Der Hofnarr

I must admit to being left somewhat dissatisfied after seeing this version of "Rigoletto" as it seemed to lack music! The voices of Gobbi and del Monaco are heard sparingly enough unfortunately.

It is valuable in presenting the visual setting of the story, no question of that, but was rather patchy at times and most noticeably very short on musical moments. One is taken into the time and place of the tale, the original atmosphere, and that is useful for picturing the scenes of the opera and how it unfolds, yet one longs for the glories of singing to reveal the story.

I believe there is a 1947 "Rigoletto" with Filippesehi, Gobbi, Neri, and Pagliughi; conducted by Serafin, which can be acquired from the Bel Canto society, so I might get that if possible. Even a good CD version would have been more satisfactory. Obviously to me the drawing card is the music!

Rigoletto e la sua tragedia (1956) is a powerful and visually rich adaptation of Verdi's iconic opera, staying faithful to the source while using the cinematic medium to amplify its emotional depth. With grand set designs and expressive cinematography, the film transforms the stage drama into a lush visual experience.

The lead performance captures the tortured soul of Rigoletto with heart-wrenching nuance, and the music - of course - remains the true star, presented with both reverence and vitality. Even if you're not an opera fan, the film's atmosphere and tragic core are compelling enough to draw you in.

It's a gem for lovers of classical art and those curious about operatic storytelling on screen - beautifully mournful and timeless.

This is pretty good, but it's more a musical than an opera. Characters speak in dubbed English and only occasionally break into song, in dubbed Italian.

It's got colorful costumes and sets and some attractive location photography of old buildings and the countryside. There are moments when you really feel as though you've stepped into the past.

I liked it. You may, too, as long as you're not expecting an opera.

Current minimum line requirements promote verbosity and devalue concision.

DVD Bonus: Three enjoyable, well-restored audio performances from Caruso.

Rigoletto E La Sua Tragedia is interesting if not brilliant. The story is still tragic, powerful and touching, and while it disappointingly doesn't have enough of Verdi's superb music the acting is good without being too stilted particularly that of Rigoletto.

The picture quality is grainy and the audio rather scratchy. However the costumes and sets are stunning and very evocative, also the locations are sumptuous and the photography itself is not too dated either. The ending is very moving as well. While one would wish for more of their voices, Tito Gobbi's intelligent and musical baritone and Mario Del Monaco's thrilling tenor are a delight to hear.

Overall, interesting if not a complete success. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Netflix offers this movie on DVD, dubbed with English dialog. There are a few arias in Italian thrown in, but the quartet is done with only the Duke's opening lines. The video quality is poor and was evidently done from scratched film - there are a lot of flecks and artifacts in each frame. The audio is pretty poor and the actors ability to lip sync the singing is almost non-existent. It does have Caruso singing three arias in the extras and that was better quality than the movie arias. Since this is a movie rendition not a stage production, the scenes and story are enjoyable to watch and easy to follow, especially since it is dubbed in English.