Leontyne Price Movies

Established in 1905 for the encouragement and nurturing of young talent, the New York-based conservatory Juilliard has boasted such stellar alumni as Kevin Kline, Wynton Marsalis, Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve, Christine Baranski, Laura Linney, and Kelsey Grammer -- not to mention such distinguished instructors as Walter Damrosch and John Houseman. Produced in conjunction with a book about the celebrated conservatory, this two-hour TV documentary focuses on four contemporary Juilliard students: Jeffrey Carlson (acting), Abdur-Rahim Jackson (dance), Elizabeth Morgan (piano), and Sarah Wolfson (voice). In fine PBS tradition, the footage of the chosen foursome studying, practicing, succeeding, and sometimes falling short of their goals is counterbalanced with interviews of famous Juilliard grads (as well as some current celebrities who were unceremoniously invited to leave the conservatory). Juilliard was originally telecast as an episode of PBS' American Masters anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Some of the greatest operatic performances ever seen on television have been compiled in this video. Ed Sullivan had one of the best-loved variety shows in the early days of television, and his knack for spotting and showcasing great talent extended to every area of the performing arts, including opera. This video is a compendium of performances by opera stars who appeared on the Sullivan show. These include legends like Leontyne Price, Roberta Peters, Maria Callas, Robert Merrill, Beverly Sills, Eileen Farrell, Anna Moffo, Richard Tucker, Birgit Nilsson, Jan Peerce, Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Lily Pons, and Dorothy Kirsten. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

A musical performance from the New York Philharmonic inaugural featuring the music of Price doing Mozart's Jupiter. ~ All Movie Guide

Conductor Donald Vorhees introduces four prima donnas of the opera world in Bell Telephone Hour: First Ladies of the Opera: Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Renata Tebaldi, and Birgit Nilsson. This show originally appeared on network television, there being no public TV at the time. Filmed performances from this era marked the beginning of programs telecast in color. Each diva sings an aria, talks briefly with Vorhees regarding careers and favorite pieces, then offers another song from her repertoire. Nilsson performs a selection from Turandot and Tebaldi sings Suicidio from La Giocondo. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

The last of five full-length operatic performances to be telecast by NBC during the calendar year 1957, this NBC Opera Company presentation was also the first American staging of Francis Poulenc's then-new work, Dialogues of the Carmelites. Set during the French Revolution, the story centers upon Blanche, the daughter of the aristocratic Marquis de la Force. Fleeing the wrath of the rebels, Blanche takes refuge in a convent run by Carmelite nuns. Deciding to devote her life to God, Blanche willingly undergoes the rigors and disciplines of her new life--only to have that life, and the lives of all the other nuns, placed in jeopardy when the rebels catch up with her. The production is capped by the harrowing "martyrdom" finale, in which the voice of each nun is abruptly silenced, one after another, by the sound of the headsman's axe. The great Leontyne Price heads the cast as Mme. Lidoine, with Elaine Malbin as Blanche and Patricia Neway as the Mother Superior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide