Great Performances (TV Series) La bohème (1994) User Reviews

Tragic Love Story

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 11 September 2008]

In the 50's, in Paris, the neighbors Rodolfo (David Hobson) and Mimi (Cheryl Barker) meet each other when Mimi's candle blows out in a cold and dark night. They immediately fall in love for each other, in times of financial difficulties in the post-war. Rodolfo introduces Mimi to his close friends Marcello (Roger Lemke) and his beloved Musetta (Christine Douglas); Colline (Gary Rowley); and Schaunard (David Lemke) and together they have a good-time in Café Momus. Some time later, Mimi tells Marcello that she can not support the jealousy of Rodolfo any longer and when Marcello discuss with Rodolfo, Mimi overhears the real reason for the behavior of her beloved Rodolfo.

This is the first time I see "La Bohème", inclusive my greatest interest is to compare the Australian version on DVD with the version that will be played in Teatro Municipal next Friday in Rio de Janeiro. Baz Luhrmann's adaptation is a modern love story that recalls a musical instead of a conventional opera, and has excellent interpretations, highlighting David Hobson, Cheryl Barker, Roger Lemke and Christine Douglas in the lead roles. The camera is excellent, considering that it is a live presentation, inclusive with great closes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "La Bohème"

Not very clear in the credits but this is Baz Luhrmann's wonderful production of the opera

[maggie-9 · 10/10 · 5 June 2001]

With Moulin Rouge doing well at the box office at the moment, I decided to see whether the IMDB contained an entry for the video of Luhrmann's original opera production La Boheme, the one that contains the huge rooftop sign saying L'Amour, which also features in Moulin Rouge. Well, it's here but no user comments at all. What a shame!

This Australian production is a wonderful La Boheme, more like a musical than an opera and not really for opera buffs. At the time of its first production it really was a production of the young, all the main singers as well as designer Catherine Martin and Baz himself being under thirty. The singers are good but not the very best, but most non-opera lovers will trade that in for singers who look the part. David Hobson is great looking as is Cheryl Barker who really does look consumptive at the end. And they can act. In the curtain calls at the end Hobson is really crying. This is emphatically not one of those opera productions where you desperately try to forget that the singers are middle-aged, decidedly rotund and definitely not suffering.

The design is beguiling, setting the opera in 1950s Paris complete with cool leather jackets, new look dresses and bright lights amid post-war drabness. It is stagey, because this is a video of a stage production but the original direction was very fluid and the set works beautifully. As with all updating there are problems with anachronisms (no wall around Paris is a problem). But these are small points. This was Baz Luhrmann's first hurrah and a great one too. Don't know how readily available it is but rush to see it if you can.

A wonderful introduction to the world of Opera

[jynnantonnix · 8/10 · 9 July 2001]

I first saw this production (at least, part of it) on Public Television a few years ago, and was just smitten with the look and atmosphere.I had been haunted by it since, but unable to find it until recently. Anyway, suffice it to say I enjoyed it as much as I had remembered! The setting of the story in the 50's makes it truly accessible, and while I agree that the cast is vocally somewhat lightweight, this is not, in my mind, a flaw in this sort of production.It is not about huge and beautiful singing...this is an intimate production in which the personalities themselves are more important than some pinnacle of musical excellence.Personally, I found David Hobson's (Rodolfo)light yet musical voice perfect for the character. This seems to me a wonderful production with which to introduce young people to the world of opera (which is a tremendous merit in itself!).There is not the problem of having to look "beyond" the physical appearance of a character (no robust Mimi here, nor middle aged,rotund Rodolfo), and the very lightness of the voices may make it somewhat easier to swallow for those not accustomed to operatic style.

In short, if you are a diehard, pure "Opera" fan, you are likely to be somewhat ambivalent toward this, but if you can handle opera with a popcorn factor,it just might be a really enjoyable experience.

I Liked it.

[Lady_Targaryen · 8/10 · 15 August 2005]

I had never seen the Opera La Bohéme before, then,I cannot say that this version is better than the other ones.

In my opinion, I found it quite interesting, not only for the love story, which is beautiful spite of being simple, but also because it take place in modern times.

Most of the Operas that I watched, happened in remote time, or in the last century.

La Bohéme has its story in France, after the Second World War and tells about Rodolfo and Mimi , neighbours that fall in love to each other.

As all the operas, it finishes in a tragic way, that it is the death of Mimi.

Amen

[fdbjr · 27 June 2001]

This is a superb staging of an opera that never fails. Singers have been cast for dramatic effect. David Hobson is particularly effective. Musical purists should look elsewhere (Hobson has a passable, but very light voice), but anyone else will really enjoy this production. That the director is Baz Luhrmann and it has a definite affinity with the new movie Moulin Rouge, adds to its value.

A truly wonderful and enjoyable production.

[jude2348 · 6 December 2004]

Not only is this a wonderful and accessible production of Puccini's great opera, it also suggests the origins of much that Baz Luhrmann has done since, especially in "Moulin Rouge".

Luhrmann has set it in a more modern time than is usual, with many of his later trademarks in evidence, such as the 'L'amour' sign. It is a fresh, vigorous and youthful production, as Puccini no doubt intended it to be.

The leads are not only great singers, but are young and good looking, giving a visual credibility and beauty to match the sound.

I cannot recommend this film too highly to opera lovers. I love it.

a beautiful, beautiful masterpiece.........

[mariposarosa2 · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

This is, definitely, one of the most beautiful and poignant interpretations/performances of this classic opera. The director, Baz Luhrmann (best known for Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge!), revamped it and set it in the 1950s French Latin Quarter. Not only is the acting strong, but the singing is superb. The leads, David Hobson (as the poet, Rudolfo) and Mimi (the ailing Mimi) are absolutely mesmerizing.

Even watching it, back in 1994, I could tell it was going to go on to be legendary. The artistic direction is vibrant, the music is beautifully performed and there are even warm, humorous moments, sprinkled between the seams of tragedy and mournfulness. You feel a connection to the actors, and it ultimately tugs at your heartstrings........Note: Watch this with a box of tissues and someone you love........

Stunning

[Diapason · 17 December 2002]

Boheme always makes me cry (a lot), but I don't recall any of the dozens of performances I've seen having this effect on me. I'm quite used to suspending reality when looking at large, mature singers portraying teenagers, but when you have singers who not only look the part but can act... it makes 'big name' productions a bit like too much wedding cake all at once...

Just wonderful, especially David Hobson. Buy it. Now.

A lovely production

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 1 November 2011]

This Baz Luhrmann La Boheme is just lovely. I would have the 1988 SF production or the 1965 production as first choices over this one, that said, coming from someone who finds Luhrmann's filmography very hit and miss I very much enjoyed this Australian production of La Boheme.

Visually, it is beautifully done, with the whole production shot lovingly with no overblown editing in sight. The acts 1 and 4 settings are well-lit and appropriate, but for sets I found act 2 was the most effective. The costumes are sumptuous, with Mimi looking very angelic dressed in white. Staging is also great, act 2 is busy without being too chaotic, the end of act 1 is understated, and the quartet and act 4 are just heart-breaking as they should be.

From a musical point of view, this La Boheme also excels. The orchestra bring out the pathos and beauty of Puccini's magnificent score wonderfully and the conducting is nicely genteel while never becoming stodgy. Chorus work is excellent, especially with the ladies, though the start of act 3 with the men is characterful and mostly in tune.

You also have great performances. It is true that David Hobson's tenor voice is quite lightweight and perhaps on the thin side. This in mind, he does sing beautifully with no obvious strain and uses the voice musically, and at least he emotes and exudes good chemistry with Baker. Cheryl Baker is a wonderful Mimi, with her two shining moments being in Donde Leita Uschi and the whole of the final act. The end of act 3 with the snowballs may be corny to some, I personally found it quite affecting.

Christine Douglas is a flirtatious and witty Musetta, and Robert Demke is great as Marcello, reacting well with Douglas during La Commedia Stupenda...Quando M'en Vo and blending beautifully with Hobson in In Un Coupe...O Mimi Tu Piu Non Torni. Colline is intelligently sung with a very musically phrased Vecchio Zimmara, Schaunard steals every scene he appears in and Benoit, Parpignol and Alcindoro are sung and acted with few problems at all.

In conclusion, lovely. 8/10 Bethany Cox

L'Amour

[Gyran · 10/10 · 20 June 2007]

This film was one of those that I saw in the late 1990s when I was first allowed to watch opera. I was bowled over by the singing, the acting and the production. It is partly responsible for kindling my interest in opera and for encouraging me to explore further. Naturally, on this journey, I have seen many more Bohèmes, several of which I have reviewed on this site. In the process I have come to realise that the singing in this film is only Australian class rather than world class. David Hobson has a rather thin tone as Rodolfo and Cheryl Barker's delivery, as Mimi, is somewhat unemotional. Still I find the performances immensely moving and the stage direction by the young Baz Luhrmann is unsurpassed.

Luhrmann sets the story firmly in Paris in 1957. We have lots of 1950's posters in the Bohemians' garret and, when we first see Marcello, he is flinging paint onto a canvas in the manner of an action painter. Such updates do always create incongruities. Mimi's dying of consumption in 1957 is a bit unlikely and I am fairly sure that they had electricity in Paris in the 1950s so all the business about Mimi's candle blowing out becomes a bit silly. Still, we do not mind because David Hobson and Cheryl Barker make such a sexy couple and Luhrmann has an original take on their groping for the key in the dark. On the rotating stage, their first act finale O Suave Fanciula takes place on the roof of their apartment in front of a neon sign reading "L'Amour". Mimi gently pushes Rodolfo away as he attempts to kiss her because it is too early in their relationship.

There is a good Café Momus scene with effective performances from Roger Lemke as Marcello and Christine Douglas as Musetta. I liked the addition of Japanese tourists to the festivities. The breakup scene is gut-wrenching, on a split-level stage with Mimi down below overhearing Rodolfo's fears for her life and his need to get away from her for her own sake. Luhrmann saves two clever details for the final scene. When the lovers reminisce about finding the key, Rodolfo actually produces it from a string around his neck. Where the lovers embrace for the last time Mimi again refuses to kiss Rodolfo. This time it is too late.

An enjoyable watch if you are a fan of Rent

[robbie762 · 8/10 · 6 April 2007]

Being a fan of Rent, Gary Larsons take on Puccini's La Boheme, I was interested in seeing the roots of the material. But do a search on La Boheme and you'll find many versions of this masterpiece. It was Baz's name attached to this piece that drew me in, as I am a fan of his work. I don't speak a word of the language, and never watched Opera before. But this was quite an enjoyable experience. To see the parallels between the Boheme and Rent was quite amazing. The sets are even similar to the movie, with the loft being almost a duplicate. And look out for the name TOM written in the window dirt. Even if you weren't a fan of Moulon Rouge (Which I was) you can take something away from this. And check out Collin's bright yellow jacket - wow!

A very good piece to experience, as it is an experience.

Culture yourself people, culture yourself!