Product Description RIVETING! The best plot of any Gigli movie. The powerful plot concerns Canio after prison, and the composition and premiere of Pagliacci. Paul Hoerbiger movingly portrays the real-life Canio. In the opera's premiere, Gigli is the Canio. To express the drama, he colors his voice far more than any other Canio on film or record. In Ridi, pagliaccio Gigli's voice is more mature--and more appropriate for the part--than in his 1934 recording, on EMI. On the recording he is less secure rhythmically and colder and less detailed interpretively. It was made before he had stage experience with the role, whereas the film was produced a month after he sang a run of Canios at the Rome Opera. (A live version, from 1952, is exciting, but the CD transfer, on Eklipse, has pitch problems so severe that his voice is hard to recognize.) Gigli's mezza voce remained ravishing to the end of his career. In Ridi pagliaccio he purrs "Prendi: l'anel ti dono," from Sonnambula, with surpassing sweetness. The music in the film breathes beautifully, presumably thanks to the conducting of the legendary Luigi Ricci. This is a rare recorded example of his work. (He is remembered as a coach to Gigli, Olivero and others and was a composer in his own right.) For all these reasons I watch the film again and again.--Stefan Zucker From the Contributor Tully Potter, reviewing in International Opera Collector: "In the compelling Ridi pagliaccio from 1942, after hearing Gigli sing the Prologue over the titles, we see the real-life Canio come out of prison on parole after 20 years, to find his daughter adopted by a rich lady and about to marry a man of good family. He is befriended by Leoncavallo, who writes the opera based on his story; but it would spoil your enjoyment to reveal all the dramatic twists and turns. Gigli, in magnificent voice, sings not only some songs and scenes from Pagliacci, but also a lovely, melting interpretation of 'Prendi l'anel ti dono' from La sonnambula. Paul Hoerbiger plays the old man most affectingly. Familiar themes from the opera are woven into the soundtrack." P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); About the Actor Greg Sandow, reviewing in The Wall Street Journal: What would we expect from 1936's "The Charm of La Bohème," in which two opera singers live out in real life the pathos of Puccini's opera? Or from 1942's "Ridi, Pagliaccio," in which the wrenching story of the opera "Pagliacci" is presumed to be true, and the composer writes the piece after meeting the main character? Sounds awful, doesn't it? But both films--filled with that unstoppable old-time singing--are anything but awful. "Ridi, Pagliaccio," especially, unfolds with touching dignity, never trivializing either life or art. We see Beniamino Gigli, a devotedly honest tenor of the era between the two world wars, play the singer who created the leading role in "Pagliacci," first trying out his big aria as the opera is being written, then nailing it with searing passion at the world premiere. Hokey, you might think. But like "L'elisir," and so many of those old performances, it all seems real. See more
L**H
gigli films
Hi, first I want to thank you for the delivery.I was told the delivery date would be 24 October,but my dvd actually arrived on the 1st.I enjoyed Ridi Paliacco very much,even though it has not been digitally remastered,so you get the original 40's film,with English subtitles,but the singing of Gigli is exquisite.And,after all,that's why I wanted it.So thank you very much for speed of delivery and great enjoyment of the film. Linda Rayworth
F**K
Five Stars
Everything was alright. Satisfied
S**R
Gigli's Shift to Dramatic Tenor
RIVETING! The best plot of any Gigli movie.Paul Hörbiger movingly portrays the real-life Canio on whom the opera was based. In the opera's premiere, Gigli is the Canio. To express the drama, he colors his voice far more than any other Canio on film or record. The film includes nearly the entire role.In Ridi Pagliaccio Gigli's voice is more mature--and more appropriate for the part--than in his 1934 recording. On the recording he is colder and less detailed interpretively. It was made before he had stage experience with the role, whereas the film dates from 1942, when he was appearing as Canio at the Rome Opera. In the 1934 recording he gives priority to sonority. In Ridi Pagliaccio he gives priority to emotion.Before this film Gigli was a lyric tenor who frequently sang dramatic-tenor roles. With this film his voice became a dramatic tenor although he retained his ability to sing sweetly.In the Memoirs Gigli wrote of those 1942 performances:With a kind of animal instinct of self-preservation, I always had refused this highly dramatic rôle [Canio]--a favourite of Caruso's--when Gatti-Casazza proposed it to me at the Metropolitan. At that time I felt it would put too great a strain on my voice. But in 1934 I had ventured to make a recording of it; and the fact that I now felt able to sing it in public gave me conclusive proof that my voice was stronger than it had ever been before. [Memoirs, page 211]He is particularly impassioned in the opera's final five minutes.Gigli's mezza voce remained ravishing to the end of his career. In Ridi Pagliaccio he purrs "Prendi: l'anel ti dono," from Sonnambula, with surpassing sweetness.The music in the film breathes beautifully, presumably thanks to the conducting of the legendary Luigi Ricci. This is a rare recorded example of his work. (He is remembered as a coach to Gigli, Olivero and others and was a composer in his own right.)For all these reasons I watch the film again and again.--Stefan ZuckerA clip from this film of the final five minutes of Pagliacci may be seen on the Bel Canto Society site.
J**S
Disappointing
Even for a film over 60 years old, this is of a very poor quality, the picture keeps fading away, the sound is at times inaudible and the subtitles non readable.If a good copy could be found, and remastered, it would be a prize indeed. However it only merits two stars, and that is for the unique footage of Gigli, singing excerpts from Pagliacca like no one else ever has
Trustpilot
3 days ago
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