Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata

Giuseppe Verdi's opera becomes a passionate, poetic film in the hands of director Franco Zeffirelli. Celebrated tenor Placido Domingo stars with soprano Teresa Stratas as the doomed lovers caught in the sticky web of 1840s Parisian society. Domingo is in fine voice as Alfredo, the "young" man who falls too hard for terminally-ill courtesan Violetta. Stratas, as Violetta, is the real star of the film; close-ups prove she is a gifted actress as well as a sublime singer, and she radiates an almost painfully exquisite blend of joy and despair in her every scene. The story's beauty plays out against a serious of extravagant sets and locations, culminating in a ballroom party, replete with stunning ballet. James Levine conducts while Cornell Mac Neil, Alan Monk, Axell Gall, Pina Cei, and members of the Bolshoi State Academic Theatre round out the cast. This is considered by many to be the best of all opera films; it's a perfect combination of elaborate sets, evocative cinematography, brilliant music, and impassioned performances.