1. Carmen on DVD--Complete Review(EDITED) - Florentine Opera

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This kinescope copy of a live 1956 studio performance preserves one of the earliest efforts in Italy at producing opera for television. Although the black and white picture and the mono sound quality are good for the period, the production shares the technical limitations common to such productions, particularly the artificiality of singers lip-synching to their own pre-recorded soundtrack. The singers here are variable in the accuracy of their synchronization and the lack of any environmental sound (footsteps, physical activity, etc.) is inevitably unnatural. The performance also reflects common practice in Italy at that time in being sung in Italian. Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy here. Within the limited confines of the studio space the settings combined with close-up camera work create an effective illusion of the locations and Franco Enriquez direction is straightforward and imaginative in creating a strongly realistic performance. Musically the performance is very fine and it is well-acted. Texas-born Belen Amparan is a forceful, sensuous (but not “sexy”) <strong>Carmen</strong>, singing with warm, evenly produced tone and plenty of temperament. The role of Don José was new to Franco Corelli at this early point in his career and in addition to his characteristically powerful singing he is more strongly involved as an actor, tracing his character’s gradual descent into murderous madness, a bit over the top in the final scene but certainly exciting. The vocal excesses of his later recordings of the role are largely absent here. Anselmo Colzani’s macho Escamillo is splendidly sung, and Elda Ribetti is a touching Micaela. An enjoyable memento of some fine artists who, other than Corelli, are too little remembered today. Offshoots and Byways AUR-CARMEN@ <strong>Carmen</strong> in South Africa Hazlewood: Malefane, Tshoni, Bkou, Sidloyi (Dornford-May)(DDK Theatre Company, 2004)(Adapted by Dornford-May, Kedama, Malefane)(Sung in Xhosa)(Film) The South African theatre company DDK has pioneered productions of operatic productions by South African artists. This film evolved from their production of Bizet’s opera but adapts the story and score to a contemporary setting in the township Khayelitsha and translates the text into Xhosa. The film is generally naturalistic, the music is abridged, and the plot freely revised to fit the South African setting. While some musical portions are sung and played “straight,” such as the José-Micaela duet and much of the final scene, other sections are treated more as a background score, and naturalistic environmental sound is usually present. Clearly it is not a production of Bizet’s opera, but as a unique take on a familiar story and as a film it is a strong piece of work. The revisions in the plot are imaginative, instead of a bullfighter, the Escamillo figure is a rising South African baritone who is seen briefly on television singing the Toreador song, while the final act takes place at a concert in which he is the star attraction. He does get to kill a bull, but it is for a feast honoring a revered elder. The film draws heavily on the sense of community in the township and provides a rich look at an aspect of South African life rarely seen by foreigners. Well worth seeing. Silent(!) Films Based on <strong>Carmen</strong> Finally, a note on videos of related interest that no lover of <strong>Carmen</strong> should miss. In 1915 the glamorous star soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, Geraldine Farrar, filmed a silent version of <strong>Carmen</strong>, directed by none other than Cecil B. DeMille. The silent film was accompanied by a very effective arrangement of Bizet’s music, which has been reconstructed as the soundtrack for some restored versions of the film. The script owes as much to Prosper Mérimée’s original novella as to the opera and Farrar’s beauty and athletic acting make it well worth seeing. The DVD version on Image entertainment is well done and has the advantage of including Charlie Chaplin’s Burlesque on <strong>Carmen</strong>, a two-reel parody of DeMille’s film which was released just months after the original. Chaplin as the soldier “Darn Hosiery” is not to be missed. However
the VAI edition of DeMille’s film offers superior image and sound quality and includes a bonus of Farrar singing two scenes from the opera accompanied by a montage of images from the film. Chaplin’s parody is also available in Volume 3 of his early Essanay films (Image Entertainment). NOTE: Some DVD editions of Chaplin’s film offer the four-reel version, which the Essanay company concocted after Chaplin moved to another studio. It was padded with new material featuring comedian Snub Pollard plus some footage Chaplin had discarded. (This version literally made Chaplin ill and he successfully sued Essanay over it.) The reconstructed original version is included in the editions mentioned above. Editions of the four-reel version are based on inferior early prints; they are usually of poor quality and not recommended. Not Recommended--Dialogue Versions Maazel: Migenes, Domingo, Raimondi, Esham (Francesco Rosi film)(Paris/Spain, 1982/84) (Olive Films) This film has been enthusiastically received by film critics and non-operagoers so mine is a minority report. Visually it is a strikingly beautiful travelogue of locations in Spain and the musical component, recorded earlier in Paris, is also attractive, though you wouldn’t know it from viewing the film, where it is overlaid with loud environmental sounds throughout. (To hear the music properly it is necessary to go to the CD version.) As a presentation of Bizet’s opera, however, it is seriously flawed. Director Francesco Rosi uses Bizet’s score most of the time as if it were background music for a film and makes little effort to motivate all that singing, it is merely accompaniment for spectacular landscape and crowd scenes. On the few occasions when no large crowd is present he seems to be lost, for duets and arias he simply places the singers in a static tableau and films it with minimal camera movement, or occasionally has the singers walk away from the camera so he can show his colorful village scenes. Several times there are major discrepancies between what the music and text are implying and what Rosi shows on screen. For example, at the end of Act II, Bizet’s score and the dramatic context make it clear that the smugglers with Jose are heading off to smuggle. Rosi, however, clears the tavern and shows us three couples going to bed, with a final shot of Zuniga tied to a chair. Only Julia Migenes, a vivid actress and dancer, brings her character to life. The role would probably be to low and too heavy for her in an opera house, but in the recording she sings with plenty of color and vivid projection of the text. The remaining principals, Plàcido Domingo, Ruggero Raimondi and Faith Esham sing well, Domingo very well, but are rather stiff and ineffective on screen. The edition of the score restores some of the musical material from Fritz Oeser’s critical edition, but the spoken dialogue is reduced to a minimum. Not recommended. Levine: Baltsa, Carreras, Mitchell, Ramey (Mills)(MET, 1987)(DG) There is much to enjoy in this live MET performance, particularly the brilliant work of the orchestra and chorus under James Levine’s warmly dramatic direction. The sets and costumes by John Bury are handsome without being gaudy. The production was originally staged by Peter Hall, but this revival was restaged by Paul Mills, and Hall is not credited at all. The crowd scenes are well-handled with plenty of realistic detail. Unfortunately, the production is sabotaged by its leading singers, Agnes Baltsa as <strong>Carmen</strong> and José Carreras as Don José. Baltsa is an energetically active <strong>Carmen</strong> and sings with ringing tone, but she is totally lacking in charm or sex appeal, most of the time her <strong>Carmen</strong> seems angry and hostile and it’s hard to imagine men flocking too her, or that she cares. Carreras was still in good voice at this time but the way he was constantly stretching his lyric voice beyond its natural limits did not bode well for its future. As an actor he is mechanical, stiff, and totally lacking in spontaneity, every movement and gesture, most which are stock arm waving, seems calculated and he rarely looks at his partners on stage, singing much of the time with his eyes closed. Leona Mitchell is a
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1. Carmen on DVD--Complete Review(EDITED) - Florentine Opera

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