The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection - Emeric Pressburger

One of my all-time favorite movies. What a stunning movie. I must have seen it dozens of times, but now that I own it, I don't have to wait for it to appear on TV. For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Rating: 5 (Opera lover, 2010-02-11) The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection customer review

A free, and very successful, interpretation With some fine music and exquisite dancing, this is a treat for opera and ballet fans alike. Hoffman's bizarre tales, Offenbach's music, Moira Shearer's dancing, and gloriously lavish visual imagery all combine to make a masterpiece. It is a free, balletic interpretation of Offenbach's opera. The singing, where lip-synched, is not always completely in synch, but that is a minor fault. Many of the scenes - in glorious Technicolor, of course - are simply breathtaking. This version of the presentation of Olympia, from Act 1, is a favorite of Classic Arts Showcase on PBS, and rightly so, for it is performed with an inspired humorous touch. Yes, I know the film deviates quite a lot from the original opera, but it is results that count. This is a must-see film. [PeterReeve] Rating: 5 (Peter Reeve, 2010-01-31) The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection customer review

O Belle Nuit I am a fan of the directors Powell and Pressburger, particularly The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection, and more recently The Red Shoes - Criterion Collection, both of which I would give 5 stars, and whose praises I could not sing highly enough. I knew nothing of Tales of Hoffman before renting it, so was disconcerted at first by this movie which is completely opera/ ballet. If you're not into opera you may not like this at all. If you love Opera and Ballet you will probably love it. The composer Offenbach also wrote Orpheus in the Underwood, and you may be familiar with the piece Can Can, often done by those high stepping Parisian cabaret dancers. He composed that. Moira Shearer who played the lead in Red Shoes gives a beautiful balletic performance, one of the best dancers I have seen. Her control, poise and elegance is a wonder to behold. The most memorable bit for me was at the one hour, when this gorgeous sensual woman does the O Belle Nuit duet piece singing to her own reflection, before stealing someone elses, truly one on the most beautiful duet arias ever, and the underlying repetitive pattern has a rather hypnotic effect. This alone is worth the viewing of the movie. I have been searching for an equal version of this piece but not been able to find it yet. Ultimately, I plan on watching all the popular Powell Pressburger movies. They were a big influence on Martin Scorsese. Hope this was helpful. Rating: 5 (L. Power, 2010-01-13) The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection customer review

A common man's point of view. Hey Guys, What would you think of a female who would let you mate with her, and after she was satisfied, killed you and ate you? Sort of grotesque, you say? I didn't come up with the idea. It happens in nature all the time. And, it happens in the very first segment of this ballet, called "The Dragonfly Ballet". The female Dragonfly devours the male after they mate. Boys AND Girls, I hope I have your attention, for that was the whole point of my first sentence. "Tales of Hoffmann" is a ballet about......Tales.......You may wonder, as I have for most of my life, what the tales of Hoffmann means. For instance, who is Hoffmann? I admit I didn't know, but remember, I'm just a common man. Hoffmann is THE E.T.A. Hoffmann who wrote the famous fairy tales we have grown to love, the most famous of which is "The Nutcracker". This beautiful ballet is adapted from the opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach, which tells the story of the poet Hoffmann, and his three ill fated love affairs, all of which end tragically. He even loses Stella, the ballerina who dances the part of the Dragonfly in the opening segment. In this tale he is about as hapless as the unfortunate male Dragonfly. So be careful men, you could easily become her next victim, because she is a very sexy little green Dragonfly. Hoffman is played and sung by tenor Robert Rounseville who also played the part of Mr. Snow in the movie version of "Carousel". Playing the parts of The DragonFly and the mechanical doll "Olympia" in the first "Tale", is Moira Shearer, who was made famous by her part as the ballerina in "The Red Shoes". Her voice is dubbed by Dorothy Bond. Shearer and several other very good ballerinas of the Royal Ballet had to dance in the shadow of prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn, but fortunately she was considered more photogenic than Fonteyn and was chosen for the movie "The Red Shoes". Interestingly, Shearer's "Olympia" was not able to quit dancing either, even after she was torn apart by her creator Dr. Coppelius (Robert Helpmann). In the second "Tale" his love is "Giuletta" played by Ludmilla Tcherina dubbed by Margherita Grandi. Giuletta/Grandy sings the ultra beautiful Barcarolle, one of the most famous pieces of music Offenbach wrote. The third "Tale" lover is "Antonia" played and sung by Ann Ayars. The other dancers and actors are Robert Helpmann, Leonide Massine, and Frederick Ashton, all with dubbed voices. Nicklaus, Hoffmann's companion, is played by Pamela Brown, and dubbed by Monica Sinclair. This Transfer from film to DVD is so good you can actually see the pores of the skin on some of the actors. It is as close to high definition as you can get on a standared Def DVD. You will not find better color or use of color on any DVD. The sound is extremely good Dolby Digital but Monaural, and the aspect ratio is 1.33:1 full screen. The run time is 127 minutes and was filmed in 1951. There are several extras including a 13 minute "Sorcerer's Apprentice" (not Disney), and a complete re-run of the program with commentary by Martin Scorsese and film-music historian Bruce Elder, and more. You get your money's worth with the purchase of this DVD. I enjoyed this ballet/opera immensely....Richard. Rating: 5 (Richard Rawls, 2010-01-03) The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection customer review

Towering and peerless Without repeating the data and background of this film let me just state that in my humble view it sets a unique standard for lovers of E.T.A. Hoffman, Offenbach and/or this particular work of Offenbach. I saw this one while quite young and in the ensuing half century at least a dozen productions both recorded and live...including a good one from the NY Metropolitan Opera just yesterday and while all were enjoyable (you cannot fault a professional presentations of its music) none rise to the towering level of this British production from 1951 for sheer beauty and creative imagery on every level of production and casting. Since it was done with otherworldly imagination it, curiously and uniquely, defies dating. In other words, the combination of visuals and performances both physical and oral stand as matchless by the others I have since experienced. Since the intellectual and aesthetic requirements of mass audiences have since greatly diminished it's very unlikely that we will in the foreseeable future ever see any production of this opera on film to come anywhere near to this one. If you can locate the DVD somewhere and are taking the time to read this, grab it. Rating: 5 (RAUL DASILVA, 2009-12-20) The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection customer review