The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
- Starring:
- Moira Shearer, Robert Rounseville, (more)
- Director(s):
- Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, (more
- Category:
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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Most baby-boomers are familiar with the Powell-Pressburger production of the Offenbach opera Tales of Hoffman only through the full-color stills from the film which were reproduced in the "Motion Picture" section of The World Book Encyclopedia. If this is your only memory of the film, we advise you to seek out a copy of this lengthy but visually enthralling picture as soon as possible. Metropolitan opera star Robert Rounseville plays Hoffman, a university student who is spectacularly unlucky in affairs of the heart. Each of his love affairs with Olympia (Moira Shearer), Giulietta (Ludmilla Tcherina) and Antonia (Ann Ayars) is doomed to failure due to circumstances far beyond our hero's control (Olympia, for example, turns out to be nothing more than a life-sized mechanical doll). As in the previous Powell-Pressburger collaboration The Red Shoes, the film's best moments are its ballet sequences, choreographed by Jane Ashton. Offenbach's score is given a splendid rendition by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the legendary Sir Thomas Beecham. Most prints of Tales of Hoffman run 118 minutes, eliminating the closing "Tale of Antonia" sequence; the laserdisc version has been restored to 127 minutes, while the search goes on for the complete 138-minute negative. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 127 mins
Complete Cast:
- Moira Shearer - Stella
- Robert Helpmann - Lindorff
- Frederick Ashton - Kleinzack
- Meinhart Maur - Luther
- Richard Golding - Hermann
- Ludmilla Tcherina - Giulietta [The Tale Of Giulietta]
- Ann Ayars - Antonia [The Tale Of Antonia]
- Owen Brannigan - Singer
- Robert Helpmann - Coppelius [The Tale Of Olympia]
- Frederick Ashton - Cochenille [The Tale Of Olympia]
- Edmund Audran - Cancer
- René Soames - Singer
- Robert Rounseville - Hoffmann
- Pamela Brown - Nicklaus
- Léonide Massine - Spalanzani [The Tale Of Olympia]
- John Ford - Nathaniel
- Philip Leaver - Andreas
- Lionel Harris - Pitichinaccio [The Tale Of Giulietta]
- Mogens Wieth - Crespel [The Tale Of Antonia]
- Jean Alexander - Mother [The Tale of Antonia]
- Robert Helpmann - Dapertutto [The Tale Of Giulietta]
- Robert Helpmann - Dr. Miracle [The Tale Of Antonia]
- Dorothy Bond - Singer
- Monica Sinclair - Singer
- Director(s):
- Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
- Writer(s):
- Emeric Pressburger, Dennis Arundell, Michael Powell
- Producer(s):
- Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, George R. Busby
- Categories:
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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- 1951 - The Tales of Hoffmann - Berlin International Film Festival - Silver Bear - Musical
- 1951 - The Tales of Hoffmann - Cannes Film Festival - Exceptional Prize
