![[home]](/movies/images/usccb_logo.gif){kind=logo}
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Full Review
Opera lovers who can tolerate seeing a work not performed live before their eyes may enjoy director Benoit Jacquot's filmed adaptation of Giacomo Puccini's 1900 opera, "Tosca" (Avatar).Film has the advantage of allowing each viewer to see the facial close-ups, unlike an opera house where some individuals strain to see the performers from the nosebleed section. Jacquot uses this plus to good advantage, yet in other respects his technique is puzzling.
Instead of opening up "Tosca" to the possibilities that film offers, he chooses to keep it stagebound. Each act, set in 1800, is confined to one set. On the other hand, he abruptly intercuts brief scenes of Antonio Pappano conducting the orchestra and of the actors recording in the studio, or grainy visuals of the countryside and an ornate church interior, none of which adds anything to the overall effect, except to distract.
The production itself, however, has a lush look, especially the glorious costumes worn by Tosca (Angela Gheorghiu), and some shots of her in long view and from above are beautifully composed. She carries the film with her impassioned performance, emotional expressiveness and commanding vocal talent.
Playing her lover Mario is her real-life husband, Roberto Alagna, who emotes less but still makes a strong impression. Bringing a steely ferocity to his villainous role is Ruggero Raimondi as the Baron Scarpia, who tricks Tosca into betraying her lover, thinking he will also seduce her, but she vents her rage on him and rushes out to rejoin her lover for the climactic finale. In a lesser role, David Cangelosi makes a truly repulsive toady to the arrogant Scarpia.
While the look and tone of the movie are grandly operatic, the cutaways to the orchestra and performers in street clothes break the spell and give the impression of outtakes from a rehearsal. Nor does their singing always seem to be in sync. On other occasions the actors are seen murmuring their lines in Italian while their singing voices are heard in the background.
Some may feel the movie offers an intimacy not found in a large opera house while others may simply leave the film disappointed with its less-than-cinematic treatment of Puccini's work.
Subtitles.
Because of brief violence and an implied affair, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. ( 2002 )
These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.
Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.