Elijah Moshinsky Movies

Elijah Moshinsky mounted this rendition of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore, a co-production of the Royal Opera House and the Teatro Real in Madrid. It stars Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef and José Cura; Dante Ferretti (The Name of the Rose, The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen) designed the elaborate sets. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Many years before, police commissioner Otto Schatz (Robert Lindsay) was an ardent participant in the Nazi experience, and he still cherishes a profound (and secret) affection for Hitler. Now it is 1958, and all that is over and done with. He just does his job in a small Bavarian town in an ordinary way. Lately, however, he has been having some strange experiences. In fact, he's getting quite a taste for such classic kosher dishes as chopped liver and gefilte fish. It seems that he is being haunted by the ghost of a Jewish ventriloquist named Genghis Cohn (Anthony Sher) whose anti-Nazi routines earned him an early visit to the gas chambers. Together, this unlikely pair sets out to solve a serial killing. This odd comedy is based on the novel The Dance of Genghis Cohn by Romain Gary. One highlight of the film is lively performance by Diana Rigg as a man-hungry matron with lofty cultural pretensions. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa lead an outstanding cast in this production of Giuseppe Verdi's operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello. The moor Otello (Domingo), proclaimed a hero after a great military victory, is driven by jealousy to murder when his devious comrade-in-arms Iago (Sergei Leiferkus) leads him (without cause) to doubt the fidelity of his wife, Desdemona (Te Kanawa). Georg Solti conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, under the leadership of Bradley Creswick. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The satirical Kingsley Amis novel The Green Man served as the basis for this three-part BBC2 miniseries. Albert Finney headed the cast as Maurice Allington, the libidinous, money-grubbing owner of a quaint British bed-and-breakfast hotel. In hopes of attracting customers, and also desirous of bedding every eligible woman in the region, Allington began spreading rumors that his hotel "the Green Man" was haunted by the ghost of a notorious 17th century occult scientist. The hero was hoist on his own petard when it turned out that the ghost actually did "reside" on the premises -- and with several companion ghosts in the bargain. The Green Man was originally broadcast from October 28 to November 11, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Elizabethan Sydney Opera performs a classic Verdi opera in this musical video. ~ Rovi

This play gets its title from the name of a British holiday called Midsummer Day, the feast of John the Baptist, celebrated on June 24 with merrymaking. On Midsummer Night, witches, goblins, and fairies materialized to hold a festival of their own. Shakespeare's play capitalizes on the magic of the occasion. Set in Athens, it begins when Duke Theseus orders gala ceremonies for his coming marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. But domestic strife intrudes upon the gay atmosphere when one of the duke's subjects, Hermia, chooses Lysander as her future husband over her father Egeus' choice, Demetrius. Theseus reminds Hermia of a law requiring her to obey her father or face death or banishment. Hermia and Lysander then escape to the woods. There, tradesmen are rehearsing a play for the duke's wedding. Demetrius, the rejected suitor, searches the woods for Hermia, while another young lady, Helena, follows him, praying that he will bestow his love on her instead of Hermia. Also in the woods are fairies gathered to bless the duke's wedding. Oberon, the fairy king, argues violently with his queen, Titania, after she refuses to give him a boy he wants as a servant. In retaliation, Oberon orders a fairy named Puck to concoct a potion of flower juice, which, when squeezed on Titania's eyelids, will enamor her of the first creature she sees -- whether animal or man. Witnessing the love problems of Helena and Demetrius, Oberon decides a dose of flower juice will do them good. But because of mischief and mixups, Puck's potion anoints indiscriminately, and everyone temporarily falls in love with the wrong person. Titania ends up with bumpkin Bottom, a tradesman wearing the head of an ass. Eventually, remedial magic rights the wrongs and a triple wedding takes place. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi