Farinelli (1994)
Genre: Biography / Drama
Duration: 111 minuten
Alternative title: Farinelli: Il Castrato
Country:
France / Italy / Belgium
Directed by: Gérard Corbiau
Stars: Stefano Dionisi, Elsa Zylberstein and Jeroen Krabbé
IMDb score:
6,8 (7.874)
Releasedate: 1 December 1994
Farinelli plot
"Où s'arrête le pouvoir de sa voix?"
Farinelli is six years old when he is neutered. He soon realizes that his exceptionally pure soprano voice is now all he has left. His talent does not go unnoticed. He meets Handel and he invites him to go to England. Riccardo, who is himself a composer, thwarts those plans.
Actors and actresses
Carlo Broschi (Farinelli)
Riccardo Broschi
Alexandra
George Frideric Handel
Margareth Hunter
Countess Mauer
Felipe V
Prince of Wales
Broschi
Benedict Hunter
Reviews & comments
K. V.
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- 4395 messages
- 3791 votes
This is yet another one of those movies they never show on TV anymore, but I decided to give it a try. By the way, I didn't know it was a Belgian film.
I didn't think it was a bad film. Not that I'm much into opera or anything like that, but I still thought the music was beautiful and the voice phenomenal.
The story itself was certainly not bad either. There was the necessary drama, but it wasn't distracting.
Furthermore, the costumes and set design looked great, and the acting was also fine.
It's not a film to watch very often, but I still thought it was worth seeing at least once.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10072 messages
- 4711 votes
I found it quite heavy melodrama at times. But you don't necessarily have to love opera to enjoy this film. The characters are sufficiently developed, although every dialogue serves the art of song and music. I could empathize with Farinelli, who lived an existence mapped out for him by his selfish brother. The price he has to pay for this is sealed with a strange fraternal pact. The condescending Handel is portrayed by Krabbé and forms an irreconcilable point of conflict between two opposing concepts of art. Not bad, but a bit of lightness and breathing room for the audience could have made it even better. The singing is undeniably intoxicating.
Translated from Dutch · View original
tommykonijn
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- 5180 messages
- 2385 votes
Interesting film. I was somewhat aware of the 'castrato singer' phenomenon, but Farinelli meant nothing else to me, so I had no idea what to expect. The film has a few poignant moments in store for the viewer, and Stefano Dionisi portrays the title character sympathetically enough to empathize with him. The rest of the cast also performs adequately, and the film succeeds in conveying the spirit of the era realistically to the viewer. At the same time, it is often laid on a bit too thick, causing the obviously romanticized approach to sometimes pull me out of the film, and at times it is a little too obvious that Dionisi is not actually singing, but merely holding his mouth open. These are not blemishes that completely ruin the viewing experience, but they do nevertheless make it feel slightly less solid.
3*
Translated from Dutch · View original
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