jshaver-1

An unattractive cast in an unattractive film! Verow has been directing films for many years, but he has yet to learn how to cast them and make them.. Like another reviewer, I too couldn't finish it.

Monteverdi was the first great opera composer and L'Orfeo was his first great opera. The subject of the musician Orpheus whose love for Euridice was so great that he went down to Hades to persuade Pluto to return her to earth by playing the lyre for him has been a favorite subject of countless operas. Haydn and Gluck both wrote operas on the subject (along with numerous minor composers such as Landi.) Offenbach created a delightful burlesque. This quasi-filmed version (somewhere between a stage production and a film) captures the drama inherent in Monteverdi's version and is pleasant to behold. Gino Quilico is excellent in the title role both as a singer and actor. It is a must for lovers of early opera and recommended viewing for those who don't think they like anything before Mozart.

I've seen some pretty bad films in my time, but this one is right there with the worst. The movie is funny only if you find overacting drag queens, a poor script, dreadful amateur performances, and insulting gay stereotypes amusing. The only time the movie comes alive and is on track is when we see snippets of a gay review they are putting on in the theatre. They should have junked the overacting drag queen and the two twinks finding true love (which as we all know doesn't last as long as herpes) along with the rest of the stupid plot and given us the show they are rehearsing. There the satire was bang on. The film is being compared to the early works of John Waters. That is an unjust comparison to Mr. Waters. John Waters' films were outlandish, fun, and the work of a talented filmmaker. This one lacks any of those qualities I just mentioned. It is clichéd, the humor is sledgehammer heavy, the acting just plain bad. There is a big difference between the words amateur and amateurish. The latter word fits this gobbler. I fell for the advertising hokum and bought it. Now I'm selling it on Amazon for any price I can get!