Aida (1953)

Aida, featuring the actress Sophia Loren, is a film adaptation of a theatre performance written by Verdi. The plot revolves around the character Radames who falls in love with what he ... See full summary »

Director:

Clemente Fracassi

Writers:

Clemente Fracassi (screenplay), Antonio Ghislanzoni (based on the libretto by)

Stars:

Sophia Loren, Renata Tebaldi, Lois Maxwell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophia Loren	...	Aida
Renata Tebaldi	...	Aida (singing voice)
Lois Maxwell	...	Amneris
Ebe Stignani	...	Amneris (singing voice)
Luciano Della Marra	...	Radamès
Giuseppe Campora	...	Radamès (singing voice)
Afro Poli	...	Amonasro
Gino Bechi	...	Amonasro (singing voice)
Antonio Cassinelli	...	Ramfis
Giulio Neri	...	Ramfis (singing voice)
Enrico Formichi	...	Il Faraone [The Pharaoh]
Domenico Balini	...	Il messagero
Paolo Caroli	...	Il messagero (singing voice)
Marisa Valenti	...	Un'ancella
Giovanna Russo	...	Un'ancella (voice)

Storyline

Aida, featuring the actress Sophia Loren, is a film adaptation of a theatre performance written by Verdi. The plot revolves around the character Radames who falls in love with what he thinks is a slave in a country his armies has conquered. The young woman is actually the daughter of the leader he ousted.

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Plot Keywords:

based on opera | lip synching | character name in title | 

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Taglines:

Surging brilliantly beyond the confines of the stage - its glorious arias sung by the great operatic voices of our age - its powerful drama portrayed by a brilliant cast... AIDA is THE film event of the decade!

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Genres:

Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

8 October 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aida

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oscar Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Ferraniacolor: negatives) Color (Technicolor: prints)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sophia Loren lip-synched to the playback of Renata Tebaldi's recordings of the opera so that it appeared Sophia was actually singing.

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Connections

Version of Aida (1987)

User Reviews

Handsome film production of Verdi's classic Aida succeeds in making grand opera more accessible to the masses.

The whole point of making this film, one of the earliest and best international color releases of cinematic opera, was to make it more accessible to the masses. And it succeeded admirably in doing so. The general public would not sit still for a love story about two young exotic lovers in ancient Egypt if played by the typical 300 pound over 40 tenor and soprano with the vocal equipment to sing the glorious music properly. Hence the visual substitution of the beautiful principals (a young Loren, handsome Della Marra, and a slinky Ms. Maxwell)who make the story much more believable, giving those not familiar with the plot or the music a better chance at being wooed into the lovely arias who otherwise might not be. Altogether, an enchanting introduction to one of Verdi's great works. I remember seeing this when I was in junior high school and it certainly awakened my interest in opera, a form with which I was then not well acquainted. I still regard this film fondly and would recommend it highly to those who might appreciate the great music accompanied by better than average visuals. Luciano Della Marra was a standout as Radames, and unfortunately for audiences did not appear in any other films.