The court jester of the Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto, welcomes his lord’s dissolute lifestyle. He often incites the Duke to seduce one or another lady from more
The court jester of the Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto, welcomes his lord’s dissolute lifestyle. He often incites the Duke to seduce one or another lady from the retinue and delights in ridiculing cuckold husbands and deceived fathers. At the same time, he is the father of a charming young girl who hides in the house from depraved nobles. Rigoletto habitually mocks the Count of Monterone, whose daughter has been dishonored by the Duke, and the Count in a fit of grief and anger curses him.
In the film-opera “Rigoletto (1982)” based on the work of D. Verdi, filmed in the luxurious ducal palace of Mantua, the “golden tenor” is better than ever. Luciano Pavarotti He played the Duke. close
Shakespeare's 17th century masterpiece about the "Melancholy Dane" was given one of its best screen treatments by Soviet director Grigori Kozintsev. Kozintsev's more
Shakespeare's 17th century masterpiece about the "Melancholy Dane" was given one of its best screen treatments by Soviet director Grigori Kozintsev. Kozintsev's Elsinore was a real castle in Estonia, utilized metaphorically as the "stone prison" of the mind wherein Hamlet must confine himself in order to avenge his father's death. Hamlet himself is portrayed (by Innokenti Smoktunovsky) as the sole sensitive intellectual in a world made up of debauchers and revellers. Several of Kozintsev directorial choices seem deliberately calculated to inflame the purists: Hamlet's delivers his "To be or not to be" soliloquy with his back to the camera, allowing the audience to fill in its own interpretations. close
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous more
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris' family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions. close
Two students are late for the last commuter train and have to spend a night in a strange town. They rack their brains about where to find shelter and more
Two students are late for the last commuter train and have to spend a night in a strange town. They rack their brains about where to find shelter and quite by chance they overhear a talk between father and son. The son is an adolescent who is head over heels in love with a girl several years his senior. He is living through the first drama of his life though his love is just puppy love. Then, being resourceful fellows, they think of a plan to pass one of them for the elder son of this family. The reason they give for his unexpected arrival is that he is a child of the father's long-forsaken love. They presume this cock-and-bull story will come off, and right they are! close
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death more
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives. close
