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Anne Ayars, Leonide Massine, Ludmilla Tchérina, Moira Shearer, Pamela Brown ...( see more  see more... ) , Robert Helpmann

This a film version of the opera "The Tales of Hoffmann", however it is NOT just a film of a staged performance. 'Michael Powell' & Emeric Pressburger (and the rest of "The Archers") work their usual ...( read more  read more... )magic here. The opera dramatises the three great romances in the life of the poet-hero presented in a series of flashbacks. Hoffmann's tales depict the struggle between human love and the artist's dedication to his work. Hoffmann loses each of the women he loves but gains instead poetic inspiration -- the ability to transform painful experiences into art.

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117 ratings

Unrated, 2 hrs. 18 min.

Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Release Date: April 4, 1951

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DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

Stats: 26 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (26)

  • her69eyes
    July 26, 2009
    her69eyes
    Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the partners that comprise the prolific writer/director team known as The Archers, have experimented in many genres - ballet in "The Red Shoes", sprawling epic in "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", modernized myth in "I Know Where I'm Go...( read more)ing!" - but "The Tales of Hoffman" is perhaps their most obscure and memorable work. The film was derived from Powell's ambition of creating a film that was completely composed, a sort of music video to compliment Jacques Offenbach's 1880 opera. Powell had little success selling this idea to producers until Sir Thomas Beecham introduced Powell to this particular opera, which was adapted from tales by E.T.A. Hoffman.

    It tells the stories of our hero, Hoffman (Robert Rounseville), and his three fantastical forays into love. The first of the stories, and clearly the best, is "The Tale of Olympia". Olympia (Moira Shearer) is a lifelike puppet brought to life by the scientist Spalanzani (Leonide Massine). The set design, sprawling curtains of gold, and the centerpiece of an enchanting ballet, make this section an absolute delight. The next tale is "The Tale of Giulietta", in which the evil Captain Dappertutto (Robert Helpmann) offers Giulietta (Ludmilla Tcherina) diamonds in return for Hoffman's reflection. The third is "The Tale of Antonia", involving the overprotective father, Crespel (Mogens Wieth), and his beautiful daughter, Antonia (Anne Ayars), who suffers from a mysterious illness. Several characters are reoccuring, with Robert Helpmann always portraying the devious threat to Hoffman, and even appearing in the bookends of a prologue and epilogue.

    The star of the film is it's production design, from the impressive sets to the gorgeous costuming. Powell and Pressburger have made some of the most beautiful films ever shot in technicolor, including both this film and "Black Narcissus", but neither of these films connected with me on an emotional level. The tales in "The Tales of Hoffman" become increasingly convoluted, and it's a chore to decipher the dialogue and follow along with the absurdist plots. Opera virgins should be warned that subtitles are likely a necessity unless you happen to have a synopsis nearby.

    The film is cited as the favorite of George A. Romero, the godfather of the zombie film. Each tale does have a sort of nightmarish quality, with "The Tale of Olympia" in particular featuring the dismemberment of a humanlike puppet. I don't know if I can watch "Night of the Living Dead" again without thinking that each brutal death was inspired from that particular sequence.

    Although I was never bored because of the extravagant visuals, I felt myself unmoved by the story and performances. The tales become increasingly tedious as the film wears on, and by the midway point of the last story I had an eye on my watch and an eye on the screen. Bosley Crowther puts it best - "'Tales of Hoffman' is splendid and cold".
  • emilioperezcasas
    November 22, 2009
    emilioperezcasas
    Best Music conductor, Best dancer, best singers : A marvelous English Film !
  • wilmothoudini
    June 4, 2009
    wilmothoudini
    It may not all work, but it's beautiful to look at.
  • mikeboas
    January 18, 2009
    mikeboas
    Didn't hit me like I'd hoped it would. I love the painterly look and melodramatic stories of The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, but Hoffman didn't move me. I tried to be open-minded, but the singing was a real barrier I couldn't overcome. Still, some brilliant images peppered ...( read more)throughout, especially in the last segment.

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  • Which of the following films was based on an opera by Offenbach?  Answer »
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