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Madame Butterfly
1995
Frederic Mitterand's filmic version of the famous Puccini opera Read more
| Starring | Ying Huang, Richard Troxell, Ning Liang, Richard Cowan |
|---|---|
| Director | Frédéric Mitterrand |
| Genres | Music/Musical, World Cinema |
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Madame Butterfly
Frederic Mitterand's filmic version of the famous Puccini opera
| Starring | Ying Huang, Richard Troxell, Ning Liang, Richard Cowan |
|---|---|
| Director | Frédéric Mitterrand |
| Studio | COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 8 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Music/Musical, World Cinema |
| Language | Italian |
| Released | DVD: 04 Mar 2002 Production year: 1995 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Madame Butterfly started life as a novel in the late 1890s and became a play in 1900, but is now best known as an opera by Puccini. Alas, Paramount came a cropper with this film version, an updated presentation told as straight melodrama. Directed at a snail's pace by Marion Gering, with Cary Grant not at his best as Lieutenant Pinkerton, it's a turgid bore. Sylvia Sidney has the perfect face and sad soulful eyes for Butterfly, the Japanese girl whose heart is broken by Pinkerton's desertion. In the end, though, it's just not enough.
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"...A visual combination of authentic Japanese realism and picturesque, dream-like cinematography that matches the lushness of Puccini's music..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
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Most helpful member's review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Madame Butterfly 1995 Beautifique
Beautiful, emotional, visual.
Butterfly's voice will haunt you.
The fact that the antagonist CARES about the consequences and suffers with her at the end also makes this a unique tragedy.
If you've never liked opera, this will broaden your horizons. There are opera singers that do look the part for a change and don't overwhelm the music with shaky voices so much that the distortion sounds unbeautiful.
This is a masterpiece of a film.
I have never seen but part of it on stage, flipping channels. I think the piece stands apart from others and is highly memorable. Even my husband cried with me! He has never seen opera, save for catching some Die Fleidermaus on tv with me once a couple years ago. It has a profound effect on the viewer. You'll never underestimate opera again -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Customer Review
Its not surprising that Madam Butterfly has remained to this day one of the most popular operas in the Operatic Repertoire. For the music and the story is timeless. It is very emotive, full of love and tenderness, and also very tragic. This version succeeds admirably in more ways than one. Rather than being stagebound, it is filmed on location (in Tunisia of all places!) and does manage to convey to the viewer the feeling of being in Japan with its wonderful sets, and location shots of the sea and the surrounding landscape to give this production that cinematic feel which works wonderfully well.
The singing by both tenor and soprano in the lead roles is a delight. Mind you, I have been spoiled by the wonderful Pavarotti/Freni version which in any case would be difficult to surpass, but I was pleased by the extremely good quality of this production. There is also a short "Making Of...." which is very interesting as there is an interview with the Chinese Soprano Ying Huang and also there are some nice location shots of the sets.
My only criticism however, is that during the famous scene of the Humming Chorus, black and white footage of old Japan did spoil it a little for me, but that was a minor thing though. Some viewers may not mind this insertion, but I am not so sure it worked.
Still, a great production, and I am sure many fans of this beautiful opera will enjoy this anyway. And yes, I agree with many other reviewers, keep plenty of tissues handy, it is a real tear jerker. -
News and features
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Filmmaker Daniels eyeing Miss Saigon movie
- 20 Oct 2009
Director Lee Daniels is looking to remake hit stage musical Miss Saigon for the big screen. The filmmaker is considering adapting the Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boubill show for Hollywood, according to ComingSoon.net. The story, a modern interpretation of Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, tells the tragic tale of a Vietnamese woman who is abandoned by her American lover. Daniels' latest work on gritty new drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which stars Mo'Nique, Read more
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Frederic Mitterand's filmic version of the famous Puccini ... -