The Blu-ray Experience II: Opera, Ballet & theatre

Los Cuentos de Hoffman - Compañía Nacional de Ópera (INBAL)

Opera in three acts, a prologue and an epilogue, by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), with a libretto in French by Jules Barbier (1825-1901), based on a work that Barbier himself and Michel Carré (1821-1872) had written based on stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822). Approximate duration: 2 h 45 min Recommended for those over 15 years old. The young poet Hoffmann, accompanied by Nicklausse, his alter ego and confidant, is in a tavern next to the theatre where Mozart's Don Giovanni is being performed. During the opera's intermission, some diners arrive at the bar who, upon seeing the poet, encourage him to sing and tell them the story of his famous love affairs. Hoffmann finally gives in and shares with them the stories of Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta. They, absorbed in the poet's stories, remain in the tavern, forgetting about the opera performance.

A Santa Joana dos Matadouros

Inspired by the work of Bertolt Brecht and filmed in Porto's former industrial slaughterhouse, A Santa Joana dos Matadouros is a meta-cinematic essay about the labor market in times of economic crisis in Europe. The film explores the possibilities of cinema in its relationship with theater and brings together a cast of professional actors, amateurs, renowned artists from various disciplines, and a group of unemployed residents of Vale de Campanhã.

Digital Theatre: Billy the Kid

Michael Morpurgo's heart warming story of a champion Chelsea footballer set against the backdrop of the Second World War.

Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Teatro Regio di Parma, 1988

"Despite the multitude of characters and situations, the plot is simple: the eternal flow of life. It is based on Les contes fantastiques d’Hoffmann, a play by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, who were inspired by some of the stories of the German E.T.A. Hoffmann. On a drunken night in the city, Hoffmann tells how he courted and lost three girls, his impossible loves: Olympia, a mechanical doll that only he believes to be truly human; Giulietta, the courtesan who steals his reflection in a mirror; and Antonia, a young woman who sings until she literally dies." Venue & Opera Company: Teatro Regio di Parma Recorded: 1988 Singers: Alredo Kraus, Ruth Welting, Jonathan Omilian, Barbara Hendricks, Elena Zilio, Nicola Gjiuselev, Bruno Buulgarelli, Francis Egerton, Aldo Bottion Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Emilia-Romagna "Arturo Toscanini" Chorus: Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma Chorus Master: Adolfo Tanhzi Stage Director: Beppe de Tomasi

Ghostlight

When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet alongside his estranged teenage daughter, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

Illusions perdues

Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower-class poet, leaves his family's printing house for Paris. Soon, he learns the dark side of the arts business as he tries to stay true to his dreams.

Floricienta en el teatro

A sequence of musical scenes that define a tender and romantic story, typical of a fairy tale: that is what the theatrical version of Flinderella, which took place in 2004 at the Teatro Gran Rex, is all about. In this version full of fantasy, Greta tells a story to Tomás, a boy who is in his bed sad and without anything to cheer him up. The story tells the love story of a poor girl who lives on top of a train and a rich prince who lives in a palace. Despite class differences and the evil Delfina, love between Flinderella is possible. She is rich in dreams and poor in gold, he is rich in money but does not know how to smile. Flor Bertotti, Juan Gil Navarro, Benjamin Rojas (here a guide who leads Flinderella through the path of dreams) and all the cast of the novel.

Floricienta: Princesa de la Terraza

Flinderella lives in a terrace and that's her world... A sad, dark, cold and lonely place that is transformed into a magical space, thanks to the light of our heroine's soul. Alongside her live her guardians of the heart: a magician, a fairy, an angel and a jester: they help her, accompany her and give her strength when she feels lost. Her joy and her ability to feel and dream make Delfina, her sister, hate her, envy her and try to destroy her. Delfina has everything that can be bought with money and lacks everything that comes from the heart. Such is the strength of the soul of our “Princess of the Terrace” that she manages to reverse Delfina's superficial and frivolous world. In this terrace love arises, since Max, a writer who lives nearby, manages to see everything that happens in the house of the evil Delfina and in the dome of the sweet Flinderella. A new tale with a great love story.

História de amor (últimos capítulos)

Three people get together to read the play that one of them wrote; a play that recounts the love that these three experienced in the past. But perhaps not everything is as it is written there, perhaps not everything - or almost nothing - was like that.

Cripure

Theatrical recording of the play from "Black Blood": 1917 was the year during the Great War that nearly led to a revolution in France. At that time, Merlin was a modest but passionate professor. Nicknamed Cripure by his students, he spent most of his time reflecting on the human condition, in the light of God, which was supposed to exist. Filmed in Théâtre du Cothurne in Lyon.

ਡਰਾਮੇ ਆਲੇ

A group of theatre performers travel to London and put on a production they hope will repair cultural divides between India and Pakistan.

Chuck & Buck

Chuck and Buck are childhood best friends whose lives have taken very different paths. While Chuck moved away and now has a real life, Buck stayed behind and developed a dangerous fixation—on Chuck's life.

アイスと雨音

In March, 2017, at a small town, six boys and girls are selected through auditions. They work hard to prepare for a play, but the play is suddenly cancelled. These young people are disappointed at the news. One girl says "let's practice." The six boys and girls want to stand on stage no matter what.

Похороны Сталина

On the same day that Stalin was buried, Sergei Prokofiev's funeral took place completely unnoticed. And if the farewell to the composer quietly went against the backdrop of the farewell to the dictator that swept the whole country, then in the play everything is the opposite - Prokofiev's music is in the center, and it is interrupted by the stories of those people who would probably ignore Stalin's funeral and went to say goodbye to the great composer.

The Egg

A college freshman takes advantage of a rumor, straining the relationships with those around him.

Der fliegende Holländer

Adaptation of 'The Flying Dutchman', recorded at the Bavarian State Opera.

Mio padre amore mio

Fede is a theater actress who, while putting on clown make-up for a show, thinks back to her relationship with her father: a relationship of tenderness, desire and hatred.

Show of Titles

An evening of celebrated stars performing the titles songs from Broadway’s best.

Le variabili dipendenti

In a dark, velvety theatre, there is a first kiss between Pietro and Tommaso. When the lights come back on, however, the two students have different expectations of what might follow. The chaos of awakening desire in its complexity and sensuality is told and made almost physically tangible through looks and gestures, approach and retreat, hope and fear.