Bizet: Carmen on Blu-ray
OK, folks, I'll be reviewing the famous Rosi movie, considered by many to be the best version of Carmen on VHS - it used to be out of print and very expensive and now has been re-released on DVD and blu-ray
1983(FI) - Lorin Maazel - Orchestre National de Paris - Choeurs de Radio-France
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée
Screen adaptation by Francesco Rosi and Tonino Guerra
Choreography by Antonio Cades
Cinematography by Pasqualino de Santis
Sets and costumes by Enrico Job
Directed by Francesco Rosi
Plácido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson, Ruggero Raimondi, Faith Isham get the four main roles (respectively Don José, Carmen, Escamillo, Micaëla.
Running time 155 minutes
1.85:1 Aspect ratio (this means widescreen but not quite, with two tiny vertical black bars - actually this may be misinformation because reviewers say it's actually 1.66:1 - a little better than 1.33:1)
Sung in French with obligatory English subtitles, stereo sound
No extras, no liner notes (!)
It is very regrettable that the blu-ray version doesn't include French subtitles and unlike the DVD, you can't turn off the subtitles. I'm not sure if you get anything out of buying blu-ray since this is an old image that is not really high-def. Also, the DVD has 24 chapters so it is easier to find specific arias, while the blu-ray is divided in 8 chapters. So technically this is very disappointing.
Impressive opening scene while the credits roll and before the music start, with a bullfight very realistically filmed (I mean, they filmed the real thing, with a half-dead bull blinking his eyes, until the torero kills him - it does show how cruel this thing is).
The overture rolls, disturbed by all sorts of noise - this is a movie, folks, not the staged opera, duh.
It's all filmed on location, in real Spanish (Andalusian) villages and landscapes, with real Spanish people, period costumes, all very realistic; one does have the impression of seeing the 'real' story if only the story were real. It's an interesting take.
I'm not sure if I like the idea of all this noise superposed on the orchestra sounds and singing.
There are lip-syncing problems, and I *HATE* the obligatory English subtitles, which I don't need at all (I know the libretto by heart) and it really irritates me that I can't turn them off. And then, they're quite British, for example, like an Amazon reviewer noticed, translating
drôle de gens as
a right rum bunch.:scold:Come on! Don't ruin the exquisite libretto!!!
Maazel - a conductor I don't especially like or trust - seems to do better than I expected when I learned that it was him at the helm. I don't have major complaints about the performance of the orchestra. Probably these French musicians play Carmen on autopilot anyway, regardless of the conductor.
The landscapes are really gorgeous. Plácido Domingo looks dashing as Don José. I'm not as fond of Faith Isham as Micaela - her angelic looks are very right for the role but her singing is not good, with a number of pitch errors (mostly she can't sustain a pitch for too long without showing undue variations).
Then we get an eyeful of Julia Migenes all wet in a swimming pool/fountain thingy, with generous cleavage.
We're listening to the Habanera - strangely enough, it starts without the orchestra. This is one of the problems with this filmed version. The orchestra pauses for too long, longer than the spoken dialogue would warrant. It's like a stop-and-start Carmen. Then there are birds chirping during the Habanera, again, the noise thing.
Vocally I've seen better Habaneras.
By now I know that I won't like this thing. It's visually gorgeous. But the less than ideal singing, the noise, the lip-syncing problems, and the start-stop issues are completely ruining it for me.
It helps in the mental visualization of the drama, but it's definitely not something that those who love this opera for its music will want to consider. The music here is not the essential aspect. It's a movie, and it shows. [Edit - I did change my mind later; keep reading]
Next we get the duet between Don José and Micaëla. I've mentioned already how I like Ms. Isham's looks but not her voice. Plácido doesn't do that well either - he sings the duet a bit higher than its usual tessitura, unlike the older Plácido whose voice has been turning darker and lower. It makes for a strange effect, like he's yelling the music instead of singing it. It lacks musical subtlety, probably aggravated by the fact that it's a studio recording lip-synced to the image.
To the advantage of this version, it seems so far to be very complete, with some arias that are usually cut from other productions.
OK, I need to stop thinking of Carmen the opera and start getting into the mood of Carmen the movie.
Migenes does the prison scene with
Près des remparts de Séville very well. So does Domingo. This is getting better.
Act II starts with a slow-tempo'ed
Les tringles des sistres tintaient, I suspect Maazel is starting to show his shortcomings. It does pick up pace for the
Tra la la part.
The spoken dialogue, I've just noticed, does not correspond to the libretto - that's why they call this a movie adaptation.
Escamillo arrives by chariot, with lots of noise, which kind of dampens the musical build-up of this scene.
Raimondi does VERY well with
Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, delivering the best singing so far, in spite of his poor French accent, but with lots of musicality in the phrasing, and beautiful timbre and power.
Wow. This is goose-bumping. One of the best interpretations of the Toréador song on video, and this starts to win me over. A charming Migenes uses a mirror to flash the light of the bonfire on Raimondi's face, very teasing and natural. I'm rewinding this to see it again.
Then there is a scene with Remendado, Dancaire, Frasquita, Mercédès and Carmen that I didn't know. Like I said, this version does have some added scenes as compared to the usual versions (Carmen versions are such a mess, with so much variation with the various revisions).
Then it turns familiar again, with the usual scene with the five of them when Carmen discloses to her friends that she is in love with Don José.
The opera stops again and the film takes over. No orchestra to be heard. The scene that starts with
Je vais danser en votre honneur is quite sexy.
Julia does a slow strip-tease, I watch this with some trepidation, we get some generous views of the upper part of her boobs and of her legs. Of course, like the libretto requires, stupid Don José stops the strip-tease before it gets too far, unfortunately. Migenes is spectacular in this scene. Her boobs go wild. Domingo acts and sings well. She lays down on the bed and opens her legs, pushes up her skirt. I can't see how Don José can restrain himself.
We get to
La fleur que tu m'avais jetée. Domingo sings it beautifully. VERY beautifully. Wow.
Carmen who was very angry at him when he stopped her strip-tease, slowly melts down. This is a very effective scene. I think it justifies the purchase of this version, in itself.
The high quality continues with the
Oui! Là-bas, là-bas dans la montagne duet, which Julia delivers with expertise and sensuality, and a lovely accent. Don José, we know, leaves anyway, the fool.
The scene with Zuniga, Dancaire and Remendado is also effective. With Don José having no other choice once he is surprised by his superior officer and can no longer leave the bandits' side, our dear Carmen gets to entice her man back to bed, and so do all the other girl smugglers to their men. They don't shave their underarms, though. I guess it is for authenticity. Unfortunately this movie adaptation doesn't go far enough to let us see a love scene that is not in the opera, darn! Where is the adaptation concept when we need it?
Act III
The prélude plays over images of a bull farm, it's interesting to see the bulls in full force, running around, as opposed to the sad dying bull of the opening scene.
We are treated to very realistic country scenes, I bet these extras are real people of the region, they certainly look their parts. It's all quite beautiful and atmospheric.
The chorus music starts and is well sung - except that there is sunlight everywhere when the libretto calls for a pitch-black night for this scene.
Frasquita and Mercédès are a bit shrill when they sing during the cart-reading scene. Carmen looks melancholic, after her fight with a haggard, unshaven Plácido/Don José.
Carreau! Pique! La mort!... is again very well sung and acted. Bravo, Julia!
By now the singers/actors are fully into this thing and the performance has improved a lot from Act I. Of course I don't know if they filmed this in sequence, but I suspect that they did, because these artists seem to be growing into their roles.
We get some serious cuts in the dialogue and jump almost immediately to Micaela's aria
Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante. The location where she sings it is spectacular, and this seems to inspire her because she does better than in the first act. I mean, better, but not that good. Again, Faith's sweet, innocent looks are very appropriate to the role and in striking contrast to Julia's wild and ****ty looks.
Cinematography here is very good, with shots of the huge rocks making Micaela appear very small and vulnerable.
The duel between Escamillo and Don José is well done. Raimondi continues to do very well. When Escamillo is leaving Julia/Carmen is a perfect actress; one can feel that she is interested, Don José looks at her, she notices that he's staring and recomposes her face. Well done.
Micaëla comes up and sings
Moi! je viens te chercher, not so well, definitely a weak link.
By now Plácido is nothing short of spectacular, with a crazed look. Julia's acting becomes sublime; her face of disgust, fear, a bit of still-alive passion, annoyance, is something for the ages.
Faith Isham is really pale by comparison, which fits well the story, anyway.
We get the reprise of the Toréador song, with Raimondi doing well as usual.
Now we get to Séville. Spectacular street scenes. While Escamillo is getting ready we get a close-up of the bull, and we see Escamillo praying. All very impressive.
The
paso-doble that opens the second tableau gets to be a lot more significant with all the street scenes, and this is excellent cinematography and movie direction.
The spectacular overture music comes back with scenes so beautiful that again, this segment justifies the purchase of this version. I think I'll never see Carmen the same way, now that I'm able to visualize the full glory of the folkloric aspects.
Very good scenes with the start of the bullfight, Carmen leaves to meet Don José, perfect surroundings. I don't like her outfit, though.
The duo is beautifully performed. The acting is less good than it was in the mountains. She looks like he's got bad breath or something.
The final scene is anticlimactic. After the rather spectacular second and third acts, I expected a lot more from it.
Complete credits roll over the Habanera, to the image of a dead Carmen, disheveled, undignified, with legs open, surrounded by her girlfriends. Not the best shot of the movie, and unfortunately the last one.
Time for the verdict.
Pros:
-Beautiful cinematography and location shots.
-Excellent, convincing acting from Julia Migenes, also quite sexy, with boobs that go feral at one point.
-Fabulous costumes and street/tavern/bullring/mountain scenes that make one really live inside the action and see the opera under a light that just plain imagination can't match, unless one is very familiar with Andalusia.
-Excellent Ruggero Raimondi, both in singing and acting, with one of the best Toréador songs
-Good singing from Plácidone, decent acting, great looks (for those who are into men)
-The orchestra does better than I expected
-Very good Act II and first half of Act III
-No significant cuts, with some arias and scenes that are not in many other versions
-Sharp colorful image with decent definition for an old movie
Cons:
-Stop-and-start concept
-Lots of incidental noise
-Weak Act I with unconvincing Habanera
-Anticlimactic last scene
-Weak Faith Isham as Micaëla
-Uneven supporting cast (with the men generally doing better than the women)
-'Adapted' spoken dialogue
-Lack of French subtitles
-Obligatory English subtitles - I really hate this part and it is unforgivable, since the DVD from the same company did have optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles - why not do it on the blu-ray???
-Stereo-only sound (decent, nevertheless)
-No liner notes - no insert whatsoever, not even a track list, no extras, and minimalistic division in chapters (8 for the entire opera, we might as well have the VHS if there's no better navigation)
There are lots of cons. Normally I wouldn't give to a version with so many cons my 'highly recommended' seal. But there are also *many* strong points. And certain scenes (which I highlighted above) do justify the purchase. Besides, anybody who loves this opera *must* see this, for the realistic settings and costumes.
It definitely could be better, and I don't think it is the best Carmen available on DVD. But the good parts are sublime. Therefore, in spite of the many 'cons' I'll still say 'highly recommended.'