The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
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81% of critics liked it
(16 reviews) -
75% of users liked it
(331 ratings)
Most baby-boomers are familiar with the Powell-Pressburger production of the Offenbach opera Tales of Hoffman only through the full-color stills from the film which were reproduced in the "Motion Picture" section of The World Book Encyclopedia. If this is your only memory of the film, we… More Most baby-boomers are familiar with the Powell-Pressburger production of the Offenbach opera Tales of Hoffman only through the full-color stills from the film which were reproduced in the "Motion Picture" section of The World Book Encyclopedia. If this is your only memory of the film, we advise you to seek out a copy of this lengthy but visually enthralling picture as soon as possible. Metropolitan opera star Robert Rounseville plays Hoffman, a university student who is spectacularly unlucky in affairs of the heart. Each of his love affairs with Olympia (Moira Shearer), Giulietta (Ludmilla Tcherina) and Antonia (Ann Ayars) is doomed to failure due to circumstances far beyond our hero's control (Olympia, for example, turns out to be nothing more than a life-sized mechanical doll). As in the previous Powell-Pressburger collaboration The Red Shoes, the film's best moments are its ballet sequences, choreographed by Jane Ashton. Offenbach's score is given a splendid rendition by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the legendary Sir Thomas Beecham. Most prints of Tales of Hoffman run 118 minutes, eliminating the closing "Tale of Antonia" sequence; the laserdisc version has been restored to 127 minutes, while the search goes on for the complete 138-minute negative. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Apr 4, 1951 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Hard to take, despite the clear personal commitment of director Michael Powell and the enormous amount of talent on display in the photography, set design, and choreography.
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Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
As intensely expressionistic as any film since Caligari, and at the same time a veritable nova of springtime élan, the movie inhabits a unique puppet-theater universe, and could seduce a eunuch.
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Variety Staff, Variety
A lush, resplendent production that's a treat to eye and ear.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
It sates the senses without striking any real dramatic fire.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Sumptuous spectacle.
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Cast
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Moira Shearer
as Stella
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Robert Rounseville
as Hoffmann
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Robert Helpmann
as Coppelius [The Tale Of Olympia], Dapertu...
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Pamela Brown
as Nicklaus
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Frederick Ashton
as Cochenille [The Tale Of Olympia], Kleinz...
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Leonide Massine
as Spalanzani [The Tale Of Olympia]
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Meinhart Maur
as Luther
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John Ford
as Nathaniel
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Richard Golding
as Hermann
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Philip Leaver
as Andreas
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Ludmilla Tchérina
as Giulietta [The Tale Of Giulietta]
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Lionel Harris
as Pitichinaccio [The Tale Of Giulietta]
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Ann Ayars
as Antonia [The Tale Of Antonia]
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Mogens Wieth
as Crespel [The Tale Of Antonia]
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Jean Alexander
as Mother [The Tale of Antonia]
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Edmund Audran
as Cancer
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Dorothy Bond
as Singer
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Owen Brannigan
as Singer
- Bruce Darvaget
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Monica Sinclair
as Singer
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René Soames
as Singer
