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The Tales of Hoffmann (film)
Encyclopedia
The Tales of Hoffmann is a 1951 British film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach
's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann, written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell
and Emeric Pressburger
working under the umbrella of their production company, The Archers
. The film stars Moira Shearer
, Robert Helpmann
, and Léonide Massine, and features Robert Rounseville
, Pamela Brown, Ludmilla Tchérina
, and Ann Ayars. It uses a soundtrack recorded for the film conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham; principal singers are Bond, Ayars, Grandi, Rounseville, and Dargavel; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
plays. The film's production team includes cinematographer Christopher Challis
and production and costume designer Hein Heckroth
, who was nominated for two 1952 Academy Awards for his work. It is not just a film of a staged opera, but a true cinematic opera that makes use of film techniques not available in an opera house.
, the young Hoffmann (Robert Rounseville
) tells three stories of past loves (played by Moira Shearer
, Ludmilla Tchérina
, and Ann Ayars). He recounts the stories during the interval of a ballet, which stars his new love Stella (also played by Shearer). Léonide Massine and Robert Helpmann
have roles in each story.
's Don Giovanni
to a ballet dancer. "The Tale of Antonia" is shortened, ending with the powerful trio for Antonia, the Ghost of her mother, and Dr. Miracle rather than Antonia's death scene. The role of Nicklausse is abridged. Footage of Pamela Brown, who in the original play is revealed to be a disguise of the Muse of Poetry, was shot but deleted.
Supporting Roles
Singing Voices
, who was often sympathetic to the duo's earlier movies, was skeptical about this film and went as far as to slash nine minutes of the original cut (which were subsequently restored). The cut scenes included portions of the Dragonfly ballet performed by Stella in the prologue under Lindorf's lustful gazes.
In the later years of their partnership, Powell became interested in what he termed "a composed film", a marriage of image to operatic music. The finale of Black Narcissus
and the celebrated 'ballet' sequence of The Red Shoes were earlier forays to achieve his goal.
The Tales of Hoffmann is an achievement of this ideal, as the entire opera was pre-recorded to create the soundtrack and the movie was edited to the rhythms of the music. The production is completely without dialogue and, with the exception of Robert Rounseville
and Ann Ayars, none of the actors did their own singing. Some of the singers had established careers in Britain at the time. Grahame Clifford, for example, had been a leading comedian with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
for several years, and Monica Sinclair, was fast becoming an audience favorite at Covent Garden
; she would later become one of the company's most popular artists of the next two decades. The acting (especially by Helpmann) is highly stylized and similar to that of the silent film era.
The film is also highly regarded for its production design and cinematography. Each tale is marked by its own individual primary colour denoting its respective theme. "The Tale of Olympia", set in Paris
, has yellow contours highlighting the farcical nature and tone of the first act. "The Tale of Giuletta" is a hellish depiction of Venice
, where dark colours, especially red, are used. The final tale, set in Greece
, uses different shades of blue, alluding to its sad nature. The set design is deliberately made to look artificial with the sets similarly stylized. The opening scene of the 'Tale of Giuletta' (where Giuletta performs the "Barcarolle", the most famous theme of the opera) is staged on a gondola which moves through deliberately artificial Venetian canals, although it does not seem to actually move on the water.
The Tales of Hoffmann was in production from 1–16 July 1950 at Shepperton Studios
in Shepperton
, Surrey
in the U.K.
, for "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color" and "Best Costume Design, Color." In addition, Powell and Pressburger were nominated for the Grand Prize of the 1951 Cannes Film Festival
, and won the Exceptional Prize. They also won the Silver Bear award for "Best Musical" at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival
.
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann, written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
and Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a multiple-award-winning partnership known as The Archers and produced a series of classic British films, notably 49th Parallel , The...
working under the umbrella of their production company, The Archers
Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers, made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1981 they were recognized for their contributions to British cinema with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the most prestigious...
. The film stars Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer, Lady Kennedy , was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.-Early life:She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King...
, Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
, and Léonide Massine, and features Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville was an American tenor, who appeared in opera, operetta, and Broadway musicals.-Career:Rounseville was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut in a small role in the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms, then appeared in other musicals in...
, Pamela Brown, Ludmilla Tchérina
Ludmilla Tchérina
Ludmilla Tchérina was a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer and author of two novels....
, and Ann Ayars. It uses a soundtrack recorded for the film conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham; principal singers are Bond, Ayars, Grandi, Rounseville, and Dargavel; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
plays. The film's production team includes cinematographer Christopher Challis
Christopher Challis
Christopher Challis BSC, FRPS is a British cinematographer who has worked on more than 70 feature films since starting in the industry in the 1940s....
and production and costume designer Hein Heckroth
Hein Heckroth
German art director Hein Heckroth began his career working with the German national ballet...
, who was nominated for two 1952 Academy Awards for his work. It is not just a film of a staged opera, but a true cinematic opera that makes use of film techniques not available in an opera house.
Plot
In a tavern in NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, the young Hoffmann (Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville was an American tenor, who appeared in opera, operetta, and Broadway musicals.-Career:Rounseville was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut in a small role in the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms, then appeared in other musicals in...
) tells three stories of past loves (played by Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer, Lady Kennedy , was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.-Early life:She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King...
, Ludmilla Tchérina
Ludmilla Tchérina
Ludmilla Tchérina was a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer and author of two novels....
, and Ann Ayars). He recounts the stories during the interval of a ballet, which stars his new love Stella (also played by Shearer). Léonide Massine and Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
have roles in each story.
Adaptation
Though the original French libretto is presented in English translation, the film is relatively faithful to the traditional adaptations of Offenbach's last opera, and incorporates his unfinished score with the thread of the plot. However, certain key changes were made in the process of adapting the story to film. In the prologue of the film, all of Lindorf's music is deleted, making him a silent character. Also, Stella's profession is changed from an opera singer appearing in MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
to a ballet dancer. "The Tale of Antonia" is shortened, ending with the powerful trio for Antonia, the Ghost of her mother, and Dr. Miracle rather than Antonia's death scene. The role of Nicklausse is abridged. Footage of Pamela Brown, who in the original play is revealed to be a disguise of the Muse of Poetry, was shot but deleted.
Cast
- Moira ShearerMoira ShearerMoira Shearer, Lady Kennedy , was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.-Early life:She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King...
as Stella/Olympia, sung by Dorothy Bond - Ann Ayars as Antonia, and singing
- Ludmilla TchérinaLudmilla TchérinaLudmilla Tchérina was a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer and author of two novels....
as Giulietta, sung by Margherita GrandiMargherita GrandiMargherita Grandi was an Australian-born Italian soprano, particularly associated with dramatic Italian roles. She possessed a powerful voice and was a forceful singing-actress in the grand manner.-Life and career:... - Robert RounsevilleRobert RounsevilleRobert Rounseville was an American tenor, who appeared in opera, operetta, and Broadway musicals.-Career:Rounseville was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut in a small role in the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms, then appeared in other musicals in...
as Hoffmann, and singing - Robert HelpmannRobert HelpmannSir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
as Lindorf/Coppélius/Dapertutto/Dr Miracle, sung by Bruce Dargavel
Supporting Roles
- Pamela Brown as Nicklaus, sung by Monica SinclairMonica SinclairMonica Sinclair was a British operatic contralto, who sang many roles with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden during the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared on stage and in recordings with Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Malcolm Sargent, and many others...
- Léonide Massine as Spalanzani/Schlemil/Franz
- Frederick AshtonFrederick AshtonSir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
as Kleinsach/Cochenille - Mogens Wieth as Crespel
- Lionel Harris as Pitichinaccio, sung by Rene Soames
- Meinhart MaurMeinhart MaurMeinhart Maur was a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 44 films between 1919 and 1954.He was born in Hajdúnánás, Hungary and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:* Harakiri * Die Teufelsanbeter...
as Luther, sung by Fisher MorganFisher MorganThomas Fisher Morgan was a Welsh singer and actor best remembered as a principal bass-baritone with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the 1950s.... - Edmond AudranEdmond AudranAchille Edmond Audran was a French composer best known for several internationally successful operettas, including Les noces d'Olivette , La mascotte , Gillette de Narbonne , La cigale et la fourmi , Miss Helyett , and La poupée .After Audran's initial success in Paris, his works also became a...
as Stella's partner in Dragonfly ballet - Philip Leaver as Andreas
- John Ford as Nathaniel (uncredited)
- Richard Golding as Hermann (uncredited)
Singing Voices
- Joan Alexander as Antonia's Mother
- Grahame CliffordGrahame CliffordFor the film editor with a similar name, see Graeme Clifford.Grahame Clifford , was an English opera singer and actor primarily known for his work in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and as principal baritone of the Royal Opera Company, Covent Garden.-Life...
as Spalanzani/Franz - Murray DickieMurray DickieMurray Dickie was a Scottish tenor opera singer and director, who established his career in England, Austria and Italy during the 1950s. In addition to his extensive stage work he was a prolific recording artist.- Early career 1947-1955 :Dickie had his first vocal training in Glasgow...
as Cochenille/Nathaniel - Owen BranniganOwen BranniganOwen Brannigan OBE was an English bass, known in opera for buffo roles and in concert for a wide range of solo parts in music ranging from Henry Purcell to Michael Tippett...
as Hermann/Schlemil/Crespel
Production
Alexander KordaAlexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
, who was often sympathetic to the duo's earlier movies, was skeptical about this film and went as far as to slash nine minutes of the original cut (which were subsequently restored). The cut scenes included portions of the Dragonfly ballet performed by Stella in the prologue under Lindorf's lustful gazes.
In the later years of their partnership, Powell became interested in what he termed "a composed film", a marriage of image to operatic music. The finale of Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus is a 1947 film by the British director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel of the same name by Rumer Godden...
and the celebrated 'ballet' sequence of The Red Shoes were earlier forays to achieve his goal.
The Tales of Hoffmann is an achievement of this ideal, as the entire opera was pre-recorded to create the soundtrack and the movie was edited to the rhythms of the music. The production is completely without dialogue and, with the exception of Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville was an American tenor, who appeared in opera, operetta, and Broadway musicals.-Career:Rounseville was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut in a small role in the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms, then appeared in other musicals in...
and Ann Ayars, none of the actors did their own singing. Some of the singers had established careers in Britain at the time. Grahame Clifford, for example, had been a leading comedian with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
for several years, and Monica Sinclair, was fast becoming an audience favorite at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
; she would later become one of the company's most popular artists of the next two decades. The acting (especially by Helpmann) is highly stylized and similar to that of the silent film era.
The film is also highly regarded for its production design and cinematography. Each tale is marked by its own individual primary colour denoting its respective theme. "The Tale of Olympia", set in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, has yellow contours highlighting the farcical nature and tone of the first act. "The Tale of Giuletta" is a hellish depiction of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where dark colours, especially red, are used. The final tale, set in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, uses different shades of blue, alluding to its sad nature. The set design is deliberately made to look artificial with the sets similarly stylized. The opening scene of the 'Tale of Giuletta' (where Giuletta performs the "Barcarolle", the most famous theme of the opera) is staged on a gondola which moves through deliberately artificial Venetian canals, although it does not seem to actually move on the water.
The Tales of Hoffmann was in production from 1–16 July 1950 at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
in Shepperton
Shepperton
Shepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in the U.K.
Critical reactions
- "For the first time in my life I was treated to Grand Opera where the beauty, power and scope of the music was equally matched by the visual presentation." — Cecil B. DeMilleCecil B. DeMilleCecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
, in a letter to Powell and Pressburger.
- "This is one notch out of alphabetical order, but I decided to give it the status of last position because it's my favourite film of all time; the movie that made me want to make movies." — George A. RomeroGeorge A. RomeroGeorge Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
, while explaining the list he submitted for the 2002 Sight & SoundSight & SoundSight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
poll.
Awards and honors
The Tales of Hoffmann received two Academy Award nominations in 1952, both for Hein HeckrothHein Heckroth
German art director Hein Heckroth began his career working with the German national ballet...
, for "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color" and "Best Costume Design, Color." In addition, Powell and Pressburger were nominated for the Grand Prize of the 1951 Cannes Film Festival
1951 Cannes Film Festival
The 4th Cannes Film Festival was held on 3-20 April 1951. The festival was not held in 1950.-Jury:*André Maurois *Georges Bidault *Louis Chauvet *A...
, and won the Exceptional Prize. They also won the Silver Bear award for "Best Musical" at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival
1st Berlin International Film Festival
The 1st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 6 to June 17, 1951. The opening film was Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.At this very first Berlin Festival, the Golden Bear award was introduced, and it was awarded to the best film in each of five categories: drama, comedy, crime or...
.
External links
- The Tales of Hoffmann reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
- Ian Christie, "Tales from the Lives of Marionettes", The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
essay accompanying the DVD - Nathalie Morris, "The Tales of Hoffmann". Full synopsis and film stills with clips viewable from UK libraries, from the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's screenonlineScreenonlineScreenonline is a Web site devoted to the history of British film and television, and to social history as revealed by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lottery New Opportunities Fund.Reviews...
website