Search - Puccini - Madama Butterfly / Dessi, Armiliato, Pons, Domingo, Torre del Lago Opera on DVD

THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS BUTTERFLY ON VIDEO

Andres Santos Jr. | Sao Paulo, BRAZIL | 11/22/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The sets and costumes can frigthening you...but do not worry the worst is coming...
This DVD has the worst director of a filmed opera I have seen, the guy Tiziano Mancini -never forget this name- is completely in love with the conductor: Placido Domingo here. The love is so intense that he interrupts even "un bel dì" to show the static maestro FOUR times, and much more serious: in Butterfly's death scene, at the moment of commit suicide itself, he prefers to show the conductor!?!?
Outrageous and absurd...because the singing and mainly the drama is completely lost.
What a waste! Dessì and Armiliato are great singers and I follow their presentations for a long time. Since this is a festival one can stand the director's madness, set designers and the absurd costumes: poor Butterfly, in her love duet have to arrange her unconfortable veil many times and keep up the voice and the acting!!! Besides this, Domingo image is imposed all the time as if HE was the main appeal!
Do not lose your money... do yourself a favor: run away from this DVD!"

I WISH I COULD GET MY MONEY BACK

L. C. AZEVEDO | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 06/14/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with the above review by Mr. Santos but not for the same reasons or, at least, the same order of reasons. The fact that the TV director (here is where Brian Large makes all the difference) chose to focus on Placido Domingo more than it should be recommended is bad. But in time we get accustomed and even forget that Placido is there. What we cannot forget and never will, even after months after having seen this recording, are the tremendously ugly, horrific and tasteless costumes and scenery.
The concept behind this staging was that if a butterfly is an insect and the heroine is called Butterfly, then she should be dressed as such an insect, antennae and all. And all the other characters, why not, should be insects as well. That is why Suzuki appears like what seems be a giant moth, Sharpless like a huge kind of beetle, the chorus that enter with Butterfly look like a caterpillar, Goro like a disgusting cockroach from the filthiest gutter, the son Dolore like a ten year old fat and slow lady bug, Yamadori, what can that be? a silkworm? and Kate, what is that? Is she a giant ant or a disproportioned wasp? I don't know, everything is so incompetently designed that it is diffidult to make the correct guesses.
Now, someone could be asking, and what about Pinkerton? Well, aye there's the rub, for he does not have antennae so he is not an insect. Could he be a rat? He is dressed in a black uniform as someone out from Marlon Brando's gang in the film "The Wild One", only he forgot to bring the motorcycle. He has very black sideburns, a goatee to go with it and he wears a thin ponytail. What can he be? Here I give up.
Oh, I forgot to tell that during the "humming chorus" there appears someone dressed like a black spider and after some slow and demented steps of ballet throws its net over Suzuki and Dolore, not to eat them but to protect them. Then the spider goes away and when the sailors begin to sing she returns and picks
its net back.
The sets, or better yet the one piece of set, resembles a part of the desert where Manon Lescaut dies in Puccini's opera. Meaning what? With what purpose?
Well, and what about the singing and playing? The singing is good but it gets hampered by the dreadful outfits, with Daniela Dessi having to fight with collars, veils and tails. Fabio Armiliato and Juan Pons, both also excellent singers, deserved a better fate than this. They should have refused to appear so ridiculously dressed.
Placido Domingo is there allright but I think he is feeling a little bit ashamed at having to be a part of such a terrible disaster.
I don't intend to watch it again and would only wish that Guillermo Mariotto (costumes) and Arnaldo Pomodoro (set) should give my money back"