Farinelli is a 1994 biographical film about the life and career of the Italian opera singer Farinelli

Farinelli

Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...

, considered one of the greatest castrato

Castrato

A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...

 singers of all time. It stars Stefano Dionisi as Farinelli and was directed by the Belgian director Gérard Corbiau

Gérard Corbiau

Gérard Corbiau is a Belgian film director.Corbiau was born in Brussels, Belgium. He is best known for his costume dramas about music, Le maître de musique , Farinelli and Le roi danse . Two of them were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...

.

Although Dionisi provided the speaking voice, Farinelli's singing voice was provided by a soprano

Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...

, Ewa Malas-Godlewska

Ewa Malas-Godlewska

Ewa Małas-Godlewska is a Polish Soprano, residing in France. Her voice is a Lyric coloratura soprano.Malas is an accomplished opera singer, graduated from the Wroclaw PWSM. Malas is noted for her unique interpretation of Baroque music.Of all her many appearances, the most obvious one is her...

 and a countertenor

Countertenor

A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...

, Derek Lee Ragin

Derek Lee Ragin

Derek Lee Ragin is an American countertenor.Ragin studied as a piano major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. While at Oberlin he took secondary voice lessons with Richard Anderson. He began his operatic career at Oberlin in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream as Oberon...

, who were recorded separately then digitally merged to recreate the sound of a castrato

Castrato

A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...

.

Although based on real life events, dramatic license was taken. For example, Farinelli's brother is given much importance and Porpora

Nicola Porpora

Nicola Porpora was an Italian composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing, whose most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. One of his other students was composer Matteo Capranica.-Biography:Porpora was born in Naples...

 is de-emphasized, while the movie offers a different explanation for how Carlo Broschi came to take the stage name Farinelli. George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

, played by Jeroen Krabbé

Jeroen Krabbé

Jeroen Aart Krabbé is a Dutch actor and film director who has appeared in many Dutch and international films.-Biography:...

, is made out to be somewhat of a villain, but this is based on the competition between the theater at which Handel's music was played and the theater at which Farinelli sang.

Its musical director was the French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset

Christophe Rousset

Christophe Rousset is a French harpsichordist and conductor, specializing in the performance of baroque music on period instruments.-Biography:...

.
The musical recording was made at the concert hall, the Arsenal

Arsenal de Metz

The Arsenal is a cultural venue dedicated specially to Classical and Erudite musics and located near the Esplanade garden in Metz, capital of the Lorraine region, France...

 in Metz

Metz

Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...

, with the orchestra Les Talens Lyriques

Les Talens Lyriques

Les Talens Lyriques is a baroque orchestra founded in 1991 by French conductor Christophe Rousset.The ensemble takes its name from Jean-Philippe Rameau's opéra-ballet Les fêtes d'Hébé ou les talens lyriques .- External links :...

.

Cast

Actor	Role
Stefano Dionisi	Carlo Maria Broschi (Farinelli Farinelli Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :... )
Enrico Lo Verso Enrico Lo Verso Enrico Lo Verso is an Italian actor.He studied acting at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and INDA|Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico.-Filmography:* Atto di dolore * Nulla ci può fermare...	Riccardo Broschi
Elsa Zylberstein Elsa Zylberstein Elsa Zylberstein is a French film, TV, and stage actress. After studying drama, Zylberstein began her film career in 1989, and has appeared in about 50 films...	Alexandra
Jeroen Krabbé Jeroen Krabbé Jeroen Aart Krabbé is a Dutch actor and film director who has appeared in many Dutch and international films.-Biography:...	George Frideric Handel George Frideric Handel George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
Caroline Cellier Caroline Cellier Caroline Cellier is a French actress. She has appeared in such films as L'année des méduses , La vie, l'amour, la mort, Le zèbre and Le plaisir .-External links:...	Margareth Hunter
Renaud du Peloux de Saint Romain	Benedict
Omero Antonutti Omero Antonutti Omero Antonutti, is an Italian actor and dubber, appearing regularly in films and theatre performances. He was born at Basiliano, Friuli.His most notable performance to date was in the Taviani brothers' acclaimed film Padre Padrone...	Nicola Porpora Nicola Porpora Nicola Porpora was an Italian composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing, whose most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. One of his other students was composer Matteo Capranica.-Biography:Porpora was born in Naples...
Marianne Basler	Comtesse Mauer
Pier Paolo Capponi	Broschi
Graham Valentine	Prince de Galles
Jacques Boudet Jacques Boudet Jacques Boudet is a French stage and screen actor. He had great success in the 1980s with his appearance in Exercises in Style, and is featured in the film The Names of Love ....	Felipe V
Delphine Zentout	Young admirer

Reception

It was released in 1994 and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995. It was also nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.

DVD release

It is rated R by the MPAA for depictions of adult themes and sexuality. It is available on Region 1 DVDs with a spoken track in French and Italian with a little English, and subtitles available in English and Spanish.

A Blu Ray director's cut edition is available from either France or South Korea, but neither edition has English subtitles. The Korean version also includes a DVD-Audio 2.0 disc. Korea also has a director's cut on regular DVD but also with no English subtitles, just French and Korean.