Editorial Review:Description:In Jacques Offenbach's fantasy opera, the poet E.T.A. Hoffmann dreams of three women - a mechanical performing doll, a bejeweled siren who steals his reflection, and the consumptive daughter of a famous composer - all of whom break his heart in different
Amazon.com:Jacques Offenbach died with his masterpiece not quite finished, and that has made
The Tales of Hoffmann a predestined victim for adapters who have dropped some numbers, inserted others, altered the plot, fiddled with the casting, and changed the order of scenes. It has survived and kept its essential identity through many adaptations because its music is so witty and compelling, its imagination so vivid and varied, its story of the poet Hoffmann's unhappy loves so intriguing they can transcend such tinkering.
A critical performing edition prepared by musicologist Michael Kaye has made it possible to come close to Offenbach's original intentions after more than a century of misunderstanding, and major companies have begun to use that edition, but so far no universally satisfying production of it has reached video. An Opera de Lyon production, using Kaye's research but with a radically untraditional staging, has won wholehearted approval from some fans but unequivocal rejection from more.
As adaptations go, this 1951 film is the best compromise currently available on video and will always be a classic in its own right, even when a more faithful treatment becomes available. It drops some of Offenbach's music and includes some that is spurious, and it changes the plot (Hoffman's beloved Stella is made a dancer--Moira Shearer--not a singer). But at least it treats the story with affection, imagination, and technical expertise. The music presents only highlights of the score, but it is in the hands of a great conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. The movie is essentially the work of the same team that produced
The Red Shoes (directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger); it has the same kind of imaginative appeal and its technical resourcefulness is still exciting, still on the cutting edge despite its age. I expect eventually to add a more faithful
Tales of Hoffmann to my video collection, but I will never stop enjoying this one.
--Joe McLellan
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Related Items:
see more
Related Items:
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Tales of Hoffman
A treasure! If only for the two rare and marvelous acts by the incredibly lithe and lovely Moira Shearer. The video quality is surprisingly good, also.
Rating: -
EXTRAORDINARY IN EVERY WAY ! ! !
Criterion pulled out all stops with this incredible release - well worth the wait and price. Absolutely glorious Technicolor, a flawless print, and an abundance of informative extras.
I can't recommend this beautiful film enough. It will be a crowning jewel in any film lovers collection!
Rating: -
Five stars and Five Wows!!!!!
Wow!!!!! What a great film!!! I love this opera and this film tells the story with a magic impossible on stage. Sung in English with English subtitles and other narrative devices, you will see Hoffmann for the first time clearer than ever. Highly recommended!!!
Rating: -
Tales of Hoffmann
Truly worth the premium price, this is a gorgeous recreation of a fascinating movie I had not seen for over fifty years. The restoration and transfer are beyond reproach, and the movie itself is even more interesting and engaging than I remembered. Extras are first-rate, and this is a welcome addition to the Powell and Pressburger Technicolor collection - did any producers do better and more pioneering colour work on such modest budgets. It might even be worthwhile seeking out "The Elusive Pimpernel" and "Gone to Earth", which I have never seen...
Rating: -
Unforgettable
Saw it on day QE II was proclaimed Queen, and several times soon after. Have been obsessed with it ever since. Finally got it on DVD 56 years later. Got a stage version on DVD earlier and found that the movie edited the original - I think improving it at end Act 3 and in epilogue. Has everything - great music and singing, fantastic plot, suspense, imaginative scenery.
