Farinelli (1994)
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64% of critics liked it
(22 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(4,885 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
- Directed By
- Gérard Corbiau
- Written By
- Marcel Beaulieu, Andrée Corbiau
- Genres
- Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Dec 7, 1994 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Artistry abounds in every aspect of the film.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A fascinating, if occasionally overly melodramatic, recreation of a period when Baroque music ruled Europe.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Cast
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Stefano Dionisi
as Carlo Broschi aka Farinelli
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Enrico Lo Verso
as Riccardo Broschi
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Elsa Zylberstein
as Alexandra
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Jeroen Krabbé
as Handel
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Caroline Cellier
as Margareth Hunter
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Jacques Boudet
as Philippe V
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Omero Antonutti
as Porpora
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Marianne Basler
as Countess Mauer
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Graham Valentine
as Prince of Wales
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Pier Paolo Capponi
as Father
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Delphine Zentout
as Young Admirer
- Hubert Burczek
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Renaud du Peloux de Saint Romain
as The child
- Richard Reeves
