Maria Stuarda

For those interested in italian opera AND the German language (particularly if they are learning german), or happen to be German, I would recommend that they either watch out for this Peter Weigl film or purchase it. Weigl's film combines arias from Donizetti's marvellous opera (Mary Stuarda)with spoken extracts from Schiller's play on the same theme (which altered the historical facts somewhat).

It is a most unusual combination, using Czechoslovakian actors, and the voices of Pavarotti/Sutherland/Tourangeau etc(from Decca recording 1976). For opera lovers an interesting venture into something a little more unusual - for italian/german language learners, a temptation to delve a little further into the culture/music/literature. For all an introduction to a unique experiment by Peter Weigl.

This is a bit of a curiosity. Spoken dialog, in German, from the Schiller play, is interspersed with highlights of the Donizetti opera. There are three full casts: the filmed actors are Czech; their German dialog is dubbed by German actors; and the music is a Decca recording with Sutherland, Pavarotti, James Morris, and others, conducted by Richard Bonynge with an orchestra from Bologne. The spoken dubbing is fine. Lip-synching of the vocal parts is not as successful, but is rarely distracting except for the the part of Roberto. The singing is first-rate. A surprise for me was the wonderful (vocal) Elizabeth of Hugette Tourangeau. The production, as one might expect from Petr Weigl, is anything but stage-bound, with great locations and much attention to set decoration and costuming. The selections from Schiller do not always correspond to episodes in the opera, but I found them illuminating. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the direction is the truly ambiguous moral character of Maria. She's more complex than just a subborn but wronged queen with a temper.

Don't rent this if you are looking for a definitive record of Maria Stuarda. But do see it if you don't know the work, or already know it and aren't hung-up about completeness of the musical score.

PS: The DVD can be rented from Netflix.com, where it is listed under Donizetti's Italian title of "Maria Stuarda" (Weigl uses "Maria Stuart" as his title, which is what the IMDB listing is under. Neither site indexes it under the common English title of "Mary Stuart".) The DVD is subtitled in English, but otherwise has absolutely no extra features.

While those looking for a complete version of Maria Stuarda may be disappointed, those who are happy with an abridged version complete with lavish production values, gorgeous music and first-rate singing will love this Maria Stuarda.

The settings look gorgeous and the costumes and photography as well. The music is brilliant, the story touching and the title character suitably ambiguous and complex.

The lip synching apart from that of Roberto doesn't distract too much, and the acting is fine and appropriately involved. The singing from all is first-rate, likewise with the orchestral playing and conducting. Elizabeth is outstanding, while Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti and James Morris are just superb.

All in all, a lavish and beautifully sung not to mention interesting curiosity. 9/10 Bethany Cox