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Farinelli - Il Castrato
1994
Director Gerard Corbiau explores the frustrations, painful insecurities and triumphs of Carlo Broschi the legendary 18th century castrato singer. Who at age seven had surgery to become a castrato to preserve his sweet voice. He went on to become one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 18th century, taking on the name .. Read more
| Starring | Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Jeroen Krabbe, Elsa Zylberstein |
|---|---|
| Director | Gerard Corbiau |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Farinelli - Il Castrato
Director Gerard Corbiau explores the frustrations, painful insecurities and triumphs of Carlo Broschi the legendary 18th century castrato singer. Who at age seven had surgery to become a castrato to preserve his sweet voice. He went on to become one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 18th century, taking on the name Farinelli. As his fame grows, tension builds with his less talented brother Riccardo, and seeks self-imposed exile with Alexandra, a girl who steals a work by Handel (Jerome Krabbe) to show her love for Farinelli. A lush, award-winning film of lavish Baroque opera houses, obsessions and rivalries.
| Starring | Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Jeroen Krabbe, Elsa Zylberstein |
|---|---|
| Director | Gerard Corbiau |
| Studio | PATHE WORLD CINEMA |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 46 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: French |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 26 Apr 2004 Production year: 1994 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Not since Amadeus has a film made classical music so popular as this bizarre take on the musical past. Stefano Dionisi stars as castrated singer Farinelli, one of a select band of tonal high-fliers, whose emasculated voice can drive an audience of women wild with lust, and who is forever feuding with his more virile brother and arguing with the composer Handel. In the film, Farinelli's reedy resonance is the digital result of combining counter-tenor with soprano. Passionless vocals, maybe, but this is an emotion-charged story.
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Enjoyably over-the-top biopic, made in a style that veers from high camp to low opera; it's good to look at and, sometimes, to listen to.
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
A bit superficial
A reasonable insight into the lives of the castrati, although the sexual side is rather over-emphasised. The main interest about the Castrati is the fact that they shaped opera composition for 150 years. There is evidence that they were revered in much the same way as pop stars are now, and that they were often persued by women, but this is all incidental to the effect they had on Baroque period music. This film as far as I know is the first to deal with the castrato, but the sexual side takes over too much. The notion that the Farinelli brothers shared lovers is absurd and has no grounding in historical fact. This is a pity because the same kind of false notoriety was built up around the poor Salieri when Amadeus was released. I suppose sex sells movies, but I would rather see something that is more true to fact.
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Most recent members' review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
A bit superficial
A reasonable insight into the lives of the castrati, although the sexual side is rather over-emphasised. The main interest about the Castrati is the fact that they shaped opera composition for 150 years. There is evidence that they were revered in much the same way as pop stars are now, and that they were often persued by women, but this is all incidental to the effect they had on Baroque period music. This film as far as I know is the first to deal with the castrato, but the sexual side takes over too much. The notion that the Farinelli brothers shared lovers is absurd and has no grounding in historical fact. This is a pity because the same kind of false notoriety was built up around the poor Salieri when Amadeus was released. I suppose sex sells movies, but I would rather see something that is more true to fact.
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Farinelli - Il Castrato
Director Gerard Corbiau explores the frustrations, painful insecurities and triumphs of Carlo Broschi the legendary 18th century castrato singer. Who at age seven had surgery to become a castrato to preserve his sweet voice. He went on to become one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 18th ...
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