Carmen

This was my comment on the condition of the tape of Carmen I got from Amazon, the class that I mention was my rebuttal to Carmen. I explain in that class that I loved the sound track to Carmen but I was surprised to find that the translation revealed the evil side of women in this movie. I think the reason why heaven blessed this with such good music was in the song by Mary Poppins, "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down". The truth can be a bit hard to swallow, but this well done movie was the first time the evil side of women was so clearly conveyed to me. My rebuttal to the evil side of women is told better on my first class, (#1a at Vimeo), but the last class sums this movie of Carmen better.Dear Mike Libby, I got the tape in a few days and copied it to a dvd (it came in perfect), so I could record a class over it. That's class #127x12 at MikeOversonEndTimes-org. I talk about Carmen and show a few scenes of it in the first 30 minutes, you can tell I recorded over that tape at the very end (at 2:08 minutes). It was a perfect tape to record my "LAST CLASS & GOODBYE" on. (Because the evil side of women has ended the magic and wisdom heaven was sharing with "the one" to share with the public through these classes, and that made Carmen the perfect tape to record my "last class & goodbye" on). Thank you that it was in such good condition. (Class 127x13 is a 53 minute summary of 127x12 that I did for Vimeo, under MikeOversonEndTimes.) I just looked at every review of Carmen and didn't find one by Leonard Maltin. However John A Furner's review: "Maltin's Carmen review is brain dead" was right next to my review. Being "the one" I've learned about the evil games they play on the internet to discredit, mock or slander what I'm doing, and this is an example of it. Fortunately for me, God has a way of complementing the things I do, and that includes even this movie review I did of Carmen. Before I tell it, I'll provide the instant knee jerk reaction to mock me and that is: "U R so vain!". That was the "Final Cut Express" I got on 10-12-09, (mocking me as U R so vain), that caused me to record "MY LAST CLASS AND GOODBYE" over the tape of Carmen the next day on 10-13-09. The amazing complement I found was in the lyrics to the song "Daniel" by Elton John. Though I've only seen (and loved) Spain on a tour video and in Carmen, I believe the lyrics refer to my premature death, that's from God ending my classes and my life soon due to "no thanks, no pay and no respect". As it says in the song: "Daniel is traveling tonight on a plane, I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain, oh I can see Daniel waving goodbye, God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes... Daniel my brother you are older than me, do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal, YOU'RE EYES HAVE DIED but you see more than I...Oh I can see Daniel waving goodbye, God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes".

Amazon may not put this review in the right place. You will want the version with the cover photo with Migenes (Carmen) on the left, Domingo (Don Jose) on the right, Bizet's Carmen in red letters above, and a soldier with women at the bottom. It should come up in this link:Bizet - Carmen / Maazel, Migenes, Domingo DVDThis is the version you must get if you love Carmen (because of removable subtitles, which I will get to in just a moment). I saw this in the movie theaters when it came out circa 1984, and it's even better than I remember. It is so colorful, gritty, and realistic--one can almost smell the cigars, the sweat, the offal in the arena. Also--it is just about the most perfectly lip-synch'ed film recording I have ever seen, from all involved.In short, it is nearly a perfect film on opera, certainly the best Carmen on video, and one of the best if not very best opera films ever made. The only thing wrong with it, it's too good. That is in the sense that other film-makers see it and say, "Yes, see, opera on film is possible, therefore we can do it too." And they cut corners everywhere, don't take time to get the lip-synch perfect, and the result is horrible.It is beyond 5 stars, but it is out-of-print, and I see Amazon is including this review in with reviews of the newer release of the same movie, the one with non-removable English subtitles!! MAJOR PROBLEM!! No, no, no, you do not want this opera with non-removable English subtitles. It just destroys everything :-(This, of all opera films, must be seen without subtitles. Now, if you must have subtitles, this one DOES give you the CHOICE of English, French, Spanish, or OFF. I think you will want to learn your Carmen from some other average production with subtitles, then come to this production WITHOUT them. To repeat: you can ONLY do that with this out-of-print Gaumont / Columbia Tri-Star version.It's been out of print for several years, and so it is expensive. I had to spring $80 for a new unopened copy--about 5 times more than an average new opera DVD. Trust me, if you are into opera, it is worth more than 5 other opera DVD's. I am afraid if you get the newer version, you'll be disappointed. That is my 2 cents. Your decision :)

If you love Bizet's opera , CARMEN, this is the version for you...romantic , captivating, engaging ! I love it !

Ja, es ist eine Verfilmung, aber wirklich sehr gut gemacht!

Muy bien y a tiempo

Soy aficionado a la Opera desde hace muchos años, recuerdo haber visto esta versión en televisión cuando era muy joven. Quizás, pensé, el tiempo, ha magnificado en mi recuerdo esta obra , afortunadamente....nada más lejos de la realidad. Voy a empezar por lo malo: tiene sólo subtitulos en Inglés, además, no se pueden quitar. Están como grabados en la propia película. Obviamente, la ópera es cantada en francés.Ahora viene lo bueno, que es todo. Todo.Es, en mi opinión, y en la de muchos otros, la mejor versión de Carmen que se ha grabado en vídeo nunca. Sin ningún género de duda. En cualquier momento, en cualquiera, paren la imagen, y observen, es un cuadro que cualquier amante del arte querría ver colgado en su salón. Y es que está rodada en exteriores tan maravillosos cómo Carmona, Sevilla, y la serranía de Ronda. El vestuario es apabullante, así como la puesta en escena, los decorados, si es que existen, no lo parecen.Los intérpretes, Plácido Domingo en su mejor momento, y Carmen, Julia Migenes, la mejor nunca vista. Es una Carmen, sensual, atractiva, retadora, desafiante.....La transferencia a bluray : apabullante, con un colorido brillante y vivo, unos contrastes marcados y acentuados por unos negros profundos.El formato es un 16:9 , 1:66:1 , es decir pantalla completa.El sonido: Un Dolly Digital 5.1 Un PCM Y un glorioso DTS HD Máster audio 5.1, que suena y envuelve como si estuvieses enmedio de la acción.Sabes francés? Entiendes los subtitulos en inglés? Has visto alguna vez esta ópera? Conoces su argumento? Tienes un libreto en castellano?Ninguna de estas cosas?Es igual, nada importa. Hazte con ella, no te arrepentirás, solo su visionado ya te llenará de placer, te transporta a otra época. Te parecerá estar viendo una obra pictórica en movimiento. Y su música hará que te envuelva el aroma de las cigarreras como las imaginó Bizet.Hazme caso, a este precio, es más que un regalo.Hazte con este bluray, si, o si.

Maybe more than any other opera, Carmen lends itself to being made into a film, and it would be difficult to do this any better than has been achieved in this superb production. Apart from anything else, the striking landscape in which the action takes place is an inspiration. Since its composer, Georges Bizet (1838-1875), was French, the language of the opera is also French, which is something I've always found rather strange for such an overwhelmingly Spanish drama, and southern Spanish Andalusian at that. The film contains some bull fighting scenes which some viewers might find distressing. However, since a bullfighter and his profession are central to the plot, it's just as well to be realistic and show these scenes, which may very well turn even more people against this cruel sport.It's never difficult to find something we don't like about even the best productions. In this respect it might be said that, although Placido Domingo sings superbly in the role of Don Jose, his acting is sometimes not quite good as it might be. Conversely, it might be said of Julia Migenes that, although she looks and acts the part of Carmen superbly, her voice does not always match up to her seductiveness. However, I must say that I don't go along with this line of reasoning. Since characters featuring in great works of art such as novels, short stories, poems and operas, are inevitably open to a variety of interpretations, it would be against the very raison d'etre of art if it were to be confined in the straight-jacket of pre-conceived presentation. Both Julia Migenes and Placido Domingo bring their own interpretations and singing qualities to these roles. Just as acting can be under or over played, so can singing be under or over sung.For me, Juilia Migenes gets it just right. It's all too easy to overplay the personality of Carmen when she first comes out from the cigarette factory when, although she's regarded as a fiery beauty, her personality has yet to evolve into that of the fatalistically determined character we see more and more of as the action unfolds. It's a tribute to Julia Migenes that she sings and acts every nuance of this development in dramatic and attention holding fashion. As the bull dies from the final thrust of the matador's sword so Carmen also dies from the thrust of Don Jose's knife. Carmen is not an opera star; she's a gypsy and Julia Migenes looks like a gypsy, acts like a gypsy and sings like a gypsy. She's not just acting; she is Carmen.Faith Esham is perfect as Micaela and Ruggero Raimondi is convincing as the bullfighter. In fact, everything about this well directed and produced film is as good as it gets for this genre and it's encouraging that most of those who have watched it like it very much. Happy, as I am, to belong to this appreciative list, it give me great pleasure to add yet another five stars to this blu-ray, now one of my cherished possessions.