Walter Berry Movies
One of Europe's most beloved bass-baritone singers, Vienna-born Walter Berry graced operatic stages across a career lasting more than 40 years, and also managed to work in a handful of movies during that period, both on and off camera. The most notable of these, from a cinematic standpoint, was the first, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's delightful Oh...Rosalinda! (1955), based on the operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, for which Berry sang the part of Dr. Falke (which was acted onscreen by Anton Walbrook). Equally at home with Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Mozart roles, he portrayed Masetto in a 1954 film of a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni, directed by Paul Czinner and featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwangler. In 1956, Berry also sang the Masetto role off camera in H.W. Kolm-Veltee's film of the same opera, entitled Don Juan for U.S. release. He later appeared onscreen in film and video productions of Wagner's Tristan Und Isolde and Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos during the 1970s, and Rossini's La Cenerentola during the 1980s. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Makeup wizard Tom Savini's color remake of George A. Romero's 1968 classic follows the original almost shot-for-shot, so quality comparisons are somewhat pointless. The film was clearly made for younger viewers who refuse to watch black-and-white films, no matter how good they may be. The result is passable, but the very fact that the original was made 22 years before makes this version seem almost dated in its restraint. By the time of its release, Romero had already geometrically raised the gore quotient with Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985), so Savini's starting back at square one further lessened the impact of this pointless retread. If this version has anything to offer, it is Patricia Tallman's engaging lead performance as a gun-toting independent woman, one of this film's few elements not lifted wholesale from Romero. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, (more)
- 1989
This series includes six programs that feature the adventures of two kids who discover a puppet opera house. Features include highlights from some major operas, like Carmen and The Barber of Seville. ~ Rovi
- 1988
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This witty production of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, La Cenerentola, by Gioacchino Rossini, is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus at the Salzburg Festival. Under the direction of Michael Hampe, the story unfolds with unexpected twists and turns. There is a stellar performance by soprano Ann Murray in the title role, with her prince played by Francisco Araiza. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Murray, Francisco Araiza, (more)
This performance of Joseph Haydn's "Die Schopfung was recorded in the Great Hall of the Old University in Vienna in 1982, during the Viennese Festival. The concert features the Arnold Schoenberg Chor, under the conduction of Gustav Kuhn with chorus master Erwin Otner, as well as soloists like Arleen Auger and Peter Schreier. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arleen Auger, Peter Schreier, (more)
- 1982
This performance of Mozart's opera Zauberflote was recorded at the Salzburger Festpiele in 1982 with accompaniment from the Wiener Philharmoniker, and featuring vocalists like Martti Talvela and Peter Schreier in the leading roles. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martti Talvela, Peter Schreier, (more)
- 1982
This for Remembrance, the autobiography of popular singer Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), was the source for this made-for-TV biopic. Played herein by Sondra Locke, the Kentucky-born Clooney begins her career as one-half of a musical act with her sister Betty (Penelope Milford), performing at the election rallies of her politician uncle (John Karlen). Achieving radio popularity in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rosemary goes on to enjoy nationwide fame in the 1950s with such hit recordings as "Come On A' My House", "Tenderly" and "Hey There". Though her success in movies is negligible (White Christmas notwithstanding), she makes a huge impact on television, hosting several of her own weekly series. All the while, however, Rosemary's private life is in turmoil, due in great part to a tempestuous marriage to actor-director Jose Ferrer (played by, of all people, Tony Orlando). After the assassination of her great friend Robert Kennedy in 1968, Rosemary suffers a nervous breakdown, and it is many years before she is able to make a triumphant comeback on the concert trail. Rosemary Clooney herself serves as the singing voice of Sondra Locke, and also dubs in the tunes performed by the actress playing sister Betty. Had Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story aired on CBS a decade or so after its original telecast on December 18, 1982, mention might have been made of the subsequent success of Clooney's actor son Miguel Ferrer and her TV-star nephew George Clooney; there might even have been a re-enactment of Rosemary's third marriage, capriciously staged at a White Castle restaurant in Cincinnati. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
The Vienna State Opera mounted this production of Johann Strauss II's 1874 operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat) in 1980, with a cast that includes Bernd Weikl as Gabriel von Eisenstein, Lucia Popp as Rosalinde, Erich Kunz as Frank and Brigitte Fassbaender as Prinz Orlofsky. The Chorus, Orchestra and Ballet of the Vienna State Opera provide accompaniment under the baton of Theodor Guschlbauer, with Norbert Balatsch serving as chorus master. Günther Schneider-Siemssen designed the sets, Milena Canonero did the costumes, Gerlinde Dill choreographs, and Otto Schenk directs for the stage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bernd Weikl, Lucia Popp, (more)
- 1978
The Wiener Philharmoniker mounted this stage production of Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos, starring Gundula Janowitz, René Kollo and Edita Gruberova. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Karl Böhm, provides symphonic accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gundula Janowitz, René Kollo, (more)
Birgit Nilsson and Jon Vickers star in this filmed record of the Theatre Antique d'Orange's acclaimed 1973 production of Wagner's epic tale of doomed love in the Middle Ages. Tristan und Isolde also features the Orchestre National de R.T.F., under the direction of Karl Bohm. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1967
Perhaps best-known for the musical West Side Story, composer Leonard Bernstein was one of the most accomplished and influential musicians of the 20th century. For fifteen years, beginning in 1958, Bernstein attempted to turn the youth of America on to music through a series of televised performances called Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts. This episode was originally broadcast on Christmas Day in 1967 and includes renditions of 3/4-time pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, and both Johann and Richard Strauss. Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts: A Toast to Vienna in 3/4 Time features solos from Christa Ludwig and Walter Berry. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christa Lugwig, Walter Berry, (more)
- 1966
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's four act opera is performed by Die Wiener Philharmoniker and the Chor der Wiener Staatsoper in a performance captured live at the Kleines Festspielhaus, Salsburg on November 8, 1966. Karl Böhm conducts, and Lorenzo Da Ponte offers libretto based on Beaumarchais' La folle journée ou le de Figaro. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1964
The 1964 Salzburg Festival mounted this production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's iconic, two-act 1791 opera The Magic Flute. As directed for the stage by Otto Schenk, it stars Roberta Peters, Waldemar Kmentt, Pilar Lorengar and Walter Berry in the central roles. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and The Chorus of the Vienna State Opera lend added musical support, with Istvan Kertesz conducting. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Berry, Pilar Lorengar, (more)
- 1961
The Deutsche Oper Berlin mounted this classic production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's two-act dramma giocoso Don Giovanni on September 24, 1961. It stars Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the title role, Josef Greindl as Komtur, Elisabeth Grümmer as Donna Anna and Donald Grobe as Don Ottavio. Ferenc Fricsay conducts, with Walter Hagen-Groll serving as chorus master; Georges Wakhevitch designed the costumes and sets; and Carl Ebert directs for the stage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Josef Greindl, (more)
- 1956
This tuneful swashbuckler follows closely the plot of Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" and chronicles the scandalous life and times of the amoral womanizer Don Giovanni, who after a life of hedonistic debauchery finds himself personally escorted to the gates of Hell by the slain father of one of the women he wronged. The songs are abbreviated from Mozart's opera and the costumes, production design and cinematography are exceptional. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cesare Danova, Joseph Meinrad, (more)
- 1955
The ever-adventuresome Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are responsible for the British musical farce Oh, Rosalinda! Set in postwar Vienna, the film stars Michael Redgrave as Colonel Eisenstein, a military officer who because of a little legal misunderstanding must serve a few months in prison. While sitting alone in her sumptuous house, the colonel's wife Rosalinda (Ludmilla Tcherina) is romanced by American officer Alfred Westerman (Mel Ferrer). When the guard assigned to escort Rosalinda to prison marches in, Westerman, hoping to save Rosalinda from disgrace, claims that he's her husband, and winds up in the pokey himself. Later on, Rosalinda attends a costume ball, where she flirts outrageously with her own husband. Sound familiar? It should: Oh, Rosalinda is a modernized version of Johann Strauss' comic opera Die Fledermaus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Mel Ferrer, (more)
- 1954
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A musical presentation featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the Vienna State Opera. This production from the 1954 Salzburg Festival commemorates the bicentennial of Mozart's birth. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Cesare Siepi, Deszoe Ernster, (more)
