Puccini (1984) (TV)

Director:

Tony Palmer

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

In Torre del Lago, by Lake Massaciuccoli, Puccini is writing "The Girl of the Golden West" when his...

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Italian Music | Italy

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Robert Stephens	...	Giacomo Puccini
Bill Fraser
Peter Woodthorpe
William Squire
Rupert Graves	...	Puccini's son
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Judith Howarth	...	Liù, soprano
Virginia McKenna	...	Elvira
Ashley Putnam	...	Soprano

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Channel 4 Television Corporation

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Puccini e la fanciulla (2008)

Soundtrack:

Turandot

Strange But Fascinating Experiment

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film is actually three films in one: The story of a rather terrible trial that came upon the Puccini family, and a VERY stagey setup for the third aspect of the film which is *possible spoiler here* a production of Puccini's last opera TURANDOT being put together by the Scottish National Opera. *Another possible spoiler*: The story of the opera, to a degree, matches the unfortunate problem the Puccini family had to face.

The actual "film" aspect of this is quite well done indeed. The always remarkable Robert Stephens plays Puccini with all the verve and larger-than-life personality that is wonderfully like that of the composer, and when he has to "take stage" in the "theatrical" bits to segue to the preparations for the opera, he handles it with aplomb and complete believability. The preparation of the Scottish National Opera for their production may fascinate some, and bore others into the ground.

I've only been able to give this 7 out of 10, because, by and large, the production values are rather wanting in this, and, though I think the actors, all of them, and the people involved in the rehearsals for the actual opera, are doing their level best, the camera work sometimes isn't very clear at all, there is more than a little confusion of direction (in the sense of mise-en-scene) and occasionally everyone looks, well, rather sloppy: There is a distinct possibility that they were trying to communicate some of the more squalid aspects of life in early 20th century times, but, for this viewer at least, it didn't work.

A final note of "historical" interest: The role of Tonio, Puccini's son, is played by a very young Rupert Graves a year or so BEFORE Merchant Ivory picked him up to play Freddy in A ROOM WITH A VIEW. He is only in something like three scenes but in one of them, he delivers an astonishing performance in one so young!

If you like opera, and are fascinated (as I am) by production work and behind-the-scenes goings-on, I think you'll find this fascinating. If not, you'd probably best give it a miss.