Kevin's Digital Week 8 -A Vision and Bohemia

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Friday, 08 January 2010 17:55

Written by Kevin Filipski

Blu-ray of the Week
La Bohème
(Kultur)
Robert Dornhelm’s film of Puccini’s melodious opera might intersperse black and white sequences with vivid color for the familiar story of bohemian artists populating the garrets of Paris, but that’s not why anyone’s watching. Instead, it’s because of the biggest operatic names currently going: Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon. Netrebko, not only ridiculously photogenic — even when Mimi wastes away from TB — but also a terrific actress and splendid singer, fares better than her co-star, who plays Rodolfo with little sense that the camera moves in far closer than even a first-row seat in the opera house.

The movie’s minuses are that cast members (including nice turns by Nicole Cabell as Musetta and George von Bergen as Marcello) lip-synch badly, and the musical balances are hit or miss, with the orchestra drowning out singers even in intimate moments. Overall, La Bohème is a perfectly good Blu-ray transfer, with the colors of both the locations and Puccini’s glorious music meshing well. Extras include a long interview with Dornhelm, shorter talks with the singers, and a 28-minute making-of featurette.

DVD of the Week
Visions of Europe
(Acorn Media)
This 10-disc set comprises a dozen programs from the excellent public television series (originated at WLIW on Long Island) that feature aerial shots of dazzling locations all over the European continent, from London to Athens. Not only is this high-definition footage dazzling in and of itself—how can you go wrong with the natural wonders and man-made monuments and buildings of Italy, France, Greece, Austria, Germany and England?—but, combined with astute and sparing narration, along with well-chosen music (from classical pieces to traditional and popular tunes), this is an exhilarating journey across a continent.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve already visited any of these places or are only hoping to someday. Now, what we really need is for the entire Visions of Europe series to be released on Blu-ray.

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