Farinelli (1994)

Farinelli, is the artistic name of Carlo Broschi, a young singer in Handel's time. He was castrated in his childhood in order to preserve his voice. During his life he becomes to be a very ... See full summary »

Director:

Gérard Corbiau

Writers:

Andrée Corbiau (original scenario), Gérard Corbiau (original scenario),

Stars:

Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stefano Dionisi	...	Carlo Broschi (Farinelli)
Enrico Lo Verso	...	Riccardo Broschi
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Alexandra
Jeroen Krabbé	...	George Frideric Handel
Caroline Cellier	...	Margareth Hunter
Renaud du Peloux de Saint Romain	...	Benedict
Omero Antonutti	...	Nicola Porpora
Marianne Basler	...	Countess Mauer
Pier Paolo Capponi	...	Broschi
Graham Valentine	...	Prince of Wales
Jacques Boudet	...	Felipe V
Delphine Zentout	...	Young admirer
Richard Reeves
Jonathan Fox
Jo Betzing	...	(as Josef Betzing)

Storyline

Farinelli, is the artistic name of Carlo Broschi, a young singer in Handel's time. He was castrated in his childhood in order to preserve his voice. During his life he becomes to be a very famous opera singer, managed by his mediocre brother (Riccardo).

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Plot Keywords:

singer | farinelli | opera | madrid spain | eating | 

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Taglines:

Où s'arrête le pouvoir de sa voix?

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for depiction of adult themes and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

France Italy Belgium

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

17 March 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Farinelli (Il castrato)

Filming Locations:

Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Gross:

$2,122,948 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stéphan Films, MG, Italian International Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both male and female voices were combined to create the sound of Farinelli's singing voice. The male voice was Derek Lee Ragin, a British countertenor and the female Ewa Małas-Godlewska, a Polish mezzo-soprano.

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Connections

Featured in The 52nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1995)

User Reviews

Beautiful

This film was great. Even if the singing looked a little fake at times, and there was a bit too much sex than was really necessary, but a great film, with beautiful music. I thought more emphasis would have been put upon the anguish and degradation Farinelli might have felt, and more stress on the love/hate relationship the public had with the castrati, but definitely a film worth seeing.