Filmed performance of the opera Le nozze di Figaro, music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, composed in 1786, based on the play La folle journée, ou le mariage de Figaro, by Pierre Beaumarchais, written in 1784. This performance occurred in November, 2018, in London, and was made available to stream in January, 2019. Since August, 2020 it is freely accessible.
The barber to a rich gentleman wants to marry one of his employer's house staff. Said gentleman wants to have the privilege of being the first to sleep with the bride. They devise a scheme to foil the (not so) gentleman's plans.
This is probably one of the most famous operas of all times, and I must confess to not having had such a great time with it. It simply was not intellectually stimulating to me, alas, what with all that plot full of coincidences and hackneyed devices. The music is considered great, but, again, I must confess that Mozart belongs to a period of relative musical simplicity which, while superficially agreeable, is not wholly satisfactory to me. The sets and costumes are gorgeous, and the staging was faithful to the original intent of the composer and writer, and to the period in which it is set. I wouldn't have it any other way. The singers were OK to my untrained ears.
Not rated, since this is not exactly a standard movie.
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