Luchino Visconti - A Portrait

Starring:Luchino Visconti
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

It is almost a quarter of a century since Maria Callas died. But the years have done little to diminish interest in this most iconic of divas. The debate surrounding the real quality of that voice continues to be fanned by her devotees and detractors, intermittently reaching fever pitch with the arrival of another biography or the commercial release of a newly discovered live recording. Tony Palmer's 1987 film portrait, now available on DVD, towers over the bulk of contributions to the Callas industry because it manages to be both passionate about its subject and objective about the forces that shaped a great musical talent and then left it in ruins.

Lengthy interviews with colleagues and confidants embrace both Callas's undoubted theatrical genius and the emotional traumas that propelled her stumbling private life. The scene is set from the moment this documentary's producer, John Ardoin (himself a Callas biographer), declares the story of Callas the woman to be one of the great tragedies of our time. From that point, the film forges potent links between the evolution of the diva's artistry through her great performances--Tosca, in particular--and the defiant soul captured in a considerable archive of media encounters that range from the intense and contemptuous to the coquettish. This is 90 essential minutes for anyone interested in the Callas legend. Her story will never be better told. --Piers Ford

Description

No other opera singer this century has aroused such public interest, such adulation and such controversy as Maria Callas, "La Divina Assoluta." Her dramatic and musical reincarnations of operatic heroines were invested with a psychological depth which made her performances and recordings definitive, and her recordings still outsell every other major classical singer. Callas transformed herself from an overweight ugly duckling into a dazzling beauty, inspired by the sylph-like Audrey Hepburn. She was labeled a "tigress" for her temperamental image, others thought her behavior so unforgivable she was pelted with eggs, but her unique and haunting voice and personality dominated public life in the 1950s and early 1960s. Tony Palmer's award-winning film charts her rapid rise to fame and offers a glimpse into the private life of this remarkable woman. 91 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Maria Callas - La Divina: A Portrait.......2004-11-02

I especially liked the approach in this film showing Callas the artist and Maria the woman. This theme carries throughout this wonderful Portrait. There is so little footage of this greatest Soprano of her Century, that every morsel is welcomed. Excerpts from her opera performances worldwide show off her professionalism and talent. A Greek Tragedy that even Euripides would have appreciated, yet the tragedy is ours for the loss of this talented Diva at her age of 53. Callas the artist so talented and Maria the woman, so beautiful yet so vulnerable.

not just for La Divina fans.......2002-06-09

Pretty good documentary on Callas phenomenon. One certainly gets an idea of what it was all about. A bit too much of shallow psychology (Maria the artist, Maria the woman), but all in all it works. Even though there is much overlap with another documentary (Callas - Life and Art) this one is definitely better executed and gives more. If you want just the art part get Hamburg or Paris recital DVDs.

Diva Of Divas........2002-06-06

I, admittedly, am not an opera expert, by any stretch... I've seen a number of productions, enjoyed the spectacle, the talent, but don't know a mezzo from a matzho. But everyone knows Maria Callas. The first time I saw a film of this Anna Magnani with a voice, I was transfixed. I became intrigued with the legend, so I bought this video. I have re-watched several times, and I found it to be informative and revealing. She has been dissected almost more than any public figure,"the greatest", "the worst", "tempermental" ...etc.., they're all here. There are interviews with people from the very beginning of her career, when the ugly-(very large)duckling had few admirers. From her first singing teacher and a fellow student, who, upon first hearing the young Maria sing, says "my own mouth fell open", in awe, from Franco Zeffirelli, who worked with and adored her, from her friends, her "swan" period, her "tantrums", her scandalous affair with and betrayal by Onassis, her decline, her public humiliation by talentless, envious critics who weren't fit to wipe her feet, her lonely end. "Those whom the Gods love, they also destroy"...It offers a candid look at the greatest opera legend ever, who left in her wake detractors, yes, but also many who said seeing and hearing her was a once in a lifetime exposure to an almost supernatural talent..."possessed", as Signore Zeffirelli describes her here. I found this over-all very pleasing, it helped me to understand and better appreciate the woman who revolutionized an art form, and who many consider to be the greatest artist of this century.This film helps explain the continuing fascination. There was only one "La Divina". Long may she live.

Lack of information.......2001-07-28

There is not too much information in this DVD. La Callas sings many small pieces of arias but never tell you which arias are, there are many people interviewed but they never tell you who they are, the interviews of not English Language speaking people are "doubled" to English instead of just "subtitling" them etc. I do not recommend this DVD. ( I have others DVds of La Callas and are much better than this one)

Average customer rating:

VERY INTERESTING AND FASCINATING...
A Portrait?
A superficial look at a great director

Luchino Visconti - A Portrait
Starring: Luchino Visconti
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Visconti: Explorations of Beauty and Decay
Death in Venice
La Terra Trema (The Earth Trembles)
The Conformist (Extended Edition)
Luchino Visconti

ASIN: B00005NFZH
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Description

This fascinating documentary examines this influential director's life, exploring how his experiences and background affected the making of such groundbreaking films as Obsession, Senso, The Leopard, Death in Venice and The Damned, as well as his career as a theater and opera director. Top actors Alain Delon, Burt Lancaster, Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman and Claudia Cardinale share their memories of working with the innovative director whose movies ushered in a new era of filmmaking.

Customer Reviews:

VERY INTERESTING AND FASCINATING..........2003-03-31

I SPENT A DELIGHTFUL HOUR WATCHING THIS DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LUCHIANO VISCONTI. I LEARNED THAT MR. VISCONTI "THE MAN" WAS AS GREAT AS THE DIRECTOR AND IT MADE ME WANT TO WATCH HIS MOVIES AGAIN. I DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS ALSO VERY RESPECTED AS A THEATER AND OPERA DIRECTOR... QUITE AN INTERESTING MAN... I WAS ALSO VERY PLEASED TO HEAR WHAT SOME OF MY FAVORITE ACTORS HAD TO SAY ABOUT WORKING WITH HIM (THE GREAT MASTROIANNI, GASSMAN, CLAUDIA CARDINALE, DELON...) IN SHORT: I AM GLAD I WATCHED THIS DOCUMENTARY!

A Portrait?.......2002-11-27

Visconti films are NOT mass media and should not be treated as such. I feel strongly if one cannot grasp this masters work with a level of sophistication required for one of Visconti's standing, let it alone............please. This is a portrait but not one I want to look at.

A superficial look at a great director.......2002-03-15

The great Visconti ultimately deserves a better tribute than this video which looks as if it had been thrown together on short order for Italian television. There is precious little of the Maestro himself, and much too little of the films and in the end this documentary has been done with little imagination.
This might suffice as a biographical introduction to Visconti, but the viewer would be better off watching the films and reading one of a number of biographies and critical studies available on Amazon.

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