Zauber der Venus

A Hungarian conductor tries to unite a multi-national European opera company preparing for a televised production of Wagner's Tannhauser, with mixed results. The same might be said of the film itself, which represents director Istvan Szabo's bid for a wider slice of international box office. Unfortunately, what begins as a mild but engaging Murphy's Law comedy (complete with labor disputes, political arguments, artistic conflicts and so forth) soon devolves into a phony feel-good melodrama, with all the comic frustrations of the early scenes jettisoned in favor of a predictably stormy off-stage romance between the conductor and his temperamental superstar diva (Glenn Close). A few incidental pleasures and an attractive, charismatic cast (presenting the entire European community in a fascinating microcosm) aren't enough to hide all the obvious shortcomings, including (but not limited to) shoddy lip-synching, unnecessary voice-over commentary, and the assumption that listening to Wagner is like dying and going to heaven.

I saw this last night on UK TV. Glenn Close looked the part as a diva.

Her mouthing of Kiri Te Kanawa's singing was stunning. I've seen Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Victoria de los Angeles sing, from the front row, and I would have believed this to be real thing, had it not been a movie.

I can only imagine that Te Kanawa recorded it after Close has shot the scenes. Otherwise, Close is a wonderful mimic.

Anyway, I was charmed by the movie. Simplistic it may be. But then so was Shakespeare in Love. And, as there, a miracle happens when the curtain goes up (except that there was no curtain at the Globe and here it doesn't actually go up, which is where the miracle happens).

David

Lord, how I love this movie!

I have been a Wagnerphile for most of my adult life. The entrance music at my wedding (30+ years ago) was from Parsifal. I hum leitmotifs when I'm feeling good. And when I really want an emotional catharsis, I put on "Meeting Venus."

I watched it again, after several years' hiatus, a few nights ago. I laughed out loud time and again and sat with tears streaming down my face during the finale. What a wonderful film!

I recommend this time and again to my music-loving friends. Imagine "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind," set in Paris, produced by the BBC, and with an international, stellar cast of both performers and voice talent. (Not to put down the Christopher Guest ensemble, but consider Glenn Close, Kiri Te Kanawa, et. al., - really!)

Raise the curtain!

Spiritus ex Machina

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we CAN imagine!

this movie, besides giving the casual viewer a glimpse into the operatic world, also affords the viewer a casual glimpse into the world and the business, of music making, and it ain't pretty. but it's accurate.

as a professional musician in an international setting for more than 25 years, let me assure you that the evils of the music business are all here on display, and they are represented accurately: complaining musicians, managers for whom the word 'know' was replaced by the word 'no' at an early age (perhaps in their infancy), smarmy interfering union reps, and please God, save us all from short conductors with bleeping inferiority complexes.

and then there are the operatic singers. oh my!! (dr. georg szell called opera singers, " 'unmusical beasts', who have to have every note beaten into them by a vocal coach". this is true, by my experience).

the only really weak moment that i noticed was when the conductor left the podium during a rehearsal to knock on the door of the singer. this is absolutely improbable/impossible in my experience. conductors get their 'power' by being on the podium. they do not leave the podium

orchestra conducters get/force sex by more sordid means, not by leaving the podium.

this movie has a lot to recommend it, on many different levels- check it out.

i give it a 9.2.

watch it in a 'Robert Altman' frame of mind, i think that you will see what i mean.

it's not 'terror in tiny town'. and it's not, 'the godfather, part one'. it's somewhere in between. it's really a fine movie.

thanks. alvink

Various musicians and singers of many nationalities led by Hungarian conductor Zoltan Szanto (Niels Arestrup) are gathering in Paris for a new opera performance to celebrate the new Europe. He begins a fling with Karin Anderson (Glenn Close), the star of the show. He has to navigate the jealousy, ambitions, bureaucracy, former communists, national rivalries, and union regulations.

There are some funny bits with the story background. All the chaos has some fun. The romantic plot is a little flat and the drama comes out of nowhere. I didn't realize that he was married. Karin gets hot and cold for unforeseeable reasons. I do like Glenn Close's performance but it can be abrupt. The script should spend a little more time ironing out the drama in the relationship. I don't know much about the music and I don't care that much about it either.