La Traviata **** (1982, Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil) – Classic Movie Review 8822

Director Franco Zeffirelli’s sumptuous, thrilling 1982 Italian film version of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata, based on Alexandre Dumas Fils’s The Lady of the Camelias [La dame aux camélias], is a glossy paean to the Romantic era. It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Franco Zeffirelli, Gianni Quaranta) and Best Costume Design (Piero Tosi). It won two Bafta awards: Best Costume Design (Piero Tosi) and Best Production Design/Art Direction (Franco Zeffirelli, Gianni Quaranta).

Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas sing beautifully as the doomed lovers, Alfredo and Violetta, and the sets (designed by Franco Zeffirelli), costumes (Piero Tosi) and photography (shot by Ennio Guarnieri) are ravishing.

Cornell MacNeil and Alan Monk are ideal in support as Giorgio Germont and the Baron Douphol. Also in the cast are Axell Gall, Pina Cei, Maurizio Barbacini, Robert Sommer, Ricardo Oneto, Renato Cestié, Dominique Journet and Luciano Brizi.

It is sung in Italian with English subtitles.

La Traviata is directed by Franco Zeffirelli, runs 109 minutes, is made by Accent Films B V, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, is released by Producers Sales Organization (PSO) (1982) (US), Titanus (1983) (Italy) and Universal Classics (1983) (US), is written by Francesco Maria Piave (libretto) and Franco Zeffirelli, , based on Alexandre Dumas Fils’s The Lady of the Camelias [La dame aux camélias], shot by Ennio Guarnieri, produced by Tarak Ben Ammar, scored by James Levine conductor and music director, and is designed by Franco Zeffirelli, with Costume Design by Piero Tosi and Set Decoration by Gianni Quaranta.

Famed costume designer Piero Tosi.

Piero Tosi, the famed costume designer who also worked on The Leopard, Death in Venice, The Night Porter, L’Innocente and La Cage aux Folles, died on 10 August 2019 in Rome, aged 92. He was nominated for five Oscars.

Franco Zeffirelli (1923–2019).

RIP Franco Zeffirelli, Romeo and Juliet director, who died at 96 on June 15, 2019.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8822

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