Customer Reviews

Lucia di Lammermoor [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As far as opera movie goes this one is fairly good. Granted
the acting is a bit static and the cinematography and staging
rather academic however the sets (real castle, real outdoor)
and costumes are beautiful and everyone looks right for her/
his part. Anna Moffo is definetely the star - she is ravishing
to look at and a pleasure to listen to - a warm, full lyric
soprano voice with an easy top and considerable agility. Lajos
Kozma is a dashing-looking Edgardo but is plagued by a rather
tight nasal sound however he opens up as the opera goes along
and offers an eloquent final scene. Giulio Fioravanti and Paolo
Washington are sturdy performers and have no problems meeting
the vocal demands of Enrico and Raimondo. The supporting cast
is adequate but no more. All in all an enjoyable movie and
lovely memento of Anna Moffo in one of her great roles.

Anna Moffo in Lucia. You can't get any better than that !! The 60's opera sensation Anna Moffo has a great following and her voice is perfect for the tragic heroine Lucia. Donizetti's opera about thwarted love, forbidden romance, madness and murder in bleak Scotland is his best and most acclaimed. Anna Moffo's beauty and voice, neither which had faded at the time of this film, 1971, is enchanting. On film, this is as great opera to watch. Starring as her lover Edgardo is Lajos Kozma, a little known European tenor. Anna Moffo was American-bred but she has Italian background. If I'm not mistaken she could speak Italian fluently and at one time also had her own show on Italian television. Many will flock to the DVD of Joan Sutherland's Met performance as Lucia, long regarded as the best. But eventhough I'm a Moffo fan, here's why I think Moffo is better as Lucia.

Anna Moffo has the right look for Lucia. Her beauty provides her with a vulnerability and naivete that is appropriate for the romantic, lovesick and naive young heroine who is driven to madness. Joan Sutherland does not have any of these qualities and insteads she looks too old. This film is also very good visually. The haunting cinematography enhances the plot of the opera. The film was shot in authentic castles and moors. The fact that the movie looks dated and runs slow is not a problem. It adds to the allure of the old opera. Everything about this film is perfect. The look, the cast of singers and the orchestration. Get this if you're a fan of Anna Moffo and if you want to watch a great performance of Lucia.

Moffo is stunningly lovely both vocally and visually. A must-have for fans of gorgeous singing. Everyone else in the film is rather terrible, however, from the bleating goat of a maidservant to a ridiculously effeminate-sounding tenor "hero." None of that is of importance, though, considering the glory of Anna Moffo.

Well, I got accustomed to the low quality of "Visual Artists International" videos, and would not have bought this one, if only I could get another Anna Moffo video recording of a complete opera. But what I heard here is simply below any reasonable quality standard. High notes are distorted, orchestra voices are not heard at all, everything is messed up. When they sing or play loudly and high, you just have to shut your ears. Many old archived non-restored recordings are of better quality than this one. Total waste of money.

I was really disappointed in the casting of this video. Moffo sings beautifully in dubbing but the balance of the cast is inferior to say the least. The costumes are pretty and the castle is grand but found myself totally unmoved. The Met version with Sutherland is better in my opinion, even though I'm a fan of Moffo. Must remember it's done in 1968 style as well, and not as much good acting as some today. Nice to have to remember Moffo, however.

Anna Moffo is beautiful. The sets are very pretty. The music is stunning and memorable.

We'll have to keep in mind that this is probably a made-for-TV effort that hasn't taken too much trouble or money to produce. It's very static and stagey (even by operatic standards), it's mostly badly mimed and badly acted. Where you'd expect mood lighting, there's constant full blaze, and where you'd expect people to react to the misery of Lucy, they just either turn away or burst into poorly coreographed swordfight. The direction is very, very poor. The picture and sound quality is mediocre, mostly because I believe it to have been shot on 16mm. But there was no sound or picture distortion as one viewer was complaining. It was just what I expected. Moffo is so very beautiful, but her lips barely move as she is supposedly singing and she simply hasn't much to do even though you can see that she is a sensitive actress. I also enjoyed the rest of the cast and was wondering that the blond tenor isn't better known nowadays. Not a bad film, but so much more could have been done with this marvellous singer, great locations and gorgeous music. Shame, director and producer!

I don't think I have seen a perfect Lucia. Ultimately my evaluation has to be based on the versions I have seen (MET version with Desay, 1967 mono version with Scotto). Of the three this one is my favorite. First this is the first version where I feel whisked back into Walter Scott's time. The on-location filming truly adds to this opera though the cinematography is somewhat amateurish and a little fuzzy and washed out. Doe-eyed Anna Moffo is breathtakingly beautiful and her singing first rate (and with only 6 days preparation I might add). The supporting cast are all fine....this Donizetti masterpiece comes to life in this version. The orchestration is not as prominent as newer versions and the sub-titles superb. I did not see a problem with the dubbing since I am always reading the sub-titles. The audio quality was acceptable given when it was shot. Any shortcomings in this production are more than made up by the talents of Anna Moffo.

Anna Moffo is Lucia!! By comparison, the rest of the cast stunk. In spite of the handicap, this is a 5-star performance. I was privileged to see Anna Moffo perform live in the Chicago Opera House as Lucia in 1957. That was immediately after her television triumph in Italy as Madama Butterfly (1956, her Fulbright Scholarship years). Immediately after her Mad Scene, there was another mad scene. This time it was the audience who went mad - an unheard-of 10 minutes of screaming ovation. That was THE most memorable opera experience in my lifetime. I saw the great Joan Sutherland in the same role, same year, and same opera house. She was superb. Stupenda or not, she was not in Moffo's league.

It is my opinion that Anna Moffo was the greatest American soprano. Unfortunately, she was under-rated and under-appreciated. Yes, there are many fine sopranos like Sutherland, Tebaldi, etc. However, Anna was the total package and what every little girl dreams that a soprano should be. She possessed an incredibly warm and lyrically beautiful voice. And that amazing phrasing and dramatic ability! Lastly, she was blessed with great physical beauty. I absolutely adore her. Anna was the perfect Lucia. This dvd is thank goodness, a wonderful memento for those of us too young to have witnessed her live performances. I completely disagree with the previous reviewer - the cast is excellent. Maybe they did not possess "big" names like Corelli, Merrill, etc., but the singing is very fine here. Everyone carries their own weight. Anna is simply gorgeous with those big brown eyes and the viewer can truly feel the anguish in her character. The dvd quality is very good and sound quality is excellent.