TALES OF HOFFMANN Opera on Film

The New York Times called Tales of Hoffmann, “By far the most glowingly ambitious and swanky attempt ever made to recreate classical opera on the motion picture screen.” The film portrays the German poet Hoffmann in three adventures as he searches for the perfect woman. All the stories deal with the transforming powers of love-or, with the advantage of hindsight, the perils of infatuation. Powell and Pressburger’s sumptuous treatment is a summing-up of the themes that run through much of their work, presented in a rich kaleidoscope of styles. Sir Thomas Beecham conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.