Don Giovanni

Masterpiece of a masterpiece
A perfect visual companion to the capital Guilini EMI recording. First-rate performances all around, singing and acting, staging and directing; not a sour note in the piece. I generally prefer filmed performances before live audiences but this production has the feel of a live performance (and not the feel of those Hollywood productions--"Carmen," "Traviata"). I hadn't heard of Petri, but he plays the title role with power, guile and charm. His paean to "liberta" is convincing. Bruscantini is brilliant as Leporello (I didn't think Taddei could be rivalled). Gencer and Stich-Randall play Elvira and Anna with dignity. As in the Guilini EMI recording, Alva is masterful in his two difficult Ottavio arias and Sciuti is utterly enchanting in her Zerlina arias. Cesari plays the cuckolded Masetto with dignity.

Molinari-Pradelli conducts at a proper pace. Actually, the performance sounds as clear as a CD. I didn't notice any cuts. The only drawback--not too...

Great music, dated production
The singing is exceptional, Alva, Bruscantini and Gencer really shine in their roles. Unfortunately, many scenes show a big problem this film has, that is poor coordination between the lips and the voice, which I found really annoying, and acting which seemed stilted. I think any of these singers would be great on stage, but I think the filming and trying to keep up with the soundtrack saps them of energy. Also, the costumes are really bad, they look very old TV style. This is a black and white production, which could look good with stylish costumes, but it also detracts here.
If you would like to hear this great historic performance of Don Giovanni, you may want to get the audio version, I don't think this video adds any value to it.

A Classic Performance
Though there are many performances of Don Giovanni on DVD nowadays, this one stands in a league by itself. It will not be to everyone's taste; it is filmed in black and white, and has monaural sound. However, unlike most other film versions, there are no gimmicks or Eurotrash or alterations of the plot or meaning; the settings and costumes are all tasteful, realistic and in their proper period. By today's standards, some of the acting is rather foursquare (particularly by Gencer and Stich-Randall) or hammy (Bruscantini, a wonderfully comic presence in some other filmed operas) -- not that most filmed operas offer anything better. But what counts above all is the singing, and that is on an exalted plane that few other performances have equaled and virtually none surpassed. Mario Petri, little known outside of Italy, is a superlative Don -- suitably handsome, debonair, and seductive in appearance, with a handsome, mellifluous voice as smooth as silk and perfectly produced in all...

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