Customer Reviews

Madame Butterfly [VHS]

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When considering the characteristics of opera, it naturally follows that the genre would be difficult to film. Not so for Mitterrand with his Madame Butterfly; from casting to direction to filming, Mitterrand wins. The title role must do far more than "look Asian," she must also live the role...even more so when being filmed as "Butterfly." Ying Huang proves herself a sensitive and sensible actress as well as a singer with an expressive and powerful voice. Richard Troxell as "B. F. Pinkerton" shines in his role, allowing the callousness of his character clash with an accidental love. Troxell uses the flexibility of the film medium to act as many opera singers seem unable to do upon finding themselves on a stage. In fact, the power of this video lies in the fact that the singers realize that they have the opportunity to be better actors than they could be in a staged version of the same work. There are retakes, more natural positions, beautiful scenery, and an amazing acoustic, even when outdoors! All in all,it is a fine work by Frederic Mitterand, Huang, Troxell, Cowan ("Sharpless"), Liang ("Suzuki"), and the rest. None of the roles had less than an accomplished actor and singer; even the role of "Kate Pinkerton" played by Constance Hauman was rendered with a delicate hand aware of a conflicting position and an involuntary hostility. Enjoyable for the everyday opera viewer as a fresh, beautiful feast for the eye and ear, and a first-rate film for the opera newcomer.

This review refers to the Deluxe Widescreen DVD presentation of "Madame Butterfly" (Columbia/Tri-Star)

Frédéric Mitterrand has done a wonderful job of bringing this heartwrenching opera to film. I found myself deeply lost in the emotional story, the music, the voices and the cinematography for the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Filmed in Italian, Mitterrand uses Asian and Western opera singers/actors, to bring the true sense of Giacomo Puccini's tale of a young Japanese woman's deep and unending love for the American soldier, who married her for a short time of passion and then left her under the guise of returning in the Spring to take her back to America. Butterfly gives up all that is sacred to her; her religion, her traditions, and is even shunned by her family, in the belief that her love will someday return to her. She waits years, each day hoping this will be the one her love returns to her.

Soprano Ying Huang, as Butterfly, will mesmerize you with her stunning beauty and lovely voice. You will get lost in her songs of love and anguish. Richard Troxell is a strong Lt. Pinkerton, as the husband who loves and leaves, only to return and realize the pain he has caused. Ning Liang and Richard Cowen add their wonderful voices to the film as well.

If you are a fan of this opera, you will delight in the screenplay (David Belasco), that makes a beautiful transition from stage to film. It's a film that will open the door and hearts to anyone new to the emotions of opera, and will immediatley make new fans of the genre.

The DVD is presented in widescreen, with an excellent Anamorphic picture. Subtitles give the choice of English, Spanish Portuguese,Chinese or Thai(oddly enough, no Japanese subtitles). There is a making of featurette and scene selections. The Dolby Surround sound is clear and fulfilling.

An absolutely stunning production...enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:Le Nozze Di Figaro (Staatskapelle Berlin)

Martin Scorsese's cinematography is utterly unparralleled in his filming of the beautiful Puccini opera "Madame Butterfly". It is with a reserved caution that I say it surpasses any staged version of the opera I have ever seen! I say that cautiously so as not to offend those die-hard traditionalists, myself having been one. Scorsese transports us to an authentic Japan and his photography captures all of the intricate details and beauty for the setting of one of the worlds most beautiful stories. The film is so real that one is truly moved to tears by the end and emotionally overwhelmed. The mixed cast of both Asian and Western singers makes it even more beliebable. Soprano Ying Huang sings and acts delicately the fragile geisha who will wed the American lieutenant Pinkerton, sung by American Richard Troxell. Both are aptly cast in the film and compliment one another. Ying Huang plays the child-like Butterfly accurately as the composer would have intended. Troxell is handsome, charming and plays well the role of a not so nice character, leading Butterfly to believe he will one day return to Japan and take her back to America. He's so charming, in fact, that at times one feels he may have a change of heart along the way. From the beginning of the film with the torii standing in the Nagasaki harbor through the duration of the film, much in the leased 100 year paper and wood house built for Butterfly, one experiences many visual nuances. Scorsese can even film the softness of a breeze blowing at sundown through the house, captured by flowers moving in the dimming sunlight in a vase. The only fault I can find with the film, and it's considerable enough to detract from the overall experience, is the very unrealistic Bonze flying down from the sky at the end of the wedding ceremony. It looked somewhat foolish, considering the rest was unprecedented. Of the many filmed scenes, one that was effectively done was at the end of the opera, where Scorsese created a bad thunderstorm around the time Butterfly committed hara-kari and just at the time Kate and Sharpless pulled up in a carriage in the pouring rain to have Suzuki push the child out of the house and picked up by the Americans to be returned with his father to the States. Lastly, the cowardly Pinkerton runs into the house hoping to once more see Butterfly, but rather finds her dead on the floor. Scorsese captures the intense awkwardness and ambivalence of this moment that closes the film. In my review, I've talked little about the music or the voices. Puccini's music was sung convincingly by the cast and particularly Ying Huang and Richard Troxell, who both had great acting ability as well. But the true essence of this production was the filming and Scorsese's ability to capture so many delicate moments through the use of cinema. Please do yourself a favor and watch this beautiful opera, but rather on film as an alternate to the stage. Highly highly recommended!

The format of this production is unusual: a movie of an opera, and believe me, it works, and it works exceedingly well. A measure of Mitterand's outstanding direction is that there are no weak performances, not even for the smallest roles. Troxell is a wonderful Pinkerton and Ning Lian's Suzuki is superb (by the way, it's very refreshing to see so many Asians played by...well, Asians). The famous Scorsese attention to detail is everywhere evident, and the filming is masterful.

But Madame Butterfly is the story of a woman, and Ying Huang is the real power of this production. She captures the grace, the constancy, and the heartbreaking vulnerability of Butterfly to near perfection. Her singing and her acting are absolutely marvelous.

I am an opera fan from way back, but I watched this film with a bunch of my buddies who don't understand anything that isn't shaped like a football, and it pulled them in completely. Take it from me, it'll get you too...don't care who you are.

Despite some puzzling directorial choices - in an otherwise realistic staging, the Bonze flies in and out like a menacing Peter Pan, and the Humming Chorus is accompanied by irrelevant archival silent film footage - this is beautifully and affectionately presented. Ying Huang has said herself that her voice is too light to sing this taxing role live, but onscreen her performance is definitive: she captures every aspect of this bewitching character, and her performance deepens as Butterfly attains maturity. She is well-matched by the handsome Richard Troxell as her Pinkerton, who gives a more sympathetic portrayal of this odious character than is customary. As her maid/friend/confidante Suzuki, Ning Liang is perfect, and Jing Ma Fan is simply spectacular in the small but pivotal role of Goro. Once seen, this film is not easily forgotten. Have Kleenex at hand, though....

Mitterand's version of Madame Butterfly is that extreme rarity, a beautifully acted, beautifully sung, beautifully filmed movie version of an opera. The cast is suited, in age and appearance, to their characters, which is hardly ever the case in stage productions. Ying Huang, who as Butterfly, carries most of the weight of the drama, gives a particularly heartbreaking performance. Yes, be warned, this is the weepiest of stories and you will need a good supply of tissues close to hand.

The cinematography is employed to great effect, enough to make this more than just a filmed stage production, yet not so much as would detract from the tightly focused drama. Any filmed opera has the problem of what to do with the intermezzo. Do you omit it? Do you leave the screen blank? Mitterand's solution is to retain the music and show actual film footage of early twentieth-century Japan as a visual filler. I think this works very well and helps to support the overall realistic feel of the movie.

There is just one false note: at the wedding, the gonze (Buddhist priest) appears as a supernatural figure, floating through the air. There is no good reason for this and it simply detracts from the dramatic impact of the moment. No matter, this remains an unmissable movie for all actual and potential opera lovers. Just be prepared to cry and cry and cry...

This is THE production of Madame Butterfly!

Pinkerton does a great job of making you hate him! Ying Huang is SO beautiful! Sometimes she even looks even YOUNGER than 15! And her bell-like voice, although it can lose its operatic quality, is still breathtakingly beautiful! She has the girlish beauty and voice for Butterfly (sure, it isn't a dramatic soprano voice, and it's not strong and rich enough for the stage, but it's still beautiful), and gives a heartbreakingly sad performance.

Ning Liang is EXCELLENT as Suzuki! She's also lovely and has an AMAZING mezzo-soprano! And she's a wonderful friend to Butterfly. Goro, so often portrayed as this bumbling idiot, is portrayed for what he is: a cruel, cynical villain. Even Kate Pinkerton has a touch of cruelty when she first appears.

The Bonze's portrayal of flying in is the only weak point. It looks SO cheesy! It is supposed to be one of the saddest moments and yet it just botches it up. Oh well. The end is especially heart- wrenching! She hears Pinkerton calling to her after she has stabbed herself and she tries to get back up(that part just really makes you tear up!)and then she dies in his arms. Can you sit through that and not cry?

I cannot imagine a better movie treatment of Madama Butterfly than this. In fact, it may be a long time before another one is attempted, simply because this is one tough act to follow. The setting, the costumes, and above all, the casting ... it is so obvious that everything in this production was planned and executed with tender loving care.
My teenage niece was captivated by this opera (after telling me she wouldn't like it!) She has since bought her own copy and it has opened up a whole new world for her.
This DVD never fails to give me goosebumps ... even when I just THINK about some of the scenes and arias!! It accomplishes the essential B and P of opera--Beauty and Passion--wonderfully. "Madama Butterfly" is one of my three favorite operas on DVD--the other two being "Otello" with Placido Domingo, and of course, Ingmar Bergman's "Magic Flute."

This film is an unusual portrayal of the opera. On the one hand, it consists entirely of a performance of Puccini's opera (in Italian). The visuals, however, are not the traditional stage sets, but rather a cinema-style, realistic acting out of the story by the singers.

I'm not one who normally finds Italian opera very accessible. But this film moved me to tears, and occupied my thoughts for days after I watched it. What made the difference is that the performers are not only wonderful singers, but are terrific actors and actresses as well.

This is not automatically true. Since opera is traditionally done on-stage, the performers usually use an exaggerated type of acting that projects from a small stage to a large audience.

For this movie, the performers were able to very succesfully adapt to cinema-style acting. In particular, Ms. Huang (as Madame Butterfly) projected every subtle feeling with devastating effect. It was one of those wonderful performances that draws you in and makes you forget that you're watchting a movie.

French director Frederic Mitterand's gorgeous and melancholy movie makes the best version of Puccini's most famous opera. This movie is so well-made, so perfect, that after seeing it, you will be a true lover of opera. Filmed in Nagasaki, Japan, the beauty of the landscape in sprawling panoramic views in the springtime make for a beautiful setting. Authentic Japanese kimono and dress, as well as Japanese houses complete with sliding doors make it very realistic. Visually, cinematically, it's a masterpiece. Now as far as sound. While more than one critic may call it a poor quality Madame Butterfly, with the wrong cast, especially in soprano Ying Huang, there are many reasons that this is not true. In addition, as a movie, there are advantages over stage versions. We SEE subtle things, like Madame Butterfly's portrait of Jesus showing she has accepted Catholicism and renounced her faith. We see in the wedding scene how furious and powerful her uncle is who disowns her (flying in white robes like something out of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, a very Asian motif). We see how the house Butterfly lives in is both beautiful, surrounded by spring flowers, but also an isolated little dream cage, a world entirely of her own making since she has been deceived in a false marriage with Pinkerton. The ending is so moving, if you don't cry, you miss the point of the movie.

This IS the Madame Butterfly as it should be sung and acted. Purists among the opera-loving world prefer to keep traditional, conventional staging and casting. Butterfly has been sung by the heavy, dramatic divas from Maria Callas, Mirella Freni, Reneta Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, among others. The role of B.F. Pinkerton is a prize-winning performance for the tenor who can sing it well, and many have sung it in their glorious careers- Luciano Pavoratti, Placido Domingo, and many others. However, this opera is not merely a tenor-and-soprano tragic romance. It's not Wagner's Tristan and Isolde which withou a doubt calls for a heavy tenor and soprano. In the case of Butterfly, she is FIFTEEN years old. Heavier voices make her sound older and melodramatic. She is supposed to come off as naive mostly. If she's dramatic, it should not be overdone. She's bold, she's spirited, she's only a full character when she's in love, and this is throughout the entire opera. It is her love for Pinkerton that has driven her to find a new religion (presumably Pinkerton's Catholic or Christian faith) and abandon her ancestral faith, to the cost of being disowned by her own family. In Ying Huang, we have the real Madame Butterfly. Her light voice can still deliver the dramatic lines and perfectly characterize a frail, love-sick Geisha of an inexperienced age.

Ying Huang as Butterfly, Richard Troxell as Pinkerton (doing a slightly lesser performance than the heroine. One would have wished they could have casted Domingo as Pinkerton but by this time in 1996 he was much older or unavailable for the role. I feel that Troxell's voice is not passionate enough. He is cast simply because he's a good looking man. But it works in the biggest part of his character - his image as a Yankee playboy who merely takes Butterfly's love for granted. The singers in the roles of Susuki and the Consul man are doing a fine job. This is a great movie that ought to be in every opera lovers' collection.