Benjamin Britten Movies

This musical release captures a live performance of Benjamin Britten's twentieth century opera Billy Budd, recorded at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2010, and featuring such vocalists as John Mark Ainsley, Michael Wallace, John-Owen Miley-Read, and Richard Mosley-Evans in the leading roles. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

This BBC film version of Benjamin Britten's darkly dramatic opera The Turn of the Screw (which was based on a novella by Henry James) was brought to the screen by director Katie Mitchell. With music performed by the London Sinfonia under conductor Richard Hickox, this imaginative presentation of the famous work features performances by Mark Padmore, Lisa Milne, Catrin Wyn Davies, Diana Montague, Nicholas Kirby Johnson, and Caroline Wise. ~ Dana Rowader, Rovi

Adapted from the Thomas Mann novel, Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a famous writer of a certain age who seeks a rebirth of inspiration. To that end, he travels to Venice, where he becomes infatuated with a young Polish Boy, Tadzio, whose family is also vacationing in Venice. Confused by his feelings, Aschenbach tells himself that his infatuation is fatherly, and he enjoys watching Tadzio playing games and emerging victorious. Aschenbach, finding the heat oppressive, decides to leave for the mountains, but his luggage is misplaced and he returns to his hotel. He decides that Tadzio is the inspiration that has been thus far eluding him. Soon after, Aschenbach hears rumors of a deadly infection, and before long learns that a cholera epidemic is overtaking Venice. He knows that he should leave, and that he should warn Tadzio and his family, but he cannot bring himself to do so. On the beach, he sees Tadzio defeated by another boy, who shoves his face into the sand. Tadzio walks into the sea as Aschenbach succumbs to death in his beach chair. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Herman Melville's classic story of persecution and misplaced justice in the British navy is adapted for the operatic stage in this production, with libretto by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, and music by Benjamin Britten. Billy Budd stars Philip Langridge, Thomas Allen, Neil Howlett, and Richard Van Allen; David Atherton conducts the English National Opera Orchestra, and Tim Albery directs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Gloriana was an original opera written by Benjamin Britten on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. The libretto celebrates the fabled romance of the Queen's mother Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex. The story had been previously dramatized by Maxwell Anderson's play Elizabeth the Queen, upon which this opera is heavily reliant. Sarah Walker and Anthony Rolfe Johnson sing the leading roles with a robustness that virtually bursts through the camera lens. This 1984 staging of Gloriana was produced for British television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though he made allusions to his own life in all of his films, Fanny and Alexander was the first overtly autobiographical film by Ingmar Bergman. Taking his time throughout (188 minutes to be exact), Bergman recreates several episodes from his youth, using as conduits the fictional Ekdahl family. Alexander, the director's alter ego, is first seen at age 10 at a joyous and informal Christmas gathering of relatives and servants. Fanny is Alexander's sister; both suffer an emotional shakedown when their recently-widowed mother (Ewa Froling) marries a cold and distant minister. Stripped of their creature comforts and relaxed family atmosphere, Fanny and Alexander suddenly find their childhood unendurable. The kids' grandmother (Gunn Wallgren) "kidnaps" Fanny and Alexander for the purpose of showering them with the first kindness and affection that they've had since their father's death. This "purge" of the darker elements of Fanny and Alexander's existence is accomplished at the unintentional (but applaudable) cost of the hated stepfather's life. Ingmar Bergman insisted that Fanny and Alexander, originally a multipart television series pared down to feature-film length, represented his final theatrical film, though within a year after its release he was busy with several additional Swedish TV projects, and his final work, the 2003 Saraband (also produced for Swedish television), eventually received global theatrical distribution. Oscars went to Fanny and Alexander for Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography (Sven Nykvist), Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Doktor Faustus was adapted from Thomas Mann's epic novel of the same name about a composer, Adrian Leverkuehn (Jon Finch), who sells his soul to the devil for the acquisition of genius in his lifetime. Leverkuehn intentionally contracts syphilis from an infected prostitute because he believes that a side-effect of the disease is intense, sustained creativity; no matter that death from syphilis as it enters the brain is extremely unpleasant -- the composer wants his moment of greatness. That is where Satan comes into the picture, and Leverkuehn agrees to Satan's terms in exchange for creative genius: he is not to have any close human contacts. Being only too human, the composer violates the terms only to see his two closest friends, a cellist and his little nephew, die as a consequence. At this point, after extensive philosophizing and rumination, the Satanic deal just does not have the same allure, and Leverkuehn's own life is quickly deteriorating, much faster than he can handle. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

An apprentice dies in a small town. It does not sound like the stuff opera is made of, but Britten brings it operatic glory in this three act production. ~ Rovi

In this performance captured live at Maltings, Snape, Aldeburgh in November of 1977, pianist Clifford Curzon teams with Amadeus Quartet members Norbert Brainin, Peter Schidlof, Martin Lovett, and Rodnet Slatford to perform the works of Franz Schubert and Benjamin Britten. Compositions featured in this release include Schubert's "String Quartet No. 12 'Quartettsatz', in C Minor, D. 703" and "Quintet in A, D. 667 'Trout'", and Britten's "String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36". ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

As originally aired in 1969 on the BBC, this actually constitutes a filmed recording of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, starring Peter Pears in the title role. Soprano Joan Cross staged the production and John Culshaw mounted it; Britten conducts. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

As originally produced in 1964 under the title "Celebrity Recital," this black-and-white performance film consists of vocalist Peter Pears and pianist Benjamin Britten performing a series of folk songs with arrangements authored by Britten. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This stage performance of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears' 1948 adaptation of composer John Gay's seminal three-act ballad opera The Beggar's Opera originally aired on the BBC in 1963; it stars Janet Baker as Polly Peachum, Kenneth McKellar as Captain Macheath, Bryan Drake as Lockit and Heather Harper as Lucy Lockit. The English Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Meredith Davies, lends added musical accompaniment; Colin Graham produced. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi