Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96736 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-06-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 127 minutes

Customer Reviews

Enchanting
This may not be the choice for a "first" Butterfly DVD, but any fan of the opera "must" have this in their collection, at least as a second version.

As has already been mentioned, this film made Anna Moffo an overnight star. It is easy to see why. She is totally enchanting in the part. This is a very delicate, very young, and very innocent interpretation. Unlike SO many interpreters, she does not seem at all straining for effect as the young Geisha.

Her death scene is a heart breaker.

Her singing is simple gorgeous and she looks incredibly beautiful.

Why do I give this only fours stars? Well, first, this is taken from an RAI film made in the mid 50s. The B&W photography seems a bit fuzzy and lacking in constrast. The singing is lip-synched, which is always difficult to make convincing.

Renato Cioni is heartless and insensitive; this is the character as Puccini envisioned it, however, Cioni's voice sounds thin and whiny throughout. He seems to be somewhat flat on his high notes.

Because of these flaws this may not be a first choice for someone building an opera DVD library from scratch. But for any fan that is looking to be comprehensive, this is an absolute must. It is THAT good.

An Ideal Butterfly
It is easy to see why this television broadcast turned Anna Moffo into an overnight star. It is difficult to imagine a more convincing Butterfly. She certainly looks the part. And, while her voice is too light for the role on stage, it is wonderful for this medium. Her performance has enormous emotional range and musical interest. The rest of the cast is very strong as well.

The production is very sophisticated, especially given the 1956 date. The sound and picture are also surprisingly good.

Overall, this is a highly moving performance and a wonderful video testament to a major talent on the verge of stardom.

Moffo is Greatest Butterfly!
The RAI film is rather fuzzy and in black & white, however the sound quality is excellent. I do not complain about lip-synching since I was too young to have ever seen my idol Moffo live on stage. She is such an enchanting and gorgeous Butterfly. Her death scene is devastating to watch. Moffo was such a great actress and singer. Overall, this is a wonderful dvd to have as a memento of America's greatest soprano. The big bonus are 3 famous arias from "La Boheme" starring Moffo and Richard Tucker of the Bell Telephone Hour series.