United Kingdom
1951
127 minutes
Color
1.33:1
English
317
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger create a phantasmagoric marriage of cinema and opera in this one-of-a-kind take on a classic story. In Jacques Offenbach’s fantasy opera The Tales of Hoffmann, a poet dreams of three women—a mechanical performing doll, a bejeweled siren, and the consumptive daughter of a famous composer—all of whom break his heart in different ways. Powell and Pressburger’s feverishly romantic adaptation is a feast of music, dance, and visual effects, and one of the most exhilarating opera films ever produced.
| Hoffmann | Robert Rounseville |
| Stella/His Ladylove/Olympia | Moira Shearer |
| Nicklaus | Pamela Brown |
| Cancer | Edmond Audran |
| Councillor Lindorf/Coppelius/Dapertutto/Dr. Miracle | Robert Helpmann |
| Luther | Meinhart Maur |
| Kleinzach/Cochenille | Frederick Ashton |
| Andreas | Philip Leaver |
| Nathaniel | John Ford |
| Spalanzani/Schlemil/Franz | Leonide Massine |
| Bank clerk | Alan Carter |
| Giulietta | Ludmilla Tcherina |
| Pitichinaccio | Lionel Harris |
| Antonia | Ann Ayars |
| Crespel | Mogens Wieth |
| Director | Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger |
| Written, produced, and directed by | Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger |
| Based on the opera by | Jacques Offenbach |
| English libretto by | Dennis Arundell |
| Musical director | Sir Thomas Beecham |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Art director | Arthur Lawson |
| Editing | Reginald Mills |
| Associate producer | George Busby |
| Assistant director | Sydney Streeter |
| Choreography | Frederick Ashton |
| Assistant choreographers | Alan Carter and Joan Harris |
| Recorded by | Ted Drake |
| Camera operator | Freddie Francis |
| Production Design | Hein Heckroth |
Why would a filmmaker simply film an opera? Many admirers of Michael Powell’s have assumed that the decision to make The Tales of Hoffmann, in 1950, was in some way an admission by Powell and his long-term partner, Emeric Pressburger, that they couldn’t go on making...
Of the 18 movies made by the filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, none was as personally and artistically fulfilling as The Tales of Hoffmann. This dazzling screen adaptation of the Offenbach opera—a visual, sonic, and sensual delight—marked the capstone of their work...
Displaying 0 discussion topics.
