Giuseppe Verdi

I am wondering if this is the same 'Verdi' I saw in 1960? It begins with the most dramatic opening scene I have ever seen in a movie. Late at night a carriage passes through the city, but the cobbled surface is covered with straw. A passenger calls out to the coachman, "What is all the straw doing on the road?" The coachman bends over, and with his finger across his lips, whispers: "The maestro is dying." The scene then changes to a window, through which one sees Verdi on his deathbed. Later, another scene with the first performance of Nabucco. During the Slaves' Chorus, the whole Italian audience rises to shout defiance at the Hapsburg rulers and demand their independence.

Great stuff, but is it the same Verdi?

This is much more than just a musical biopic of Verdi. It is beautifully composed, just like all the music of Verdi himself, starting at the point of his dying, when he remembers his first wife, and then the first 40 minutes are all about their very tragic love story, which will make you start melting in tears, which then will go on throughout the film.

After Margherita Barezzi, the first wife and her untimely death at only 26, following the deaths of both her children (the film includes only one and spares the audience the double tragedy), there is the case of his second wife, which it took him a long time to settle for. She was an experienced woman and famous singer who had had a number of lovers and children and therefore felt unworthy of Verdi, and the film tells a beautiful romanticized story of how they found each other all the same, his father-in-law Barezzi acting as the father in "La traviata". The film culminates with that opera, which definitely brought them together.

It's an advantage that the film is in black and white, it enhances the traumas, the pathos and the seriousness of the tragedies of Verdi's life and gives justice to his personality. This is a classic not only of musical biopic films but of film history, as it is more a study in human compassion and depth of feelings of love, actually touching the core of the very mystery of love, in a manner which only Italian films have been truly capable of - I am thinking most of all of the films of Vittorio de Sica.

That is, in the areas that the previous commentator indicated. I found no fault with the direction or production values, but the storyline itself, made me wonder about the authenticity of this "biography" - it was far too soap-operatic - no pun intended, to ring true to me. I'm a fan of filmed opera, (tho I can't stand it in theatre, or radio form, nor do I rate highly Verdi's own music, which I consider schmaltzy), and I really enjoyed watching this movie, way past my bedtime. I do agree that Gobbi, and del Monaco were great in voice, and presence. Highly recommended.

If you are an opera fan you'll find much to like, if you're not you won't so much. As a lifelong opera enthusiast and someone who wants a career in it, Giuseppe Verdi was interesting and I'm glad I saw it. But the overall result wasn't really that mind-blowing. There are definitely a lot of things to love, the characterisations of Verdi and second wife Giuseppina are spot on, intense and affecting. The music is outstanding as well, Rigoletto, Otello, Nabucco and Il Trovatore all to name a few are a sheer treat to listen to and staged very well, the Otello death scene is incredibly powerful. As is the singing, especially with Mario De Monaco and Tito Gobbi. Del Monaco sounds absolutely thrilling and doesn't resort to the shouty quality his voice did have later on while Tito Gobbi sings with deep feeling, great word painting and he practically embodies Rigoletto especially through his voice alone. The direction does feel rather dull though, and the film while not amateurish isn't a beautiful-looking film either, rather flat instead. The story doesn't really ring true, it's interesting definitely and gets to the point well enough but gets melodramatic and only really comes to life in the opera stagings. The dialogue is also very soap-operatic in tone and while it was nice to see Donizetti, Rossini and Victor Hugo featured apart from the performances of Verdi and Giuseppina the rest fall into caricatures. In conclusion, very mixed on Giuseppe Verdi, interesting but not great. Opera fans will be in heaven, those wanting good dialogue and direction will be disappointed. 5/10 Bethany Cox

The life and work of the great Italian operatic composer Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901) is depicted in this 1953 film, made in Italy. Pierre Cressy portrays the composer with intensity and feeling, while Gaby Andre his second wife with tenderness and pathos. A host of fine singers adorn operatic excerpts, including Tenor Mario del Monaco in a startling death scene from "Otello" and Tito Gobbi in a dramatic moment from "Rigoletto." Throughout the film there are elaborately staged scenes from "Nabucco," "Il Trovatore," "La Forza del Destino," "Aida," and "Falstaff." A rare look at the domestic and love life of this composer is afforded, within the usual dramatic license given such biopics. Alas, the direction of Raffaello Matarazzo lacks imagination, and his camera remains stationary and lifeless in both dramatic and in the operatic re-creation scenes. The lighting of his scenes is often flat and dull, and and the musical excerpts are not well blended into the story; in fact, several scenes end abruptly and clumsily, as though the editor didn't take the time to polish the cuts. The end effect is a film for a hard-core opera lovers, but not for the general public. It is a shame so much potential talent and effort was wasted on a below-par presentation. Verdi deserves better, and one looks forward to a more successful presentation to one of the world's greatest composers.