The two latest essays in Wonders in the Dark‘s invaluable “countdown” of 101 great romantic movies are #99 A Village Romeo and Juliet (1992), based on an opera by Delius — I like Delius’s work but have a stubborn difficulty with opera, yet Sam Juliano’s impassioned advocacy just about has me convinced I ought to give this one a try — and another operatic movie, #98 Madama Butterfly (1995), again eulogized by Sam Juliano. Here’s his conclusion to the latter essay:
In summation Mitterand’s version of Madama Butterfly is that extreme rarity, a beautifully acted, beautifully sung, beautifully filmed movie version of an opera. The cast is suited, in age and appearance, to their characters, which is hardly ever the case in stage productions, and the cinematic medium, with swirling cameras and intense close-ups, puts an accent on this most wrenching of all operas by the most beloved operatic melody maker of all time.