Matthew D
A majestic opera delivered by technical masters of cinema!
British directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's epic opera The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) is a marvelous achievement. It's the entirety of Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann, performed by skilled ballerinas, sung by expert opera singers, and brought to life in vivid Technicolor. The Archers of Powell and Pressburger already floored me with their legendary musical film The Red Shoes. I am ecstatic to report that I likewise adored The Tales of Hoffmann.
Powell and Pressburger's dreamy direction has sweeping camera panning and stellar framing from cinematographer Christopher Challis. Every scene feels like a waking dream sequence with mesmerizing ballet dancing, powerful opera vocals, and captivating colors. Art director Arthur Lawson paints a lovely vision of Germany, Paris, Venice, and Greece for these stylish sets with striking depth and layers. I loved Powell and Pressburger employing breathtaking matte paintings for backdrops from production designer Hein Heckroth. Editor Reginald Mills uses sudden dissolves and hard cuts to make characters disappear, fade into fog, appear out of mirrors, or form into puppets. The practical effects are superb and delightful to witness. The Tales of Hoffmann is an engrossing 127 minutes of movie magic.
It's incredible the fact that they produced and wrote this taking composer Jacques Offenbach's cacophony and paradise of symphonies. Offenbach's story of a traveling poet seeking love by all these women that break his heart is still wondrous, humorous, romantic, and touching. I am amazed by Offenbach's beautiful music that complements the soaring operatic vocals of the singers Robert Rounseville, Dorothy Bond, Margherita Grandi, Monica Sinclair, Bruce Dargavel, and Ann Ayars. Sound designers John Cox and Ted Drake edit the voice overdub of the singers to the visual dancers perfectly, so they sound clear and huge. Costume designer Hein Heckroth creates shining outfits for all the ballerinas with dazzling gowns and sleek leotards. Connie Reeves' make-up looks fascinating with layers of disguises and styles that transform the cast into multiple characters per person.
Robert Rounseville's booming opera vocals soar tremendously as Hoffman's singer and actor. His expressive faces of longing and despair are touching. His voice is constantly at eleven and it's amazing. Robert Helpmann is a madman as the strange and eccentric performer for Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, and Dr Miracle. Bruce Dargavel's opera singing is very playful and tongue in cheek. Grahame Clifford's exciting Spallanzani and Franz are great.
Moira Shearer, of The Red Shoes acclaim, performs the most impressive ballet dancing of any prima ballerina I have ever seen. Moira's playful eyes and searing red hair flow as her precise body movements and agile grace adorn the silver screen. Moira Shearer does the acting and dancing for Stella, Beauty, and Olympia all in one magnificent performance. She's gorgeous, charming, hilarious, dreamy, and mesmerizing. I loved her in The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. Dorothy Bond's insanely high pitched operatic vocals have to be heard to be believed. I cannot believe her huge octave leaps and vocalizing runs that dance around scales like Moira dances across the sets. Edmond Audran matches Moira Shearer's outrageous ballet skills as Stella's partner in the Dragonfly ballet opener.
Ann Ayars' powerful operatic vocals make Antonia's opera singer career and inability to sing unless she'll die from consumption all the more tragic. Her acting is lovely and touching. Antonia may be the most heartbreaking character as she basically sings until death to the glowing spectral visage of her deceased mother. Ludmilla Tchérina's lithe and seductive performance as Giulietta is alluring. I love the way she slinks around the sets. Margherita Grandi's pretty and romantic opera vocals are captivating.
In all, The Tales of Hoffmann is all innovative direction and stellar craftsmanship for a totally unique cinematic experience. It feels like I just watched 100 films at once.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/15/23
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Audience Member
this is my first time to watch this genre, a filmed opera show. i love the props, the sceneries, plot, and ofc the beautiful casts. a must watch movie!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The problem is not about the movie, the problem is not I can not appreciate opera enough.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
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Audience Member
If you want to see how the elite luciferian artiste Hein Heckorth hides illuminati symbolism within his set designs, there is no better ballet film to study than the Archers' Tales of Hoffman.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
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Audience Member
A visually unforgettable film that is set both back & on stage of the opera.
With visuals, backgrounds, make up & costumes that are truly timeless & completely stunning.
Difficult to appreciate without subtitles but the directing team of Emmerich & Pressburger is an unmissable event in cinema. A stunning rimless portrait of a film.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
eric b
The famed Powell/Pressburger team bring us an opulent staging of Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffman," an opera divided into three parts in which the title character tells a tavern about his doomed past loves. The first and longest section, involving Moira Shearer as a life-size doll, is easily the most entertaining and includes cute, no-tech illusions of her body being "disassembled." Otherwise, the stories aren't easy to follow except in the broadest way (a prostitute and magician plot to steal Hoffman's reflection, and an opera singer sings herself to death), because the shrill lyrics are too difficult to discern. Furthermore, only two of the actors do their own singing, and there is an palpable awkwardness with the syncing -- especially when ballet dancers are trying to mouth words as they dance. The best features are Shearer's willowy dancing and Robert Helpmann's mugging as the recurring villain (he'd be perfectly at home in a Fritz Lang silent). And this is Powell and Pressburger, so of course the colors and sets are like magical paintings come to life.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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