Carmen 1984  PG, 152 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Musical
Director: Francesco Rosi
Cast: Julia Migenes, Ruggero Raimondi, Placido Domingo, Faith Esham, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Gerard Garino, Susan Daniel, Francois Le Roux, John-Paul Bogart, Lillian Watson, Julien Guiomar, Accursio Di Leo, Maria Campano, Juan Antonio Jimenez, Cristina Hoyos
This rendition of Bizet's "Carmen" is an excellent presentation. It is the story of poor, cigarette factory worker Carmen (Julia Migenes) who is a very driven woman. She bewitches Don Jose (Placido Domingo) and then takes off with a group of gypsies–only to be killed at story's end by a very jealous Don Jose who is upset with her new relationship with Escamillo (Ruggero Raimondi). Very enjoyable fare for opera fans and non-fans as well.
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Don Giovanni 1979  N/R, 178 min.
Genre: Musical
aka: Mozart's Don Giovanni
Director: Joseph Losey
Cast: Ruggero Raimondi, John Macurdy, Edda Moser, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kenneth Riegel, Jose van Dam, Teresa Berganza, Malcolm King, Eric Adjani, Janine Reiss, Roberto Del Lago, Sandro Dal Pra, Cristina Fondi
Mozart's classic opera is brought to the screen with Ruggero Raimondi in the title role of the womanizer, Don Giovanni. He gets an ultimatum from the ghost of The Commendatore (John Macurdy). When he is told to change his ways or face Hell's fires, Don Giovanni does not listen, and the last scene shows him being dragged into Hell.
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Life Is a Bed of Roses 1983 PG, 111 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Comedy / Musical / Fantasy
Director: Alain Resnais
Cast: Vittorio Gassman, Ruggero Raimondi, Geraldine Chaplin, Fanny Ardant, Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azema, Andre Dussollier, Jean-Louis Richard, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Robert Manuel, Martine Kelly, Samson Fainsilber
The possibility of a perfect world is examined in this fable, which uses a World War II "Temple of Happiness" from that era and compares its purpose with a present-day conference on education. The findings are that utopia does not seem to be the answer to society's problems.
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Tosca 2001 N/R, 119 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Benoit Jacquot
Cast: Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Ruggero Raimondi, Maurizio Muraro, David Cangelosi, Sorin Coliban, Enrico Fissore, Gwynne Howell, James Savage-Hanford, Karl-Heinz Rogosch
Pucchini's opera of tragic love and betrayal in Rome, circa 1800, is brought to the screen by Benoit Jacquot–with good results. Even those who are not opera fans may like this well-made film.
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| 1. Carmen (1984)
2. Don Giovanni (1979)
aka: Mozart's Don Giovanni
3. Life Is a Bed of Roses (1983)
4. Tosca (2001)
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