The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

Directed by

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Genre

drama film, fantasy film, musical film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

2h 18m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 90 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A poet named Hoffmann tells stories of three past loves, each one ending in tragedy. The film presents these tales through song and dance in fantastical settings.

theatricalwhimsicaloperaticcolorfuldreamlikedramatichistorical

What happens

The Tales of Hoffmann is a 1951 British Technicolor comic opera film written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger working under the umbrella of their production company The Archers. It is an adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann, itself based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The film stars Robert Rounseville, Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Léonide Massine and features Pamela Brown, Ludmilla Tchérina and Ann Ayars. Only Rounseville and Ayars sang their own roles. The film's soundtrack consists of music conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham and played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to Rounseville and Ayars, singers included Dorothy Bond, Margherita Grandi, Monica Sinclair and Bruce Dargavel. The film's production team included cinematographer Christopher Challis and production and costume designer Hein Heckroth, who was nominated for two 1952 Academy Awards for his work. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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