Farinelli (1994)

64% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(4,793 ratings)

The performer known as Farinelli, born Carlo Broschi (and played in this film by Stefano Dionisi), was famous in the 18th century as the world's greatest castrato, a male singer whose testicles were removed in childhood so that he would retain the high, clear voice of a child while gaining the… More The performer known as Farinelli, born Carlo Broschi (and played in this film by Stefano Dionisi), was famous in the 18th century as the world's greatest castrato, a male singer whose testicles were removed in childhood so that he would retain the high, clear voice of a child while gaining the control and power of an adult vocalist. A strikingly gifted singer with a range of more than three octaves, Farinelli was given little choice but to sacrifice his manhood in exchange for his art, and as his career was founded on the surgery that would dramatically restrict his off-stage life, his art was in turn hemmed in by his family. Carlo's father declared early on that he should only sing the songs of his brother Riccardo (Enrico LoVerso), and while Farinelli's fame gives Riccardo's career a needed boost, the mediocrity of Riccardo's compositions holds Farinelli back. When the singer is given the opportunity to work with the great composer Handel (Jeroen Krabbe), his brother's jealously and Farinelli's own poorly chosen career alliances stand in his way. The brothers' often contentious partnership also extends to the bedroom; while Farinelli's performances set women on fire, he's physically incapable of satisfying them sexually, so he provides the foreplay in a bizarre game of seduction and then turns his conquests over to his brother. Farinelli il Castrato received a Golden Globe award as Best Foreign Language Film of 1994 and an Academy Award nomination in the same category. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Gérard Corbiau
Written By: Marcel Beaulieu, Andrée Corbiau
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 7, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Aug 22, 2000
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Artistry abounds in every aspect of the film.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
There's something too artificial and highfalutin about the movie.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A fascinating, if occasionally overly melodramatic, recreation of a period when Baroque music ruled Europe.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Because Carlo Broschi, the 18th-century castrato singer known as Farinelli, was himself such an exotic and sensationalistic figure, you'd think that creating a dull movie out of his flamboyant life would be next to impossible. Think again.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Glossy and histrionic, salacious and empty, Farinelli reduces a fascinating story to a series of hissy fits and leering glances.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Farinelli, one of the 1995 Oscar nominees in the foreign film category, is onto an interesting story, all right, but it leaves us feeling, like some of Farinelli's lovers, that something is missing.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This Oscar-nominated Belgian entry about catsration of boys who became phenomenal soprano opera singers is more bizarre than drmatically engaging, but the story is always fascinating and the movie nice to look at and listent to.
Gabriel Shanks, Mixed Reviews
Romantic, sweeping tale of sex and sibling rivalry that manages to connect despite its overwrought storytelling.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Stops you in your tracks and transports you to a phantasmagorical world where music, mystery and magic hold sway.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
Technically exquisite in virtually every regard, Farinelli is precisely the kind of foreign language film that shines brightest on DVD.
Stephen Farber, Movieline
A lush, engrossing drama.
Arthur Lazere, culturevulture.net
Farinelli is great fun and sufficiently thoughtful and complex to give food for continuing thought.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
The good parts are brilliant, but poor ones will put you to sleep. The story is so unique and fascinating, and the technical aspects of the film so well done, that I could not think about missing seeing this show.
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The first two-thirds seem jumbled and underdeveloped.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Kylie B

Beautiful, lush, sumptuous...all words that can be used to describe various aspects of this film. My only issue would be that the love between Farinelli and the woman who would later be his wife was barely explored at all - they go from arguing and ignoring each other to later living… More
Beautiful, lush, sumptuous...all words that can be used to describe various aspects of this film. My only issue would be that the love between Farinelli and the woman who would later be his wife was barely explored at all - they go from arguing and ignoring each other to later living with each other in Spain, she being ready to have 'his' child. I could've done with a bit more of his childhood as well.
Pierluigi P

The colourful and uninhibited life of "il castrato" Farinelli and his brother Riccardo Broschi, two men who shared their music and their women. An operatic biopic with impressive production values and a dreamy score. Not as big as Milos Forman's Amadeus, but still, a… More
The colourful and uninhibited life of "il castrato" Farinelli and his brother Riccardo Broschi, two men who shared their music and their women. An operatic biopic with impressive production values and a dreamy score. Not as big as Milos Forman's Amadeus, but still, a picture with immense beauty and pleasant erotism.