Comments on: The girls downstairs

By: yappy

yappy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:06:42 +0000

Ah, thanks for that fact. Interesting though that as Valeri played the lead and co-adapted her piece or the screen I would have thought she was more involved in the process.
Even if the author didn’t like it and it bombed, I’d still like to see it. It’s so frustrating to give up when you’ve dug your teeth in…

By: Ercole Farnese

Ercole Farnese — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:09:30 +0000

This is a movie directed in 2003 by Giorgio Ferrara, the second husband of Adriana Asti (the actress who created Iris) but I know for a fact that Franca Valeri is not happy with the result because she does not agree with the director’s choice to show Tosca and all the others opera characters, who in the play are never seen. Too bad it was not directed by Adriana Asti’s first husband, Bernardo Bertolucci.
As far as I know, this movie was a box office bomb and it’s not on DVD.

By: Ercole Farnese

Ercole Farnese — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:57:01 +0000

Yes, tenor Animelli is definitely Corelli, although at the time, Mario Del Monaco’s wife thought she was the object of Franca Valeri’s parody and threatened to sue the comedian (or she actually sued her and then withdrew the lawsuit, I don’t remember). Perhaps because Signora Del Monaco was from Veneto, and in this clip Valeri sports a very Veneto accent.

By: armerjacquino

armerjacquino — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:58 +0000

Not to mention what the Marschallin’s getting up to during Act II.

By: manou

manou — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:53:58 +0000

Rich seams here – Kate Pinkerton learns that her husband has fathered a child (and is not thrilled with the news), all the offstage bits from Trovatore brought centre stage, Gilda gets raped by the Duke (mise en scene: Calixto Bieto), the Commendatore has a chat with St Peter about making arrangements to send the Don in the other place, and so on and so forth.

(One for Betsy Ann when he wakes up)

By: The Vicar of John Wakefield

The Vicar of John Wakefield — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:33:58 +0000

The best Tosca since Victoria Sladen has been Phyllis Cannan: bags of voice!

By: yappy

yappy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:00:49 +0000

Tosca e altre due! O what joy! Wrong side of the pond too, alas. Always wanted to see this, play or movie.

and can’t find a DVD either.

By: manou

manou — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:41:19 +0000

Sounds like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I would have gone but I am the wrong side of the pond.

Thanks for “The Tenor’s Wife” – obviously modelled on Corelli since the tenor is called Animelli.

Anema e Cuore…