There is something very odd about rating for this film. It seems strange that there are currently only eighteen votes, but it is staggering that three people gave it a score of two! I've admired this production ever since it was first broadcast on British TV which I taped, and have watched many times. However, I recently bought the DVD which is quite a revelation in video quality. Musically this production is a very solid, and the quality of the 6 channel DTS audio is excellent on the DVD. I like the singers, especially Francisco Araiza and Claudio Desderi. Frederica von Stade is very solid. She certainly has all the notes though she does have a tendency to use more glissando than is to my taste. The real star for me is Paolo Montarsolo whose bluff buffoonery is superb. Its hard to imagine a better performance than this. The acting of all the cast, including the chorus, is excellent and often very funny. The production values are truly marvelous. The sets and costumes of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle are exceptionally beautiful. The direction, also by Ponnelle, is very inventive. There is a clever variation halfway through where he gets Rossini rather than Alidoro to send Cinderella to the ball. Lastly the cinematography by David Watkin is fantastic. Watkin is a true genus, and he complements Ponnelle art perfectly. Come on guys, how can any of you think that this is only worth a rating if two?
