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The Tales of Hoffmann

"You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!"

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

Top Cast

  • Moira Shearer

    Moira Shearer

    Stella / Olympia

  • Ludmilla Tchérina

    Ludmilla Tchérina

    Giulietta

  • Pamela Brown

    Pamela Brown

    Niklaus

  • Léonide Massine

    Léonide Massine

    Spalanzani / Schlemil / Franz

  • Ann Ayars

    Ann Ayars

    Antonia

  • Robert Helpmann

    Robert Helpmann

    Lindorf / Coppelius / Dapertutto / Dr. Miracle

  • Frederick Ashton

    Frederick Ashton

    Kleinsach / Cochenille

  • Robert Rounseville

    Robert Rounseville

    Hoffmann

  • Mogens Wieth

    Mogens Wieth

    Crespel

Overview

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

Rating

7.1 / 10
90 Reviews
1 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    7 Dec 28, 2022

    Though I really enjoyed watching this, it isn't really a film at all. Messrs. Powell and Pressburger have elicited the help of the supremely talented Christopher Challis and of the late Jacques Offenbach and basically filmed an augmented theatrical production of his eponymous, uncompleted, opera. They have assembled a curiously effective collection of gloriously clad acting talent - most of whom, aside from the narrator/composer himself in the form of Robert Rounseville, cannot actually sing - and proceeded to present us with something that is really quite beautiful to watch and listen to; but that is really not that different from that which we might see at Covent Garden. It features the landmark P&P colour schemes - vibrant, lively and bold with the use of light and the staging of this three part story all adding up to a delightful watch. If you know the libretto, then you will know this is about a rather down-in-the-dumps poet who is reflecting on his life and the choices his chosen career has forced him to make at the expense of his loves. The ballet dancer "Stella" (Moira Shearer) is his most recent love, but there have been others and all of them have, in some way, fallen foul of Robert Helpmann's excellent "Lindorf". There are some super puppetry effects and the sparing use of visual effects to remind us were are not in the grand circle, but for the most part this is a cleverly crafted and stylishly produced theatrical performance that I enjoyed, but would still have rather seen (and heard on a stage). It's still innovative and imaginative cinema that is well worth seeing, though.

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