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1st Night

Play trailer Poster for 1st Night Released May 3, 2013 1h 45m Romance Comedy Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
17% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A rich industrialist (Richard E. Grant) stages a production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" at his lavish country estate to show off his operatic talent and woo a beautiful conductor (Sarah Brightman).

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Stephen Holden New York Times A pallid gloss of a work that teems with deception, disguise and mistaken identity, not to mention humor. Rated: 2/5 May 2, 2013 Full Review Joe Neumaier New York Daily News The movie may appeal to theater aficionados and Juilliard undergrads, but to the average moviegoer, it's a trudge. Rated: 1/5 May 2, 2013 Full Review Pete Vonder Haar Village Voice It's hard to explain why every character in 1st Night behaves like an adolescent in a sitcom. Apr 30, 2013 Full Review Francesca Rudkin New Zealand Herald First Night feels like a missed opportunity. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 8, 2017 Full Review Michael Sauter Film Journal International The music of Mozart seems too big for the "book" of this minor-key romantic roundelay, which nevertheless manages to be increasingly, albeit mildly, engaging. May 3, 2013 Full Review Emma Dibdin Total Film Proceedings swiftly descend into sub-Richard Curtis territory with little of the wit. Oct 26, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Audience Member Sorry guys. This a wonderful quirky British comedy. If you don't like it, stay away from British films. You're missing a lot. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie was full of crazy characters and was entertaining for a watch. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Highly enjoyable romantic romp that kicks off when the cast of a Mozart opera begin to sexually liaise with one another (as they always do). Fabulous performances from opera singers who are surprisingly competent at acting. Richard E. Grant is monstrously funny. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Sarah Brightman. Enough said. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Mike M This one has all the ingredients for a stinker. That theatrical backdrop luvvie directors take terribly seriously, darling; a debut lead role for Sarah Brightman, bringing to the screen all those years of thespian experience she gained in Hot Gossip; and the presence of Richard E. Grant, patron saint of rubbish British cinema ever since his agent received the cheque for "Spiceworld" way back when. The result is actually so bad it's, well... kind of enjoyable... Menaul at least respects the music - it's two hours long, because we get the same arias belted out over and over again - even if it's no surprise that the show, after some kerfuffle, does eventually go on. Daft and dotty in the manner of many theatre people, yet equally hard to dislike, go on it does, proceeding with the credulousness of the estate's gardener ("Amazing, these opera people - they feel so deeply") through another coy post-"Mamma Mia!" strand of sexual realisation, and scenes of Grant singing opera and engaging Brightman in sex talk: "Have you ever f**ked someone who's fat?" Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/10/11 Full Review Read all reviews
1st Night

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A rich industrialist (Richard E. Grant) stages a production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" at his lavish country estate to show off his operatic talent and woo a beautiful conductor (Sarah Brightman).
Director
Christopher Menaul
Producer
Selwyn Roberts, Stephen Evans
Screenwriter
Christopher Menaul, Jeremy Sams
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Production Co
Scorpio Films Ltd.
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 3, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 22, 2016
Runtime
1h 45m