Film Still

The Tales of Hoffmann

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

United Kingdom

1951

127 minutes

Color

1.33:1

English

317

Synopsis

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.

Cast

HoffmannRobert Rounseville
Stella/His Ladylove/Olympia Moira Shearer
NicklausPamela Brown
CancerEdmond Audran
Councillor Lindorf/Coppelius/Dapertutto/Dr. Miracle Robert Helpmann
LutherMeinhart Maur
Kleinzach/CochenilleFrederick Ashton
AndreasPhilip Leaver
NathanielJohn Ford
Spalanzani/Schlemil/FranzLeonide Massine
Bank clerkAlan Carter
GiuliettaLudmilla Tcherina
PitichinaccioLionel Harris
AntoniaAnn Ayars
CrespelMogens Wieth

Credits

DirectorMichael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Written, produced, and directed byMichael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Based on the opera byJacques Offenbach
English libretto byDennis Arundell
Musical directorSir Thomas Beecham
CinematographyChristopher Challis
Art directorArthur Lawson
EditingReginald Mills
Associate producerGeorge Busby
Assistant directorSydney Streeter
ChoreographyFrederick Ashton
Assistant choreographersAlan Carter and Joan Harris
Recorded byTed Drake
Camera operatorFreddie Francis
Production DesignHein Heckroth

Disc Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Audio commentary by director Martin Scorsese and film music historian Bruce Eder
  • New video interview with director George A. Romero
  • The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1956), a short musical film directed by Michael Powell, based on the Goethe story
  • Rare collection of production designer Hein Heckroth’s design sketches and paintings
  • Gallery of archival production and publicity photographs
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Plus: a new essay by film historian Ian Christie

From the Current

Tales from the Lives of Marionettes

by Ian Christie Nov 21, 2005

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...

The Tales of Hoffmann

by Bruce Eder Jun 16, 1992

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...

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