The Tales of Hoffmann

Star Review

Despite being by championed by auteurs as diverse as Martin Scorsese, Derek Jarman and George A Romero, this brilliant adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s opera Les Contes d’Hoffmann remains one of Powell and Pressburger’s most underrated works. Starring veterans from their earlier masterpiece The Red Shoes, including Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Ludmilla Tcherina, this is one of the most exuberant operas ever put on film, a gorgeous blend of music and Technicolor that deserves much wider appreciation.

In the wistful narrative a poet dreams of three women - a mechanical doll, a beautiful courtesan and the dying daughter of a composer, all of whom he ends up losing. The pure inventiveness on screen is exhilarating, from elaborate trompe l’oeil effects (a staircase emprinted on a carpet) to the extensive use of puppets. The daring use of Expressionism also works marvellously; not since The Cabinet of Dr Caligari had this degree of stylisation been employed so successfully. In a groundbreaking move, Powell recorded the soundtrack before filming (leading Romero to describe it as ‘the first music video’), adding to the expressionist performances of his marvellous cast.

Alex Davidson on 17th August 2007

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Film Description

Hoffman tells three stories of love for the doll Olympia, the courtesan Giulietta, and the frail diva Antonia. Performed by opera singers and ballet dancers accompanied by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

A brilliant adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s opera Les Contes d’Hoffmann and starring veterans from their earlier masterpiece The Red Shoes, including Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Ludmilla Tcherina, this is one of the most exuberant operas ever put on film - a gorgeous blend of music and Technicolor that deserves much wider appreciation.

[ Show Star Review ]

When The Tales of Hoffman first appeared in British cinemas in the early 1950s, I went to see it seven times. I still regard it as being among the greatest British art... more >

When The Tales of Hoffman first appeared in British cinemas in the early 1950s, I went to see it seven times. I still regard it as being among the greatest British art works of the Twentieth Century. It annoys me beyond measure that it is now unavailable in this country: a VHS copy being available in the States. All the American musicals of this period are being brought out on DVD (happily); why not this one? Surely someone can make a decent profit from such a great film. < less

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Film Details

Cast

Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann

Technical Details