Product Details

• Actors: Sophia Loren, Renata Tebaldi, Lois Maxwell, Ebe Stignani, Luciano Della Marra
• Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Italian
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bel Canto Society
• VHS Release Date: August 26, 1997
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304593511
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,128 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A collector's item!, September 1, 2001

By 

"rockyshore-81" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aida [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I'm a Tebaldi fan so there IS a bias. For 1951 this is an excellent introductory offering. The opera purist can find much to complain about here. The biggest of these would be that gorgeous pieces of music are not included or cut. IF you've never heard Aida in its entirety you probably won't notice. The Tebaldi voice in '51 was at its youthful best -- I have yet to hear ANY singer do "pianissimos" the way Tebaldi could! The story is that of a love triangle that ends with the death of two leaving the third desperate with self-recrimination. Sad all around. Aida is in love with Rhadames. Unfortunately so is Amneris the Egyptian Princess. And while Aida is an Ethiopian princess she has been captured by Egypt and is Amneris' slave. Both Amneris & Aida are in love with Rhadames an Egyptian warrior. Rhadames is in love with Aida -- sticky isn't it? During a pivotal battle Aida's father Amonasro is captured but the captors think they've killed the Ethiopian warrior king. One of my personal favorite parts of Aida is "Ma tu oh Re.." in which Aida pleads for the lives of the captured Ethiopians. In this selection you get only a taste of what the entire selection is like. Aida & Rhadames plan on escaping to Ethiopia. Enter Amonasro who having convinced Aida to trick Rhadames into devulging the secret route his soldiers will take for the next battle against Ethiopia announces "There will my army be!" As Rhadames is about to flee with Aida to Ethiopia Amneris arrives and accuses him of treason. Rhadames presents his sword to the high Priest while Aida & Amonasro flee.. During the trial Amneris is distraught "Oh chi l'o salva?" Who will save him? Rhadames id found guilty and sentanced to be buried alive in the tomb. Meanwile, Aida has made her way into the tomb to die with her beloved Rhadames. Above Amneris prays to the gods to give him (Rhadames) peace. Curtain falls. The major arias are left intact. But I still found myself wishing they had NOT left out ANY of the gorgeous music and singing that abound in this opera. IF you're looking to "get your feet wet" this is a very good selection BUT bear in mind that you're not hearing ALL the music. I gave it a 4 because it's incomplete to me AND I would rather have seen Tebaldi than Loren. BUT IT IS A COLLECTOR'S ITEM!! This one film helped launch the careers of both performers. It's worth having for that alone.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Old and Odd, November 19, 2006

By 

Robert Charles Uzgalis "Critical Mass" (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aida (DVD)

This historic movie is in bad shape. Sonically it is 50's bad; visually it is not cleanly transfered; there are major cuts and disjoints. As an early attempt to present opera on film it is interesting. The double cast technique actors/singers is difficult at best. Sophia Loren is beautiful as Aida; and Tebaldi sings it well. However the whole effort doesn't come off very well.

But if you want a historic recording and sample of how not to do opera on film -- this is it.

Fing a good Aida on DVD is difficult. The best I have seen so far is the hard to fine EuroArts dvd of Aida from the Festival of St. Margarethen. The singers were unknown to me as well as the conductor, chorus, and orchestra. The set, performance, and singing are excellent to extraordinary. If you can find it buy it.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No Triumphal March for this cast., February 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aida [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A great addition to anyone's collection of cinema oddities. Sophia Loren in blackface, cheesey sets and unusual choreography for the ballet sequences put this film right up there with such classics as "Queen of Outer Space", with Zsa Zsa Gabor. The plot synopsis spoken in English during various parts of the film is somewhat distracting, as are the cuts in the opera score. If your looking for amusement, this may be the Aida for you, but if want a serious production of this opera, you may wish to look elsewhere. There weren't even any elephants in the Triumphal March (that part of the score was hacked too).