Aria (film)
| Aria | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Robert Altman Bruce Beresford Bill Bryden Jean-Luc Godard Derek Jarman Franc Roddam Nicolas Roeg Ken Russell Charles Sturridge Julien Temple |
| Produced by | Don Boyd |
| Written by | Robert Altman Bruce Beresford Don Boyd Bill Bryden Louis de Cahusac Derek Jarman Philippe Quinault Franc Roddam Nicolas Roeg Ken Russell Charles Sturridge Julien Temple |
| Starring | Theresa Russell Beverly D'Angelo Elizabeth Hurley Bridget Fonda Tilda Swinton |
| Music by | Giuseppe Verdi Gustave Charpentier Giacomo Puccini Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| Cinematography | Christopher Hughes |
| Editing by | Neil Abrahamson |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | September 15, 1987 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Italian French German |
Aria is a 1987 British film produced by Don Boyd from Virgin Group's visual section consisting of ten short films by a variety of directors. It was entered into the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Each segment features its director's visual accompaniment to arias and scenes from operas. Each film has minimal dialogue (most have none at all), with most of the spoken content being the operas' lyrics (libretto) in Italian, French, or German.
The music archive source was RCA Records (which at the time included Erato Records, a label which later went to Warner Music; RCA is now a part of Sony BMG, further complicating the film's music rights).
[edit] Summary
[edit] Un ballo in maschera
A fictionalized account of a 1931 assassination attempt on King Zog of Albania, notable for his shooting back at his would-be assassins and surviving. (In the actual attempt, King Zog was leaving a performance of Pagliacci.)
- Music composed by Giuseppe Verdi
- Directed by Nicolas Roeg
- Running time: 14 minutes
[edit] "La Vergine Degli Angeli" from La Forza del Destino
Three London teenagers skip school and steal a car.
- Music composed by Giuseppe Verdi
- Directed by Charles Sturridge
- Starring Nicola Swain, Jackson Kyle, Marianne McLaughlin
- Running time: 5 minutes
[edit] Armide
Two nude women try to attract the attention of oblivious bodybuilders.
- Music composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully
- Libretto by Philippe Quinault
- Conducted by Philippe Herreweghe
- Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
- Starring Valérie Allain
- Running time: 11 minutes
[edit] Rigoletto
A bedroom farce set in San Luis Obispo's famous Madonna Inn in which a movie producer cheats on his wife unaware that she, too, is there with a clandestine lover of her own.
- Music by Giuseppe Verdi
- Directed by Julien Temple
- Written by Charlie Coffey
- Starring Buck Henry and Beverly D'Angelo
- Running time: 14 minutes
[edit] "Glück das mir verblieb" from Die Tote Stadt
A look at the seemingly-dead city of Bruges, Belgium. Scenic footage of the empty streets and cemeteries is intercut with a duet of two lovers, as a beautiful virgin is stripped naked by her lover and, after she expresses her affection for him, she loses her virginity to him.
- Music composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Sung by Carol Neblett and René Kollo
- Directed by Bruce Beresford
- Starring Elizabeth Hurley and Peter Birch
- Running time: 5 minutes
[edit] Selections from Abaris ou les Boréades
A re-creation of opening night at Paris's Ranelagh Theater in 1734. The audience is filled with raffish assortment of inmates from an asylum.
- Music composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau
- Libretto by Louis de Cahusac
- Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
- Directed by Robert Altman
- Starring Julie Hagerty, Geneviève Page, Sandrine Dumas, Chris Campion
- Running time: 7 minutes
[edit] "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde
Two young lovers arrive in Las Vegas. After driving down Glitter Gulch, they check into a cheap hotel room where they unsuccessfully try to commit suicide following the consummation of their relationship.
- Music composed by Richard Wagner
- Sung by Leontyne Price
- Directed by Franc Roddam
- Starring Bridget Fonda in her first credited film role.
- Running time: 7 minutes
[edit] "Nessun dorma" from Turandot
After a car crash, a lovely young girl imagines her body is being adorned by jewels mirroring her injuries, in a tribal ritual parallel to the procedures of the surgical team treating her, until she wakes up in the operating room after resuscitation.
- Music composed by Giacomo Puccini
- Sung by Jussi Björling
- Directed by Ken Russell
- Starring Linzi Drew
- Running time: 7 minutes
[edit] "Depuis le Jour" from Louise
A veteran opera singer gives her final performance, intercut by 8mm home movies of an early love affair.
- Music composed by Gustave Charpentier
- Sung by Leontyne Price
- Directed by Derek Jarman
- Starring Tilda Swinton
- Running time: 6 minutes
[edit] "Vesti la Giubba" from Pagliacci
A has-been virtuoso remembers his happier days while arriving at an opera house, visiting the dressing room to put on his clown makeup, and performing the aria for his audience of one. (This story provides a vague framing narrative to link together the other segments.)
- Music composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo
- Directed by Bill Bryden
- Written by Bill Bryden and Don Boyd
- Starring John Hurt and Sophie Ward
- Sung by Enrico Caruso
- Running time: 4 minutes
[edit] References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Aria". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/410/year/1987.html. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
[edit] External links
- Aria at the Internet Movie Database
- British films
- Italian-language films
- French-language films
- German-language films
- 1987 films
- Anthology films
- Avant-garde and experimental films
- Musical drama films
- Musical comedy films
- Films directed by Robert Altman
- Films directed by Bruce Beresford
- Films directed by Bill Bryden
- Films directed by Jean-Luc Godard
- Films directed by Derek Jarman
- Films directed by Franc Roddam
- Films directed by Nicolas Roeg
- Films directed by Ken Russell
- Films directed by Charles Sturridge
- Films directed by Julien Temple
