Anna Moffo Movies

In addition to her ethereal voice, mysterious beauty, and formidable charisma, soprano Anna Moffo possessed a photogenic visage which lent itself well to the numerous operatic films and frequent international television appearances that helped to launch her enduring career. With this release fans can finally experience the best of both worlds as Moffo's best appearances from the Bell Telephone Hour are presented alongside excerpts from her operatic films La Traviata and Lucia Di Lammermoor to provide a comprehensive history of the opera legend's career on the small screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This documentary is part one of a series featuring some of the greatest stars of opera, whose performances were captured on the Bell Telephone Hour Telecasts. These programs actually began on radio in the 1940s and then came to television in 1959; the last broadcast was in 1967. The telecasts represent one of the few programs on which commercial television gave a forum for classical music. Some of the operatic artists introduced to the television public and presented here are Anna Moffo, Joan Sutherland, Birgit Nilsson, Rise Stevens, and Richard Tucker, all of whom give unforgettable performances. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

Voice of Firestone: Twelve Prima Donnae From the Golden Age of Opera features television performances dating between 1050 and 1963 by a dozen famous sopranos. Among the famous performers that appear are Eleanor Sterber, Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Renata Tebaldi, Roberta Peters, and Jeanette Macdonald. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

An international collection of well-known directors contributed to this compilation film, each fashioning a short film inspired by an aria from a famous opera. The approaches vary broadly, from the playful abstraction of Jean-Luc Godard's segment, which illustrates Armide with exercising body-builders, to the more literal approach of Franc Roddam, who transports Tristan und Isolde's story to modern-day Las Vegas. A particular stand-out is Julian Temple's take on Rigoletto, which recasts Verdi as the accompaniment to a contemporary Southern California sex farce. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

In this comical Italian murder mystery, family members congregate at a British estate for the reading of a will. As in many mysteries before it, the attendees are murdered off one by one until only a soprano for the Metropolitan opera remains. In the end, Scotland Yard convinces her to confess because they know that she hid the second will she discovered. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on Harold Robbins' bestseller, The Adventurers stars Yugoslav heartthrob Bekim Fehmiu as Porfirio Rubirosa clone Dax Xenos. Having suffered mightily as a child in a fictional South American country due to the political activities of his parents, Xenos grows up to become a sleazy, sexually manipulative playboy. He romances middle-aged widow Olivia de Havilland, then dumps her after he's run through her fortune. He then takes up with heiress Candice Bergen, who bears his child. When the kid is killed and Xenos turns his back on her, Bergen finds solace in lesbianism. All the while, Xenos is fomenting revolutions aimed at toppling the Trujillo-like despot (Alan Badel) responsible for the death of his father. The Adventurers received a lot of magazine coverage due to a poolside nude scene and the "guess who this is supposed to be?" nature of the cast of characters. But it failed to establish Bekim Fehmiu as an international star. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This film is part of a series of operatic performances presented on the Bell Telephone Hour Telecasts, which aired from 1962-1967. This edition features the life of the famous soprano Anna Moffo, a sensational performer whose voice and appearance made her a star of stage and film. Born in Pennsylvania to Italian-American parents, she won a Fulbright scholarship and studied voice in Europe. Her operatic debut, which made her a celebrity, was as Cio-Cio-San in a 1956 film version of Madame Butterfly. Ms. Moffo performed for 17 years with the Metropolitan Opera. Musical selections included here are works from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Verdi's La Traviata and Puccini's La Boheme. Moffo is paired in the performances with a distinguished group of leading men for a most enjoyable musical experience.

~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

The story of a chambermaid, Serpina, deceiving her master into marriage is told in this operatic combination of pantomime, music and comedy sung in Italian. ~ Rovi

In this release of a performance originally telecast on Radiotelevisione Italiana on May 9, 1956, Giuseppe Taddei, Scipione Colombo, and Luigi Alva headline Verdi's three act opera with the backing of the Orchestra and Chorus of Radiotelevisione Italiana Milano and conductor Tullio Serafin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi