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Simply A Masterpiece

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Blistering performances.

Julia Maginnes is enchanting, alluring. Her performance, compared with any other actress is first rate. Placido Domingo, as always, is a joy. Rather on stage, it is largely set in old Seville and gives the feel of authenticity. Its ashamed that non-opera lovers avoid such a film as this. Its the finest film in my collection. There's a reason that its in so much in demand that you have to pay hundreds for dollars for a new copy of the DVD. Its a rare treasure.Maginnes shines in this performance. Her smile would bring a strong man to his knees. Her moves are fluent and sexy. Her voice is strong and sexy. Domingo is a perfect fit for her with his sexy demeanor and beautiful tenor voice.Anyone who misses this movie misses a real treat.

It was a wonderful way to welcome in 2006: TFO presented this classic opera-film for my complete enjoyment. Francesco Rosi made some classic films in Italy (Salvatore Giuliano, The Mattei Affair) and he knows how to mix violence and passion with ravishing music. If Placido Domingo's face doesn't show very much of the emotion that boils below the surface, his voice is sublime. He was the best Don Jose I have ever heard.Julia Migenes would not be called beautiful, but she knows how to portray the sluttish and irresponsible sides of Carmen. You know this woman is not going to achieve lasting happiness because of her volatile, impulsive nature. Ruggero Raimondi as Escamillo shows why he could get women with animal magnetism. The parting of Jose and Carmen outside the arena is wonderfully poignant, a triumph of direction and acting.

Julia M-G is amazing! Despite not being the most physically stunning of women, she radiates such fire that you cannot help but see how every man she walks by falls in love with her version of Carmen. Placido Domingo, of course, is superb (and it's cool to see him when he was young and relatively slender). The movie is shot beautifully, on location in Spain, and the little details of the setting add to the pleasure of watching this wonderful film. I'll admit up front that I'm not a real opera connoisseur. In fact, there are not that many operas I really like. This movie is pretty much the entire reason I started enjoying opera at all, and it has become for me the standard against which I judge all renditions of Carmen. Obviously, most Americans won't like this movie, but then again, it wasn't made for them.

This is one of the best opera films ever made. The singing and orchestral playing are superb. The acting, directing, and scene setting made the story credible and even moving. Domingo is rather old for the role of the soldier so besotted by the sexy Carmen that he defies military orders. No matter, it works - Julia Migenes is so alluring, sings and moves so seductively, that it's not hard to imagine a man old enough to know better ruining his life for an hour with her. A must for opera lovers, and an excellent introduction to opera for those who think it's just about fat ladies playing teenage geishas and consumptive seamstresses.