Giacomo Puccini Movies
The exquisitely lyrical vocal melodies and rich impressionist orchestrations and harmonies of this late Romantic Italian composer are balanced by his "verismo" sense of life's realities creating an operatic experience of compelling intensity. His music appears in approximately 130 feature-length productions. In Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Lauretta's exquisite, gently rolling aria "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi (1918) is heard very much in the background as the villain John Geiger (played by Willem Dafoe) applies (real) leeches from a glass bottle to his chest. He says to them, "You take care of me and I'll take care of this ship." This very popular aria is also quoted at tender moments in Mystery Men (1999), A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998), G.I. Jane (1997), A Room With a View (1986), Escalier C (Staircase C, 1985), Les Bons débarras (1980) (aka Good Riddance), and Der Tod der Maria Malibran (The Death of Maria Malibran, 1971). In The Witches of Eastwick (1987), the passionate "Nessun Dorma" from the opera Turandot accompanies a comical movement fantasy as the demon (played by Jack Nicholson) frolics with three women (Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer) among a mass of pink balloons filling the splendid marble entranceway of his country mansion. They glide in different combinations on tables with rollers, as the music is projected from a boom box. The Puccini score segues seamlessly into original orchestral music by John Williams as the three women float above an exotic swimming pool in a nearby room. This wonderful aria and other excerpts from Turandot are also heard in No One Sleeps (2000), The Turandot Project (2000), the television production Turandot -- At the Forbidden City of Beijing (1999), Visions of Italy, Northern Style (TV, 1998), Love Etc. (1996), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Aria (1987), Castaway (1987), The Killing Fields (1984), and Serenade (1956). The complete opera received two television productions in 1983 and 1987.Another popular Puccini aria is "Un bel di vedremo" (usually simply referred to as "Un bel di...") from the richly romantic and dramatic opera Madama Butterfly. This aria appears in the thriller Second Skin (2000), Das Geschriebene Gesicht (The Written Face, 1995), Heavenly Creatures (1994), Household Saints (1993), Hsi yen (The Wedding Banquet, 1993), Jennifer Eight (1992), Peter's Friends (1992), Il Maestro (1989), Opera (1987) (aka Terror at the Opera), Fatal Attraction (1987), the charming English gay romance and drama of cultural clashes My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), the thriller Hopscotch (1980), My Geisha (1962), Mitchell Leisen's Tonight We Sing (1953), I'll Take Romance (1937) (uncredited), and One Night of Love (1934). The complete opera received a film and TV production in 1995, TV productions in 1986, 1982, and 1974, and a film version in 1955. Puccini's Tosca was first realized in film in 1922, and has since had many film and television productions (2001, 1990, 1985, 1984, 1982, 1978, 1976, 1956, 1941). An interesting and musically excellent Italian television production by Brian Large placed Tosca: In the Settings and at the Times of Tosca (1992). The well-known aria "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca occurred in Nostradamus (2000) and The Man Who Cried (2000). Puccini's La Bohéme and Manon Lescaut have likewise received many varied productions. Aspects of the composer's life have been covered in the 1984's Puccini (TV) and the 1952 film Puccini (aka Two Loves Have I). ~ "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Movie Guide
- 2008
The legendary Robert Dornhelm directed this 2008 cinematization of Giacomo Puccini's seminal La Boheme - a film-opera starring Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon and George Von Bergen in the principal roles. This adaptation, like the original stage work, tells of the star-crossed love between writer Rodolfo (Villazon) and seamstress Mimi (Netrebko), who meet by chance one memorable Christmas Eve, and instantly fall in love - only to find that love ultimately ripped away by Mimi's fatal bout with tuberculosis. Florian Reichmann designed the sets. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, (more)
- 2008
The Teatro alla Scala mounted this production of Giacomo Puccini's 3-opera cycle "Il Trittico"/"The Tryptich" (Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Il Tabarro) in 2008. Il Tabarro stars Juan Pons as Michele and Miroslav Dvorsky as Luigi; Suor Angelica stars Barbara Frittoli in the title role and Mariana Lipovsek as Zia Principessa; Gianni Schicchi stars Leo Nucci in the title role and Nino Machaidze as Lauretta. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala provide musical accompaniment; Riccardo Chailly conducts. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juan Pons, Miro Dvorski, (more)
The Festival Puccini mounted this July 2007 production of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème, starring Norma Fantini as Mimì, Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi as Musetta, and Massimiliano Pisapia as Rodolfo. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Festival Puccini, under the leadership of conductor Stewart Robinson and chorus master Francesca Tosi, provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Fantini
- 2007
The Festival Puccini mounted this July 2007 production of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème, starring Norma Fantini as Mimì, Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi as Musetta, and Massimiliano Pisapia as Rodolfo. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Festival Puccini, under the leadership of conductor Stewart Robinson and chorus master Francesca Tosi, provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Fantini
- 2007
A note of explanation for the unfamiliar: translated as 'The Tryptich,' the title, Il trittico, refers not to a single operatic work, but to an array of three 1918 one-act operas by the legendary Giacomo Puccini, frequently performed back-to-back: Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica and Il Tabarro. In this February 2007 production, the Teatro Comunale di Modena mounts all three works, with musical accompaniment by the Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini and the Coro di Voci Bianche del Teatro Comunale, and Julian Reynolds conducting. Il tabarro stars Alberto Mastromarino as Michele, Amarilli Nizza as Giorgetta, and Rubens Pelizzari as Luigi; Suor Angelica stars Amarilli Nizza in the title role, Elisa Fortunati as La Badessa and Annamaria Chiuri as La zia principessa; and Gianni Schicchi stars Alberto Mastromarino in the title role, Amarilli Nizza as Lauretta and Annamaria Chiuri as Zita. Cristina Pezzoli directs for the stage. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Mastromarino, Amarilli Nizza, (more)
- 2006
Madrid's legendary Teatro Real staged this production of Giacomo Puccini's seminal opera La Bohème, starring Inva Mula, Aquiles Machado and Jesús López Cobos in the principal roles. Giancarlo del Monaco directed for the stage, Michael Scott designed the sets and costumes, and The Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Inva Mula, Laura Giordano, (more)
- 2006
This evening of opera music features the great tenor Placido Domingo, soprano Anna Netrebko, and tenor Rolando Villazon performing individually and together on a number of selections written by the most famous composers of all time. Among the artists whose work appear during the concert are Verdi, Bizet, Rossini, and Puccini. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Plácido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, (more)
One of the late 19th and early 20th century composer Giacomo Puccini's operatic masterworks, Tosca receives a new interpretation in this stage production mounted by Nuria Espert and filmed at the Teatro Real in January 2004 on high-definition video. The now age-old story, by Victorien Sardu, unfolds around 1800 in Rome. The premise involves a series of political intrigues that spring up when Floria Tosca falls in love with Mario Cavaradossi, a painter who has illegally assisted her brother Cesare Angelotti in escaping from the malevolent police chief Scarpia. Hot on the trail of Angelotti,Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi and refuses to release him unless Tosca accedes to his amorous demands; a number of betrayals and homicides follow. In this production, acclaimed soprano Daniela Dessi interprets the role of Tosca, with Fabio Armiliato as Cavaradossi, Ruggero Raimondi as Scarpia, and Marco Spotti as Angelotti. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniela Dessi, Fabio Armiliato, (more)
A friendly face masks the mind of a twisted serial killer in Spanish painter-turned-filmmaker Martin Garrido Barón's disturbing tale of a man who has finally succumbed to his most violent and murderous impulses. Antonio Frau (Fernando Acaso) has just been released from prison after serving 25 years for the murder of his former girlfriend. Upon inheriting a dilapidated motel from an unknown relative, Antonio determines that his sudden good fortune is a sign from God that he is to begin cleansing the world of those tortured souls who have lost the will to carry on. With a driving urge to achieve notoriety, Antonio sets about luring a series of naïve victims to room six for a series of grueling, blood-soaked purification rites which he meticulously documents in a diary of both images and the written word -- all the while hiding his heinous crimes from his unsuspecting new wife. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Acaso, Maria Jose Bausa, (more)
- 2004
Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly comes to life on stage in a 2004 production captured live at the Arena di Verdona and directed for the stage by Franco Zeffirelli. Daniel Oren conducts the Orchestra dell'Arena di Verona, and Fiorenza Cedolins, Francesca Franci, and Mina Blum star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2003
One of the best-respected artists of his generation, David Hockney is well known for his paintings, prints, and portraits, but he's also developed a reputation as a set designer for some of the world's leading opera companies. A passionate enthusiast of classical vocal music, Hockney's interest in opera has helped to transform the visual aspect of how the pieces are presented, from his bright use of color to his insistence on making lighting cues an integral part of his design. However, there's also an irony to Hockney's success in opera -- at the age of 67, Hockney began losing a significant amount of his hearing, which would not only impact his ability to create for a medium that has earned him so much acclaim, but rob him of his ability to appreciate the music that means so much to him. David Hockney: The Colors of Music is a documentary which examines the artist's unique approach to set design, how the music informs his life, and his feelings as he becomes aware each design project could well be his last. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hockney, Max Charruyer, (more)
- 2002
The Bregenzer Festspiele mounted this production of composer Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca in 2002, starring Zoran Todorovic, Gidon Saks and Nadja Michael and produced by Philipp Himmelmann. Johannes Leiacker designed the sets; the Wiener Symphoniker and the Bregenzer Festspielchor provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nadja Michael
The tragedy of Puccini's heartbreaking romance comes to life on stage in this production starring Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, and Ruggero Raimondi and directed by Beniot Jacquot. The Royal Opera House - Covent Garden performs Puccini's timeless score as Antonio Pappano conducts. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagana, (more)
Giacomo Puccini's tragic 1893 four-act opera Manon Lescaut tells the story of the titular heroine, who - although she initially rises to fame and glory on the basis of appearance - withdraws from her wealth and notoriety to abscond with her soulmate - a decision that plunges her into tragedy and unspeakable despair. With her life ruined, she finds it impossible to transcend circumstance. The home release Manon Lescaut is a film of the co-production between The Flemish Opera and The Opera of Paris, mounted and directed by Robert Carsen, with choreography by Gerda Vandenbos. Miriam Gauci headlines the cast as Manon, alongside Jan Danckaert, Antonio Ordonez, Jules Bastin, and Barry Ryan. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This performance of Puccini's opera, Tosca features the vocal talents of Maria Guleghina and Salvatore Licitra. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Guleghina
- 2000
Documentary filmmaker Trevor Graham gives audiences a priceless glimpse into the sound and the fury behind the staging of Tosca at Sydney's legendary Opera House. With only three weeks of rehearsal, a temperamental diva, and ever-heightening tensions that threaten to explode between various collaborators, the work that goes into preparing the opera for an audience tends to be more dramatic than the production itself. Even viewers who have no interest in opera will most likely be taken in by the kind of dynamics that often make truth more compelling than fiction. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This performance of Giacomo Puccini's opera, Manon Lescaut features Maria Guleghina in the title role, accompanied by the Coro del Teatro alla Scala and the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scalla. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Guleghina, Lucio Gallo, (more)
- 1998
This production of Puccini's opera Tosca, stars Catherine Malfitano, Richard Margison, Bryn Terfel, and Mario Luperi. The orchestra for this staging is conducted by Riccardo Chailly. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Malfitano, Richard Margison, (more)
Puccini's classic opera of a trusting woman and how her love was tragically betrayed comes to the screen in this faithful film adaptation. In the 19th century, an American sailor named Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (Richard Troxell) arrives in Japan and meets a 15-year-old girl named Cio-Cio-San (Ying Huang), whom he calls Butterfly. Butterfly falls in love with Pinkerton, but he regards their romance as a temporary fling and blithely asks for her hand even though he has no intention of bringing her with him when he returns to the States. Blinded by love, Butterfly marries Pinkerton, even though it means turning her back on her family and her faith, and to the surprise of few aside from herself, he soon leaves her behind. Three years later, Butterfly has a child whom Pinkerton fathered shortly before his departure, and the heart-broken woman lives for the day that he returns, though her friends give her little hope that this will ever happen. One day, Pinkerton does indeed return -- with his American wife Kate (Constance Hauman) in tow, and with the intention of taking possession of his child and bringing him back to the United States, leaving Butterfly entirely alone. Madame Butterfly was directed by Frederic Mitterrand, the son of former French president Francois Mitterrand; the score was performed the Orchestre de Paris, under the direction of James Conlon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ying Huang, Richard Troxell, (more)
- 1994
Giacomo Puccini's final opera, Turandot is regarded as one of his strongest and most emotionally powerful works, and it receives an opulent production in this staging produced by the San Francisco Opera Company. Recorded during a 1994 performance, Turandot stars Eva Marton and Michael Sylvester. David Hockney designed the sets and costumes, and Donald Runnicles conducted the orchestra. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This imaginative production of Puccini's beloved opera about the triumphs and tragedies of a group of young artists in Paris is set in the early 1950s, using the economic doldrums in post-war Europe as its subtext. It was staged by director Baz Luhrmann and designers Catherine Martin and Bill Marron, who later went on to make the film Strictly Ballroom. Taped in a live performance at the Sydney Opera House, this production features The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra under the direction of Julian Smith, and stars Cheryl Baker, David Hobson, and Roger Lemke. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
