema feeling that, despite many interesting sequences, I would not want to see it again. But some sequences proved very seductive, and I rented a tape to re-watch them a few months later. After this happened a second time I knew I must have my own copy; this has since become one of the most frequently viewed tapes in my private collection. The film comprises a collection of short segments, each presented against the background of a well known operatic aria, but illustrating or featuring some vital aspect of life as we live it. We can quickly decide which of the various segments mean most to us, but we need much longer to decide why and in what ways the others are less satisfactory. Such thoughts keep returning even when we believe we have basically forgotten the film, and ultimately make it virtually unforgettable. Clearly, even though we are not dealing with a great film, it is a very important one.

The only link between the ten segments of this film is the fact that each is presented against the background of a well known operatic aria. I would have expected opera buffs, who are totally familiar with each of the arias (and their context in the opera concerned), to have been much less enthusiastic about the very different and individualistic interpretations created by the selected directors than other viewers who are not really familiar with opera as an art form, and who accepted the aria concerned simply as background music. But from comments already recorded in the IMDb database this does not seem to be the case. Opera buffs as described above mostly seem to be significantly more appreciative of the various segments of this film than other viewers. This suggests both that the main appeal of opera lies in the music rather than the libretto; and that opera lovers are more ready to associate the arias with the emotions which the individual film directors are attempting to arouse, even when these are not those of the original opera.

Ultimately we are left with ten short films by leading directors, each visually creating an emotional experience associated with ordinary life. Inevitably each viewer will find that some segments will appeal whilst others do not. For each viewer the segments which appeal most will depend upon their individual character and life experiences. There are no rights and wrongs in this respect; and reviews of this film which suggest that segments A, B and C are excellent, whilst X, Y and Z are failures, are of very little value. A more helpful approach seems to be listing those aspects of life that the ten directors felt were brought to the forefront of their attention when they first studied their aria, and subsequently attempted to interpret visually in their segments. Not surprisingly love seems to be the most important of these, it is featured in half of the ten segments. One shows the love between a newly married couple; a second shows a not much older couple who have retained their love but have become disillusioned by the life they have lived, have few expectations for the future, and are prepared to end their lives together; a third shows the pain of unrequited love; a fourth the faded love between a married couple who are cheating; and a fifth the obverse side of love, obsessive hatred that has festered to the point where one human being is driven to plan the final destruction of another. These segments (as well as some of the others) feature extensive nudity and have led to comments that the film is little more than soft porn. This seems unfair - nudity still has a strong emotional impact and is therefore a useful tool for a director faced with creating imagery that effectively conveys the message he intends within a very brief ten minute film sequence.

Another universal aspect of human life is death, not surprisingly this is also recognised in several of the segments, Other emotions featured in these ten segments include humour and pathos, the subconscious urge felt even by the most beautiful women to adorn themselves, and the tranquility that old age can bring to those who feel they have done the best they can with their lives. An interesting challenge for those who do not know this film but are familiar with other works by the directors involved would be to watch these various segments and then try to identify the director responsible. Overall, it would be hard for anyone to watch this film without experiencing a strong emotional reaction to one of more of these segments; and it would be almost impossible for any individual review to do this film justice even if IMDb relaxed their length restriction on comments. This above all is a film where I would have expected that the opportunity to exchange comments about the various segments on the IMDb message board would have appealed to all those who have viewed it. For some reason this does not seem to have been the case.

What art is about--challenging the viewer

[rlcsljo · 7/10 · 25 August 2002]

Robert Altman, Nicolas Roeg, John-Luc Goddard--you were expecting a fun film the entire family could enjoy? These and other directors were obviously chosen because they have not followed the mainstream, but created it. For those that complain that they did not adhere to the original story of the opera--How often does the music in a film directly relate to what is going on in the film? It is the mood that counts. This is what I believe the directors of these movies were doing: creating a contemporary mood for old operas. For the most part they succeed wonderfully. With all these operas, who is going to like them all. We could have used more Beverly Sills.

Finally, what is art (even opera) without a few naked women?

A very uneven film but very fun to watch

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 19 July 2014]

Omnibus/compilations films are rarely, if ever, consistent and Aria is not an exception. It is a fun and interesting film to watch though, and while there are a few misfires it is to me better than the IMDb rating and some reviews suggest. It is understandable why there'll be people who won't like it, especially for those looking for faithful plots to the operas featured or those who don't like classical music but those who love great music, great visuals, great singing and some interesting ideas will find a lot to enjoy.

As expected, Aria is very uneven but actually of the ten segments only three didn't work at all from personal opinion. Those three were Roeg's Un Ballo in Maschera, Godard's Armide and (surprisingly) Altman's Lea Boreades. Un Ballo in Maschera has Verdi's wonderful music and the singing of Robert Merrill, Carlo Bergonzi, Leontyne Price, Reri Grist and Shirley Verrett going for it. Otherwise, it had ideas that weren't nowhere near explored enough; it was convoluted(Verdi's opera may have an implausible story but it was much easier to follow); it is one of the least accomplished looking segments in the film; Theresa Russell with a moustache and as a male fascist ruler was something that was quite distasteful and weird and it was directed in a way that I had no idea what Roeg was trying to do and because of the chaotic feel of the whole segment Roeg probably had no clear idea what he was doing either. Les Boreades is an example of something with an okay if strange idea that has nothing interesting done with it. Altman is a great director but he directs with little imagination or interest here(it feels very music video-like), not much happens and when something does you don't have much of a clue. And it's pretty much the same with Armide, the second-silliest of the segments after Rigoletto(though that was actually funny) but also manages to be duller and more incoherent than Les Boreades and it's very repetitive. Plus it's at odds at with the music and the story of the opera, the opera I consider a tragedie en musique but here Godard does it the opposite, except apart from the odd funny moment it's like a comedy with nowhere near enough laughs.

However, there are some very strong high-points. Personal favourites are Roddam's Liebestod and Russell's Nessun Dorma sequences. Liebestod is an absolute wonder visually and matches Wagner's magnificent music brilliantly, of all the segments it's the segment that matches the music the most effectively. The tragic love story is beautiful and moving and Bridget Fonda makes for a highly credible debut. Leontyne Price's rich, powerful voice gives a very haunting quality as well. Nessun Dorma is wonderfully surreal and of the segments is the most imaginative visually. It is a wonderful-looking segment that while having Russell's very marmite style all over it it doesn't feel too over-excessive like some of Russell's films have been prone to. The aria is the most well-known of the ones featured and Jussi Bjorling's rendition with that thrilling top B is one of the best along with Corelli's and Pavarotti's. Sturridge's La Virgine Degli Angeli also looks stunning with a hypnotic dream-like quality, it's not as imaginative as Nessun Dorma but is a very, very close second to Liebestod as the most striking segment. It's also very touchingly done and Price also sings the aria and it's heavenly, one of the best of the aria there is. Wonderful also is Jarman's Depuis Le Jour, the most emotional and reflective of the bunch story-wise. Like Les Boreades there is a music-video feel in places but it's actually in an interesting way.

Regarding the other three segments they are neither masterpieces or disasters and on the whole work well. Temple's Rigoletto is highly entertaining, wonderfully filmed and cleverly shot. But it is a very acquired taste, if you dislike vulgar you will dislike this. The farcial comedy shows actor with good comic timing, and the segment is worth it for Beverly D'Angelo who is hot with a capital H. As well as Verdi's music and the singing of Robert Merrill, Anna Moffo and Alfredo Kraus. Bryden's Pagliacci is not convincing lip-synching-wise but has a very moving performance from John Hurt and the segment is both intimate and subtly dramatic. There couldn't have been a more perfect choice of aria, and who better to sing it than one of the most beautiful tenor voices ever Enrico Caruso? Beresford's Die Tote Stadt is beautifully shot, especially the shots of the flying doves, the scenery is magical, Korngold's music is predictably fabulous as is the singing and Elizabeth Hurley is entrancing. It's also charming and touching. It is very slight though and Carol Neblett's voice does not fit Hurley at all, angelic it is but it's too mature.

To conclude, very interesting and fun, it mostly looks great and is faultless musically, but is very much variable. It was difficult as to rate it either a 6 or 7 but because although the three misfires really bring Aria down to a considerable degree the music, singing, most of the visuals and four high-points segments were so good that I'll award Aria a 7/10. Bethany Cox

Sleep inducing. Not that there's anything wrong with that

[Maciste_Brother · 5/10 · 9 September 2003]

I watched ARIA for the first time on DVD and boy, did that movie ever put me to sleep. This is not a criticism. The film is OK but the I can't imagine anyone not feeling sleepy while watching it. It's slow, sorta hypnotic and soundless. There's basically no dialogue. The film is only visuals and classical music, which combined together create a very calming, peaceful experience. There are very few moments when the film rises above sereneness.

Nicolas Roeg - I didn't like it.

Charles Sturridge - Interesting but it's very short.

Jean-Luc Godard - The kookiest segment. Fun to watch.

Julien Temple - Typical Julian Temple nonsense. This segment looks like a wacky music video. Didn't like it.

Bruce Beresford - Elizabeth Hurley is naked. That's all I have to say!

Robert Atlman - Forgettable

Franc Roddam - Probably the best segment. Very slow and calm, though.

Ken Russell - Tacky. Only Ken Russell would think that tacky plastic jewelery would look good. And the nudity is totally gratuitous.

Derek Jarman - I didn't like it.

Bill Bryden - I don't even remember this one. I was probably asleep by then.

Suffers the Fate of Most Compilation Films

[evanston_dad · 5/10 · 28 May 2008]

"Aria" as a whole is a pretty underwhelming experience, as most compilation films are. No one segment is very long, so the whole thing is painless to sit through, but I can't really bring myself to recommend it to anyone.

The standout segment for me was Ken Russell's, which depicts a woman hallucinating while on the operating table after a terrible car accident. It helps that the segment is set to "Nessum dorma," one of my favorite opera pieces -- I would find a filmed toaster glorious as long as it was set to that particular piece of music. Franc Roddam's segment is pretty decent, and features Bridget Fonda in her film debut. I liked Jean-Luc Godard's segment, which is set in a gym and features a bunch of body builders completely oblivious of the naked women dancing around them -- perhaps a comment on male narcissism? Robert Altman's segment, which is primarily the reason I wanted to see this movie at all, is utterly forgettable -- the only notable thing about it is that you can tell he was filming "Beyond Therapy" at the same time, as many of the same actors are in both. Nicholas Roeg's segment, which opens the film, is pretty bad, as is Julien Temple's painfully unfunny contribution (though it features a smokin' Beverly D'Angelo), while Bruce Beresford's is just boring. Watch Derek Jarman's segment for a glimpse of a very young and pretty Tilda Swinton.

There's not much to say about films like this. Some portions are better than others; none of them are masterpieces.

Grade: B-

10 Segments -- Brilliant to Fair

[gleng1 · 8/10 · 30 November 2002]

Definitely worth watching.

Ten different directors each present a segment based on their favorite opera aria. You don't need to be an opera lover to watch this film. (Although, of course, if you hate opera, you're really going to have a bad time with this!)

Not surprisingly the segments range from brilliant to only fair. Most of the fuss seems to be over Godard's contribution -- whether you think he's brilliant or pretentious, his segment won't change your mind.

Some of the pieces have a clear narrative; others are more a montage of connected images.

None of the pieces is more than 10 minutes or so; if you're not happy with what's on the screen, wait for the next segment, and think about how much culture you're soaking up.

Keep your eyes open for performances by Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo, Elizabeth Hurley, Briget Fonda, Tilda Swinton, and John Hurt. (The Buck Henry segment alone is worth the price of admission).

Ambitious venture that doesn't quite come off but has its moments

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 4 June 2016]

Leonard Maltin's BOMB rating for "Aria" has kept me off this movie for years, but it's not really all THAT bad. It's not as good as it could have been, either. I believe the main problem is that in some of the shorts the filmmakers fail to make a strong connection between the music and the images; opera buffs may still love listening to some of their favorite pieces, but they might as well do it with their eyes closed. But they - as well as the other viewers - should keep them open for at least three segments: Julien Temple's amusing bedroom farce, lowbrow in its content but sophisticated in its camera work and featuring the super hot Beverly D'Angelo, Ken Russell's imaginative visual extravaganza (with a perfectly timed finale), and Derek Jarman's elegiac salute to youth. Most of the other contributions are fair-to-middling, but the worst of the bunch by a wide margin is Godard's inexplicable homoerotic infomercial. It's the one segment that I would advise anyone to skip. ** out of 4.

pretty pictures, but mostly pointless, senseless, or dull

[claudemercure · 6/10 · 7 May 2010]

Ten directors make short films based on their favourite operatic arias. Lots of pretty pictures, but most of the segments are either pointless, senseless, or dull. Exceptions: the contributions of Jarman, Russell, Sturridge, and Temple.

I took very brief notes on each: "Un ballo in maschera": dull, clumsy, amateurish-looking and incoherent. D- "La virgine degli angeli": weird, dream-like story works; good cinematography. A- "Armide": weird and seemingly pointless, though not boring and vaguely artistic. B- "Rigoletto": this funny segment tells the most straightforward story. A- "Die tote Stadt": pointless, uneventful pretty pictures. D+ "Les Boréades": pointless incoherence. D "Liebestod": baffling sex and death story with pretty pictures. C- "Nessun dorma": clever, disturbing abstract art. B+ "Depuis le jour": somewhat effective. B "I pagliacci": slightly affecting opera scene is too simple. C+

Worst movie I have ever watched, don't recommend to anyone

[heliparts · 1/10 · 5 May 2019]

Worst movie I have ever watched, don't recommend to anyone. Not worth 1 star

TEN arias, TEN directors - a FEAST!

[adew · 30 March 2001]

If you like Opera, all the arias will be familiar. The treatments the ten directors give to one aria each, are totally removed from their original context. Nessun Dorma from Turandot becomes the vision of a girl in a near-fatality - gripping imagery culminates in the final VINCERO! of her survival . . .John Hurt lip-synching Vesti la Giubba from I Pagliacci is perhaps the low-point, but the madly bawdy Robert Altmann scene fails too - the rest is a lavish treat! The tragedy of children dying is captured in gritty black and white to the serene melody of Verdi's La Vergine Dell' Angeli, the remarkable outcome of an assasination attempt at a King's life is done brilliantly to the backing of La Sua Parole from A Masked Ball . . . with totally different ending to the one in the Opera! See this, then view it again; you will be amazed and enriched - if you like Opera, that is. If you do not, and have no desire to, then please: go back to the usual fare - this will have very little to offer you - enjoy your Stallone and van Damme.

Naked Women humina

[Spuzzlightyear · 5/10 · 10 November 2005]

Although I'm not going to talk about EVERY segment, thank goodness! Aria, as a whole is of course, a somewhat uneven glorious mess, done by 10 directors, 10 different arias, and 10 different stories. They all seem to have one thing in common. Lots and lots of naked women. Not really sure if this was just a bizarre coincidence or if it was a requirement, but Aria seems totally nudity heavy.

Anyways, I found the segments set in the present much more enjoyable then the ones in the past (which makes the arias that much more pretentious). My favorite, of course, was the ultra-bizarre Bud Cort / Beverly D'Angelo pairing about the cheating spouses. Lots of fun there. Close behind was the strange beauty of the Las Vegas one with Bridget Fonda. Again, not all of it (John Hurt anyone?) works, but some of it is interesting enough.

Uneven, but worth seeing

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 23 September 2002]

10 respected directors each shot a short film with operatic arias as the inspiration (and music). I'll do each one separately:

Nicolas Roeg (dir)--Giuseppe Verdi (music). A story about an assassination attempt in 1931 Vienna. Theresa Russell (Roegs wife) plays a man! Not bad--very beautiful and exotic. Russell is great.

Charles Sturridge--Verdi. No story but there is some haunting black and white imagery that fits perfectly with the music.

Jean-Luc Godard--Jean Baptiste Lully. Horrendous. Pointless, boring, no plot, no nothing. Filled with gratuitous female nudity. The worst!

Julien Temple--Verdi. Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo and Anita Morris star in this funny, if obvious, story about a cheating couple. Pretty good.

Bruce Beresford--Erich Korngold. Short, lush and romantic. Very good.

Robert Altman--Jean-Philippe Rameau. Dull. A yawner.

Fran Roddam--Richard Wagner. This has Bridget Fonda in her film debut. Beautifully done love story with a fairly explicit sex scene.

Ken Russell--Giacomo Puccini. Really strange but OK.

Derek Jarman--Gustave Chapentier. Lyrical look at youth and old age. Very sweet.

The last is by Bill Bryden doing "I Pagliacci". He has John Hurt (!) dressed as a clown lip-syncing to Caruso (!!!).

When this came out it almost got an X rating (for the abundant nudity and the sex scene). It was given an R with a strict warning attached saying the R rating would be heavily enforced. After the film bombed that warning disappeared.

The idea isn't bad and 6 out of the 10 segments were worthwhile. Worth seeing even if you don't like opera. Just avoid the Godard segment. I'm giving it an 8.

Wake me when it's over...

[Tito-8 · 2/10 · 6 November 1998]

Be VERY afraid! TEN directors...you'd think one of them could make a passable segment, but no. If you like classical music, then perhaps this movie is bearable, but don't watch it, only listen to it. The video interpretations range from bizarre, to idiotic, to downright boring, but all share one common bond: they are pointless and NOT worth your time.

Great Fun, IF..........

[fiorerr · 8/10 · 27 November 2006]

Guess a few upscale film directors were sitting around sipping their absinthe, grappa, aramangac or jungle juice some night in the 80's during the Cannes or other film festival and one said "Hey, guys let's do a movie where each of us creates a segment around a world class aria." Welllll...it kind of sort of worked. Clearly someone was smart enough to select some of the best recordings of the arias chosen, for example Bjoreling's Nessun Dorma, so if you were blind and lying on the floor just listening to the DVD you got more than your money's worth. Not every director succeeded but more did than not and the flick seems to improve with each viewing over the years. My favorite is the eerily beautiful love duet from Die Todt Statd; okay a young naked Elizabeth Hurley is eye candy but her husband singing to her, his wife's ghost, is incredibly beautiful with the love music second only to Otello and Desdemona's "Gia nella Notte Densa" in all the operatic repertoire. Could the flick been better, sure, what couldn't not have been but it's well worth a view especially of you're in a hyper-romantic mood.

Artsy-fartsy crap

[smatysia · 4/10 · 24 March 2003]

OK, yes I know I'm a Philistine, and I have no knowledge of, nor love for opera. I readily admit that I might feel differently about this film if I did. But I don't. So, for those of you like me, skip this one unless you want to look at the pretty (sometimes unclothed) girls. For what it's worth, I thought the first segment with Theresa Russell (who I didn't recognize) was the best of the lot.

Opera Anthology

[ASuiGeneris · 5/10 · 27 January 2024]

Going to be unoriginal here with my comment, which is that this is a mixed bag. Music is great if you love opera. Otherwise, the pervasive vocalizing might border on torturous since it replaces most to all dialogue in the entire film, depending on the segment.

Going to be further unoriginal with my ranking of the ten segments, from worst to best.

Un ballo in maschera by Roeg: Zog looking like a teenage girl with a fake mustache further distracted from the already senseless amateur looking story.

Armide by Godard: Never been much of a fan of this supposed French New Wave "master"; this was no exception. Oh, wow, gay body builders can't be distracted by naked women. Who cares?

La vergine degli angeli by Sturridge: Black & White religious children's redemption? No idea, had to read an explanation to realize, nope, did not miss anything, did not understand because there was nothing to understand.

Nessun dorma by Russell: Surreal dreamlike nonsense, but there were some creative feeling moments with pretty gems with crystals. Sorta brought to mind some Xanadu? 80s?

Abaris ou les Boréades by Altman: We get to watch the audience rather than the stage. Novel approach, at least something different.

Liebestod by Roddam: Tristan und Isolde interpretation along with some childhood nostalgia for me with vintage Fremont Street & Las Vegas. Other than than, literally bloody senselessness.

Glück, das mir verblieb by Beresford: At least it was very pretty with the ornate set design in the desperate Bruges; young Elizabeth Hurley was also pretty.

Vesti la giubba by Brayden: Honestly, it won out because this segment was shown in small parts as intervals between the other nine. Made it much more bearable and allowed for more moments in quiet reflection on the sadness of the protagonist.

Depuis le jour by Jarman: Editing with the flashbacks was done well. The young Tilda Swinton successfully elicited an emotional response with respectable utilization of the music score.

Rigoletto by Temple: By a landslide, the best segment. The only one with a story that actually kept my interest. The only one that made me smile, even laugh a little. The only one that had true artistic merit that persisted throughout. Filmed on location in California's visually fascinating Madonna Inn. Seemed like only a few long shots; camera work was noticeably skillful. Would have given this segment a 7 on its own, maybe even an 8. Every other segment being a 0 to a very generous 5. Yes, the difference was that significant for me.

A very good attempt at MTV-ifying opera arias.

[edew-564-801383 · 10/10 · 4 January 2013]

The MTV era needed some grounding with an MTV version for opera arias, and Aria here was the answer. Whether these ten chosen arias are the best of the best is arguable, I can personally attest that after hearing these, I went out of my way to seek the operas where several came from (those that I wasn't familiar with, at least) and bought those operas to enjoy in their entirety.

The "Die Tote Stadt" duet was the most compelling and mystical for me. That aria (and not the nudity involved) compelled me to seek out the opera and it is now one of my favorites.

The "La Vergine degli angeli" by Verdi is also a most mesmerizing aria, although the opera itself, "La Forza del Destino" is rather boring. This aria did compelled me to seek out the opera to experience it in full.

The best segment, for me, was the Ken Russell interpretation of "Nessun Dorma" (Let no one sleep). Using the imagery of a near-fatal car accident and the need to not let the victim die was both poignant and novel. I had heard Nessun Dorma before seeing the movie, but did not know of its context. This aria interpretation was very novel and was deeply moving.

Equally deeply moving was the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolda. Lastly, how can one dismiss Julien Temple's "La Donna e Mobile" with Buck Henry and Beverly D'Angelo. It was quite comical.

startling and interesting, but uneven

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 28 December 2017]

Opera and the emotions its kindles in the human soul, as seen through an artistic kaleidoscope. The various segments are different in style, range and scope ; sadly, they're also uneven in quality. Some of the segments charm, move, shock or mesmerize ; others do not. As a result the movie, considered as a whole, does not fully live up to its promising premise.

However, there are images and ideas to savour, especially for people who like opera. I leave it to you, dear reader, to pick your own favorite. Me, I'm fond of the treatment given to Verdi's "Masked Ball", which is funny, witty and lushly romantic. It also teaches an important life lesson : if you're going to shoot at a monarch, pick on someone who didn't fight his way to the top.

Opera's Passing Parade

[jferraira-1 · 9/10 · 28 March 2013]

I saw this film when it first came out in the theaters and a recent viewing on DVD only confirms my initial opinion that it's a masterpiece, though a flawed one. So I've been baffled by the abuse heaped upon it over the years by critics and viewers and decided to finally air my own thoughts and what I feel may be the reasons for said abusel

My take on this film differs from others. First, I'm convinced that in order to fully appreciate it you have not only to love opera but see it as something essential to your life. Furthermore, you must also be willing to agree and identify with the viewpoint of the films' creators: that this all-consuming passion with opera places one's estate in today's world in a cultural time warp.

Though there aren't many out there who fit this description, I feel it accurately defines the demographic of Aria's audience. I also believe that producer Don Boyd and any others who conceived of the daring idea for this film, and whose job it was to make ten scenes written and directed independently by different people somehow "coalesce," knew exactly what they were doing, even though the project seems occasionally to have gone awry. (The episodes using recordings of Baroque opera, directed by Jean luc Goddard and Robert Atman, though interesting in themselves, are bafflingly out of place)

Most of the episodes were cleverly organized to achieve both a cumulative musical effect and further the film's dramatic theme, which is gradually unveiled by the entre'acte activities of the seemingly enigmatic character portrayed by John Hurt who keeps appearing between episodes. A kernel of that theme arrives in the very first episode, a 20th Century reenactment of the assassination of a Swedish king as portrayed in Verdi's "In Ballo Maschera" (playing on the soundtrack). But contrary to Verdi, where a diffident king dies without resistance in the arms of his beloved, and in glorious song, Nicholas Roeg has his protagonist unexpectedly defend himself, shooting all of the would-be assassins dead, and thus confounding his significant other.

With the exception of Bruce Beresford's take of "Die Tote Stadt," none of the other episodes are dramatically faithful to their operas. Instead most seem designed to reflect an absurd disparity between the remantic sentiments of dead composers from past centuries playing on the soundtrack and the glaring realities of an every- day world gone mad: homeless children roving the streets; a couple's disastrous attempt to cheat on their spouses at a sex-themed resort; teens slashing their wrists under the neon glitz of Las Vegas, etc.

As the episodes progress, the film's concern with death --- grand opera's favorite obsession --- becomes overriding. Also, recorded excerpts of busy operatic ensembles give way in the later episodes to arias sung by a single voice.

The penultimate episode, directed by Derek Jarmon, forms arguably the film's dramatic climax. A single, radiant old woman, dressed in a frayed, gossamer stage costume and lit from above, is seen bowing over and over as accolades of flower pedals rain on her from on high. The beatific vision is accompanied by the aria "Depuis le jour" from "Luise," sung by a mellifluous Leontyne Price. The woman personifies opera itself, old and tattered but reveling in her memories, taking one last bow as she bids a splended farewell to her loving and appreciative audience, unseen but undoubtedly as wrinkled and antediluvian as she.

And then the final episode, in which John Hurt mimes Leoncavallo's Canio singing "Vesti la giubba." As was the old woman, he too represents opera --- or perhaps the opera-loving audience itself --- over-the-top, pouring his heart out to a single, female audience member in an otherwise empty opera house. Close-ups of the woman reveal her barely concealed scorn for the singer. And when she too leaves, the abandoned man falls dead, the victim of, yes, a "broken heart!" Only a true opera lover could identify with such histrionics.

Up to now the music used by each director had been made by recent opera stars in contemporary-sounding recordings: Price, Bergonzi, etc. But perhaps to highlight the theme of opera's passed parade, this final episode is accompanied using Pagliacci's aria sung by Enrico Caruso in a recording made nearly a century ago. Perhaps it is being suggested that the social revelance of opera has in fact died longer ago than even the films creators had imagined!